Stan Laurel
Biography
Stan Laurel was an English comedian, actor, writer and director who formed a celebrated screen partnership with Oliver Hardy. Born in Ulverston to parents who worked in the theater, he gave his first professional performance in Glasgow at sixteen and learned his craft in music hall, where he took up the bowler hat and understatement that became his trademarks. He joined Fred Karno's troupe in 1910 and acted as Charlie Chaplin's understudy before sailing to America with the company. After starting film work in 1917, he appeared alongside Hardy in the short The Lucky Dog in 1921, and the pair became an official team in late 1927. They successfully moved into talking pictures with the short Unaccustomed As We Are in 1929, and their short The Music Box won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject. Laurel received an Academy Honorary Award in 1961.
74years old at death
- Born Ulverston
- Died Santa Monica
- Star sign: GeminiThe sign runs May 21 to June 20
- Arthur Stanley Jefferson (birth name)Also credited as Stanley Laurel
Movie Career
- Films
- 29
- Career span
- 35 years1922 to 1957
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Early training
In 1910 Laurel joined Fred Karno's troupe of actors, advertised as Fred Karno's London Comedians, using the stage name Stan Jefferson. The troupe also included a young Charlie Chaplin, and in England Laurel acted as Chaplin's understudy for some time.
About the name
Laurel took the surname Laurel on the suggestion of actress Mae Dahlberg, who told him his stage name Stan Jefferson was unlucky because it had thirteen letters.
First role
Laurel gave his first professional stage performance at the Panopticon in Glasgow at sixteen, and it was in music hall that he worked out his standard comic devices, among them the bowler hat.
A role that slipped away
Stanley Kramer asked Laurel to appear in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World in 1963, but Laurel turned it down. He reportedly explained that he did not want viewers to see him in his old age, particularly without Hardy.
Stan Laurel movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
James W. Horne directed four of these films, Malcolm St. Clair four and Charley Rogers three. Oliver Hardy appears in 28 of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Oliver Hardy's page
James Finlayson's page
Eddie Borden's page
Mae Busch's page
Richard Cramer's page
Charlie Hall's page
All films by James W. Horne
Malcolm St. ClairDirector, 4 films, 1943 to 1945
All films by Malcolm St. Clair
All films by Charley Rogers
Also four films together1 more actor
- Harry BernardA Chump at Oxford (1940), Saps at Sea (1940), Way Out West (1937) and Sons of the Desert (1933)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Awards
Three awards and honors from 1960 to 1964, two of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1960 | Honorary Award | Honorary | |
| SAG Awards | |||
| 1964 | Life Achievement Award | Won | |
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.