Stan Laurel Stan
Laurel was often portrayed as the bumbling clown, but
in real life this couldn't have been further from the truth.
He was the business brain and driving force behind the
duo.
While Ollie was often described as easy going and happy
to go along with whatever Hal Roach wanted, Stan was constantly
striving to get more creative control over what they
did.
He fell out with Roach on more than one occasion and
was even fired by Roach once over a argument over contracts.
Leaving Ollie to make a number of films without his partner. |
Was Stan Laurel his real
name?
No, his real name was Arthur Stanley Jefferson. He was
to adopt the name Stan Laurel because he was superstitious,
the name he was using at the time Stan Jefferson had
13 letters, this was causing Stan problems or so he
thought. It is said his partner of the time Mae Charlotte
Dahlberg came up with the name Laurel after seeing
a picture of a Roman wearing a laurel wreath.
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When was Stan born?
Stan was born on the 16th of June in 1890. He was born
in Ulverston, Lancashire, England.
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When did Stan die?
Stan died on the 23rd of February in 1965. He died soon
after suffering a heart attack. He was buried in Burbank
at the Forset Lawn Hollywood Hills Cemetery
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When did Stan first appear
with Ollie?
Stan's first film with Oliver Hardy was a silent film
called 'The Lucky Dog' this was almost 7years before
they teamed up as Laurel and Hardy.
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How did Stan end up in America?
Stan at an early age worked in his Father's Theatre, it
was here he became involved in the entertainment
industry. He had an opportunity to perform on stage which
led
to his involvement with the Fred Karno performers.
It was here he met and worked with Charlie Chaplin
(another Karno member at the time), he was to understudy
Chaplin. The Karno performers toured America and
Stan shared cheap lodgings with Charlie Chaplin because
they couldn't afford to have their own apartments.
Stan left the tour because when he asked for a pay
increase he was turned down. Stan then went home
to
England before returning to America (again with the
Karnos) and eventually formed the Keystone Trio and
then the Stanley Jefferson Trio. After this Stan
got a few acting jobs in silent films before eventually
joining Hal Roache's Studio.
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