Which silent comedy star has a cameo as a bridge player in Sunset Boulevard?

Buster Keaton has a cameo as a bridge player in Sunset Boulevard. He appears as himself among Norma Desmond’s silent-era friends, a group Joe Gillis mockingly calls “the waxworks.”

The bridge scene is one of the film’s most pointed jokes about Hollywood’s treatment of former stars. Keaton had been a major silent-comedy innovator, celebrated for his deadpan expression, elaborate physical timing, and films such as Sherlock Jr. and The General. By 1950, his screen career had changed dramatically, making his presence as one of Norma’s forgotten companions especially resonant.

Keaton is joined at the card table by Anna Q. Nilsson and H. B. Warner, who also play themselves. That detail can cause confusion: Keaton is the silent comedy star among the bridge players, but he is not the only celebrity cameo in the scene. Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Harry Langdon do not fill this role. The cameo is part of Sunset Boulevard’s larger meditation on stardom, obsolescence, and Hollywood nostalgia.