First person I thought of.
Neither face nor expression. It was that hideous shock of oily-looking hair falling into his face that got the laughs. Sometimes it was just repulsive, but hilarious, like watching a particularly fat plumber bending to his work.
I nominate Shemp as the guy who got his laughs primarily from his hair. If you ever saw Larry David back in his brief stand-up days, he was another guy whose hair was cringe-worthy. But I’m now starting a whole other thread…
Steven Wright had/has cringe-worthy hair…as does Carrot Top, for completely different reasons…sounds like you should start that thread…
Carroll O’Connor could do more with one look than most everyone who has lived ever.
Just watch one randon episode of All in the Family if you don’t believe it.
That’s not quite true. Keaton’s character would struggle to maintain his composure in the face of absurdity and calamity, and you could see the gears turning in his head as he pondered “Why is the universe conspiring against me?”