Perhaps one of the greatest comedy teams in the history of motion pictures, the pair is composed of Englishman
Stan
Laurel (Arthur Stanley Jefferson, June 16, 1890- February 23, 1965) and American
Oliver Hardy(Norville Hardy, January 8 1892- August 7, 1957). Their style of comedy, though basically visual and accentuated with slapstick, is built along the lines of their on-screen characterization; the thin Laurel and the obese Hardy are a pair of dimwitted, optimistic men who often run into trouble with almost anybody. But it was their friendship that bonds them together to face such disasters, no matter how awful they can get, and often succeed in the end. Their off-screen lives, however, is contrary to their characters they project in their films. Stan Laurel is the creative output; he often rewrites scripts, improvises and overseeing the footages before editing. Hardy, on the other hand, is more laid-back; although he made some contributions for their routines, he is content following Laurel's lead and would spend his free time on hobbies.
Laurel and Hardy first worked together in the
silent film
The Lucky Dog(1921) under Hal Roach Studios, but didn't become and official tandem until 1927. Gradually gaining
success through a string of Roach-produced shorts, they were at the time the studio's most profitable stars.
Unnacustomed As We Are -a short sound film- earned them the distinction as artist who successfully crossed-over from silent to sound films. Their first full-length film
Pardon Us (1932) made them to concentrate more on making feature films after its success. Their works include
Pack Up Your Troubles (1932),
Fra Diavolo (1933),
Sons of the Desert (1933) and
Babes in Toyland (1934). In 1932 they starred in the Academy award-winning comedy short
The Music Box. After settling a dispute with Roach over creative differences, they made
A Chump at Oxford and
Saps at Sea before leaving in 1940.
They then signed with 20th Century Fox and Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer and made eight films, all successful in the box office, but they never regained the same tremendous popularity they had at Hal Roach Studios. From 1945 to 1950 they toured Europe performing in stage shows, after which they made their final film
Atoll K, a French-Italian effort. On their return to the United States in 1954, they made their first and only American television appearance via This Is Your Life, hosted by Ralph Edwards. Their final public appearance was in a BBC television special in 1955.
Oliver Hardy died on August 7, 1957, after slipping to a coma due to a stroke. Because of his own ill health, Laurel was unable to attend the funeral. He resolved never to act again without Hardy, but continued to write gags and sketches for fellow comedians. In 1960 he was given a special Academy award for his pioneering contribution to comedy, but declined an invitation to appear at the ceremonies. On February 25, 1965, days after suffering a heart attack, Stan Laurel died in a hospital in Santa Monica, California.