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Stan LaurelEnglish-born American comedy actor
Date of Birth: 16.06.1890
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel, born in England, was an American comedic film actor, writer, and director. He became famous as part of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, in which he performed for over 30 years.
Early Life and Career
Stan Laurel was born to Arthur and Margaret Jefferson, who were actively involved in theater and rarely had time for their son. He spent most of his childhood in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, with his grandmother Sarah Metcalfe, surrounded by love and care. He attended Jacob I School in Bishop Auckland, Royal Grammar School in Tynemouth, and briefly attended Rutherglen Academy. His father managed various theaters, including the later demolished Eden Theater in Bishop Auckland. Stan was drawn to the theater and made his stage debut at the age of 16 at the Britannia Panopticon in Glasgow. In 1910, he joined Fred Karno's troupe, which also included a young Charlie Chaplin. When the Karno troupe toured in America, Stan and Charlie decided to stay there. From 1916 to 1918, Stan performed with Alice and Baldwin Cooke, and during this time, he met Oliver Hardy and appeared with him in the short film "The Lucky Dog." It was during this time that Stan met Mae Dahlberg, who had a significant impact on his life. At her suggestion, he adopted the stage name "Laurel." The couple performed together and when Laurel was offered a film role for $75 a week, their partnership ended. After his first film "The Nut," Universal Pictures offered him a contract, but it was soon terminated due to studio reorganization. In 1924, Laurel left the stage and focused solely on film, signing a 12-film contract with Joe Rock. One of the conditions of the contract was Dahlberg's non-participation in these films, as her temperament could hinder Laurel's career. In 1926, Stan married Lois Neilson. Shortly after, Laurel began working as a director and writer at the Hal Roach Studios and in 1925, he reunited with Hardy on the set of the film "Yes, Yes, Nanette!" Laurel had no intention of returning to his acting career, but in 1927, due to an accident involving Hardy, he was asked to return to the set as an actor. This marked the beginning of Laurel and Hardy's close collaboration, which started with the films "Duck Soup" and "Slipping Wives."
Laurel and Hardy Duo
The director of Hal Roach Studios, Leo McCarey, noticed the audience's great interest in Laurel and Hardy's joint work and intentionally started casting them together. By the end of the same year, the duo became known as "Laurel and Hardy." They appeared in numerous films together, including "The Battle of the Century," "Do Detectives Think?," "Two Tars," "Big Business," and many others. In 1929, Laurel and Hardy successfully transitioned to sound films with the movie "Unaccustomed As We Are." Their film became the centerpiece of the film anthology "The Hollywood Revue of 1929," and the following year, their first color film "The Rogue Song" was released. In 1931, they made their first feature-length film "Pardon Us," although they continued to appear in short films until 1935. One of their short films, "The Music Box," won an Academy Award for Best Short Film in 1932. During this time, Laurel's daughter Lois was born in 1928, named after her grandmother, and his son Stan Jr. was born in 1930 but sadly passed away after nine days. Laurel's bond with his daughter grew stronger, even after his divorce from his first wife. In the 1930s, Laurel's relationship with Hal Roach became strained, and their contract was eventually terminated. Laurel was also convicted of driving under the influence and filed a lawsuit against Hal Roach Studios. Eventually, the case was dropped, and Laurel returned to Roach. In 1935, Laurel divorced his first wife and married Virginia Ruth Rogers. They divorced in 1937, and in 1938, Laurel married Vera Shuvalova.
Later Years and Legacy
In 1939, Laurel and Hardy signed a contract with 20th Century Fox and appeared in 10 films within five months. After returning to Hal Roach Studios, they released the films "A Chump at Oxford" and "Saps at Sea," and in April 1940, Laurel's contract with the studio was finally terminated. In May, he divorced his wife and remarried Virginia in January 1941. During the war years, their films became more standard, resulting in a decline in their popularity. However, films like "Great Guns," "Escapade," and "The Bullfighters" received some positive reviews. During this time, Laurel was diagnosed with diabetes, and in two films, Hardy appeared without him at Laurel's request. In 1946, Laurel divorced Virginia and married Ida Kitaeva Raphael, with whom he lived happily until his death.
In 1950, Laurel and Hardy were invited to France to film the joint French-Italian movie "Atoll K" (released in the US as "Utopia"), but the film was a failure. During the filming, both Laurel and Hardy fell seriously ill, and they took a long time to recover after returning home. In 1952, Laurel and Hardy successfully toured Europe.
In the following year, they embarked on another tour with the same result, even though Laurel fell ill and did not perform for several weeks. In May 1954, Hardy suffered a major stroke, and the next tour was canceled. In 1955, they planned to make a television series called "The Laurel and Hardy Show," based on children's stories, but it did not materialize as Laurel suffered a stroke. After his recovery, they began preparations for filming again, but on September 15, 1956, Hardy suffered a severe stroke. Bedridden, he could not speak or move for several months. On August 7, 1957, Oliver Hardy passed away. Laurel did not attend the funeral, stating, "The baby will understand." Laurel decided to retire from acting and focus on writing gags and sketches for colleagues. According to those who knew Laurel well, Hardy's death devastated him, and he never fully recovered from it. In his final years, he lived in a small hotel room in Santa Monica. Always gracious with fans, he spent a lot of time answering their letters. His phone number was listed in the phone book, and his fans were surprised that they could call and talk to Laurel personally. In 1960, Laurel received an honorary Academy Award for his outstanding contribution to the film industry. In the same year, the film "The Bellboy" directed by Jerry Lewis was released, in which Bill Richmond portrayed Laurel. Laurel was a heavy smoker but quit smoking closer to his 70s. He passed away on February 23, 1965, a few days after suffering a heart attack. A few minutes before his death, Laurel told a nurse, "I wouldn't mind going skiing right now." Puzzled, the nurse replied, "I didn't know you went skiing." Laurel explained, "No, I'd rather go skiing right now, just so these needles wouldn't stick into me anymore!" A few minutes later, the nurse found him dead.
Dick Van Dyke, a friend and protege of Laurel, gave a speech at the funeral. Buster Keaton also spoke and said, "Chaplin wasn't funny. I wasn't funny. This man was funny." Laurel came up with his own epitaph: "If anyone at my funeral has a long face, I'll never speak to him again." He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood. In 1989, a statue of Laurel was erected in North Shields, near the house where he lived from 1897 to 1902. In 2006, the film "Stan" was released on BBC Four, based on the final meetings between Laurel and Hardy and reminiscences from their career. A star honoring Laurel is located at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2008, a memorial statue of Laurel was installed in Bishop Auckland, on the site where the Eden Theater once stood. In April 2009, a bronze sculpture of Laurel and Hardy was erected in Ulverston. There is also a memorial plaque on the house where Laurel lived.
