Character Profiles
Former Karno comedian who was involved with both Laurel & Hardy prior to their teaming. After appearing in Karno's successful 'Mumming Birds' sketch, Aubrey made numerous films in which he was supported by Oliver Hardy. From here, Aubrey moved to Joe Rock who at the time was producing films for Stan Laurel. Supporting both Aubrey and Luarel during this period was Anita Garvin who would feature prominently with the Boys later on in her career. During his time with Joe Rock, Stan directed several Jimmy Aubrey films. When the Boys started making films for Hal Roach Aubrey was cast in a number of minor roles, among them the chef in Their Purple Moment and the drunk in That's My Wife.
Actor who specialised in playing the English monocled 'silly twit' type of character as in County Hospital where he accidently puts on Ollie's trousers. Austin also appeared in the very early Duck Soup as the prospective buyer of the house in which the Boys are hiding.
Italian-born comedian who was the director of the first 20th Century-Fox Laurel & Hardy film, Great Guns.
British comedian who played the role of 'Jitters', the creepy butler in Oliver The Eighth.
Tall, dark haired actor most often cast as a policeman. Amongst others, he appeared in this role in Night Owls, Another Fine Mess and Our Relations. Other parts include the fight promoter in Any Old Port, the tomato-throwing lorry driver in Two Tars and the harbour patrolman in Saps At Sea
Former prop man and actor who directed of Swiss Miss and Block-Heads. Blystone also directed Buster Keaton in Our Hospitality.
Surly mannered supporting actor conspicuous as a figure of authority in the Laurel & Hardy films. As the captain in Sailors Beware, Brownlee finds an unwelcome cab aboard his ship whilst The Second Hundred Years sees him as a prison warden. Later appearances include the Police Chief who's arrested by the Boys in The Midnight Patrol and the Drill Sergeant in Pack Up Your Troubles.
Director of the early Laurel & Hardy films who also worked with Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. Because of his tendency to rework material later in his career, a pending lawsuit may have influenced Bruckman to commit suicide using a gun he borrowed from an unsuspecting Buster Keaton.
Comedian who often had bit part appearances in the Laurel & Hardy films. Burns can be seen more prominently as the supposedly blind man in Below Zero, as the cyclist who gets toppled by a suspicious looking creature in Another Fine Mess and a scalped Justice Of The Peace in Any Old Port. Other roles include a dental patient in Pardon Us, a potential suspect who cracks in The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case and a somersaulting neighbour who gets drenched by the Boys in Helpmates.
Australian born actress and perennial favourite most often cast as a formidable Mrs Hardy. She played this role in Unaccustomed As We Are, Their First Mistake, Sons Of The Desert and The Bohemian Girl and was also a regular on many of their other short films.
In Oliver The Eighth, Mae is cast as a Femme Fatale who tries to muder her intended groom. She portrays a screaming lunatic in Come Clean, a jilted lover in The Live Ghost and a blackmailing combination of both in Chickens Come Home. However, not all of her characters were antagonistsic and Mae also played the amiable Mrs Hall in Them Thar Hills and its sequel, Tit For Tat as well as the unhappy Artist' wife in The Fixer-Uppers.
British born writer and director of the early Laurel & Hardy film Flying Elephants. Butler also worked with the Boys during their 1930s features with Hal Roach.
Actress who appeared twice with Laurel & Hardy. In One Good Turn she plays the old lady who kindly offers the Boys food in return for chopping wood and in Pack Up Your Troubles she is the lady who hands Eddie a note saying his wife has left him. Carr also appeared with Oliver Hardy in the 1925 version of 'The Wizard Of Oz'.
Probably the most famous icon in film, Chaplin's understudy and room-mate during his time with the Fred Karno troupe was Stan Laurel. After the troupe disbanded, one of Stan's vaudeville acts saw him impersonating Chaplin and in 1918, Chaplin attended the premiere of Laurel's first film, Just Nuts.
It is believed that Chaplin considered his reputation under threat among his contemporaries and his 1964 autobiography refers to Laurel only once.
A fellow Hal Roach comedian and director (as 'Charles Parrott') and brother of regular Laurel & Hardy director James Parrott. Oliver had supported Chase in several earlier comedies and Chase appeared in two Laurel & Hardy's films; Call Of The Cuckoos and most famously, as the practical joker in Sons Of The Desert.
Subsequently, Laurel & Hardy supported Chase in On The Wrong Trek and Now I'll Tell One, both of which are strictly speaking, a Charley Chase film rather than a Laurel & Hardy feature.
Also known as Frank Terry, Clifford's most prominent role in the Laurel & Hardy films was as the safecracker who Officer Stan unwittingly helps in The Midnight Patrol. Other roles include the butler in Me And My Pal and background appearances in Any Old Port and Fra Diavolo.
Dark haired actress who appeared in many of the early Laurel and Hardy silents including the object of Stan's affection in Putting Pants On Philip and the hot-tempered nurse who objects to noisy builders in The Finishing Touch.
Actor who appears as a butler in Duck Soup and Ollie's uncle in That's My Wife. Courtwright later appeared in the Our Gang series of comedies.
Grim faced actor who played the Boys adversary in Scram, Pack Up Your Troubles, Saps At Sea and The Flying Deuces. Unlike other supporting players in a Laurel & Hardy film, Cramer brought virtually no humour to any of his roles and he looks particularly unpleasant in Scram as the judge who finds Laurel & Hardy in cahoots with his wife.
Plump, English born actress who appeared in a number of the Boys films. She is Mrs Hardy in Should Married Men Go Home and the splendid Perfect Day. In Below Zero, it is Deslys who offers money to buskers Laurel & Hardy telling them to 'move on a couple of streets' whilst in both Their Purple Moment and We Faw Down, she plays one of the floozies with whom the Boys get involved with.
Former gagman and extra at the Roach studios who later directed Saps At Sea. Douglas also directed Oliver Hardy in Zenobia in which a solo Ollie minus Stan was paired with Harry Langdon.
Former Keystone Cop who lost an eye during an accident which occurred whilst carrying out a stunt. Burns appearances include the removal man in Duck Soup, the telegraph boy in Me And My Pal and the bartender in The Bohemian Girl. However, Burns best role was as the resolute customer who manages to clear the Boys shops of all worldly goods in Tit For Tat.
No relation to Bobby Dunn, Eddie Dunn was an actor and gagman at the Roach Studios. His numerous appearances with the Boys include The Hoose-Gow, Another Fine Mess, Pardon Us, the cab driver in Me And My Pal and the desk sergeant in The Midnight Patrol.
Scottish comedian who was an essential part of the Laurel & Hardy team appearing in 33 of their films. Instantly recognizable because of his enormous prop moustache (Finlayson was actually clean shaven), James is best remembered for his role in Big Business as the obstinate home owner who is irritated by the antics of persistant door-to-door salesmen Stan & Ollie.
His regular appearances with Laurel & Hardy often as their nemesis made him an almost mandatory component of their films.
Director and screenwriter who is credited with Double Whoopee, Bacon Grabbers, Angora Love, Unaccustomed As We Are, Berth Marks and Men O' War. Foster worked briefly with Charley Chase before joining the Laurel & Hardy unit.
Former Roach actor who later turned to directing and is credited with That's My Wife, The Midnight Patrol, Busy Bodies, Dirty Work and Oliver The Eighth.
French also co-directed Me And My Pal with Charles Rogers and was assistant director for Sons Of The Desert.
New York born actress who appeared in several Laurel & Hardy short films. Among the silents, Anita played the Captain's wife in Why Girls Love Sailors, one of the officers' ladies in With Love And Hisses, a jewel thief in Sailors, Beware amd a potential customer in Hats Off. Other appearances in silents include Their Purple Moment, From Soup To Nuts and The Battle Of The Century.
In talkies, Anita was cast as Mrs Laurel in both Blotto and Be Big and also appeared in Swiss Miss and A Chump At Oxford.
Full name William Gilbert Baron. A stage actor who turned film comedian on Laurel's recommendation, Gilbert appeared as the frustrated recipient of the Boys antics in The Chimp, The Music Box, County Hospital, Block-Heads and Pack Up Your Troubles. Exceptions to his character type were as a drunk in One Good Turn, a benevolent junk yard owner in Towed In A Hole, and as the Doctor who examines Ollie's foot for gout in Them Thar Hills.
Scottish-born actress who plays Mrs MacTavish in Pack Up Your Troubles and Mrs Bickerdike in Bonnie Scotland. Gordon also appears briefly in Way Out West and Saps At Sea.
Goulding was one of Harold Lloyd's regular directors when he first introduced Stan Laurel to Roach. He later directed A Chump At Oxford and, at Stan's request, was brought in to co-direct Atoll K.
Actress who made numerous appearances with various Roach stars including Charley Chase. Her appearances with Laurel & Hardy include The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case and Hog-Wild. In the latter, Granger plays the sexy girl that nearly manages to cause a traffic accident by distracting Stan who's driving on his way to Ollie's.
Director of the early Laurel & Hardy films during their formative period.
British born actor who appeared in many Laurel & Hardy films and is best remembered for his role as the vengeful Mr Hall in Them Thar Hills and its sequel Tit For Tat, two of the funniest Laurel & Hardy shorts. Other noticeable highlights include Hall cast as the grumpy work colleague in Busy Bodies and as the unfortunate landlord in Laughing Gravy, a character he would portray in several Laurel & Hardy films.
Blonde actress who appeared in three Laurel & Hardy silents. In Liberty, she tries to enter a cab occupied by the Boys whilst in Bacon Grabbers, she plays the wife of Edgar Kennedy who is trying to keep his radio from being repossessed by Stan & Ollie. Jean is best remembered for the famous disrobing scene in Double Whoopee where footman Stan accidently catches her dress in a cab door whilst she is leaving the cab escorted by doorman Ollie.
Jean's portrait was also used in Beau Chumps as 'Jeanie-Weanie' whose photograph sends Ollie, amongst many others, to the Foreign Legion.
Director who worked on some of Laurel & Hardy's finest films including Big Business, One Good Turn and Way Out West.
Comic actor who specialised in playing drunken roles. Housman appeared in Scram, The Live Ghost, The Fixer-Uppers, Our Relations and The Flying Deuces with his role as the drunk cabin-mate of Stan & Ollie in The Live Ghost being particularly memorable.
Fred Karno was the leading comedy music-hall impresario in Britain and created various sketches such as 'Mumming Birds' which were performed on tour by his various subsidiaries. Both Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin started their comedy careers with Karno's group; Stan was Chaplin's understudy and room-mate. Many comics went on to achieve success on the big screen and stage as a direct result of having worked for Karno.
Kennedy was an expert of the 'slow burn' which referred to a method of expressing delayed frustration. This made him an ideal foil to both Laurel & Hardy and the blustering Billy Gilbert. Kennedy often appeared as a policeman with his most prominent role as an officer in Night Owls where he persuades Stan & Ollie to break into the Inspectors house. Other memorable appearances include the excellent Bacon Grabbers with Kennedy playing an irate homeowner who refuses to surrender his radio to Stan & Ollie.
Kennedy also directed From Soup To Nuts and You're Darn Tootin' as E. Livingston Kennedy.
Brother of Edgar Kennedy present as the recruiting sergeant in Pack Up Your Troubles.
A former painter and director of Our Relations, one of the best Laurel & Hardy feature films.
Canadian born actress, singer and dancer who appeared with Laurel & Hardy in Way Out West as Mary Roberts. She also appeared in Pick A Star and the Charley Chase comedy On The Wrong Trek both of which featured Stan & Ollie as supporting cast.
At the 1984 Sons Of The Desert convention in England Rosina met and subsequently married John McCabe.
Texas-born actor prolific from silent movies to the 1950's. Littlefield appeared in two Laurel & Hardy films; in Dirty Work he is the brilliantly eccentric crackpot genius 'Professor Noodle' whilst in Sons Of The Desert, Littlefield plays the role of the veterinary surgeon who diagnoses Ollie's feigned illness as 'Canis Delirius'.
Rotund actress who played the prospective Mrs Hardy in Our Wife. She had also previously appeared in a Chaplin film and quickly established a reputation for playing a comic 'fat girl' early in her career.
Burly actor used to great effect in several Laurel & Hardy films. Long was the archetypical 'tough guy' and the menacing humour he brought to his personna was implemented beautifully against Stan & Ollie. This was most apparent in both The Live Ghost and Any Old Port, two of our favourite Laurel & Hardy talkies.
Long also appeared in Pardon Us, Going Bye-Bye and Pick A Star with his role in the former as Stan's cell mate 'Tiger' being particularly memorable.
Character actor who played the Prison Warden in Pardon Us and the Dean in A Chump At Oxford.
Supporting actor who appears mostly inconspicuous in many of the Laurel & Hardy films. In Going Bye-Bye, it is Lufkin who advises Stan and Ollie to leave the town whilst in Block-Heads he insists that Stan gets out of the wheelchair.
Blonde, petite actress who appeared in several Charley Chase films as well as three early Laurel & Hardy films; Sugar Daddies, From Soup To Nuts and Should Married Men Go Home ?. Stills which exist from Flying Elephants suggest that Marian was also present in a scene which was cut before the final release.
Director of Laurel & Hardy films in which he also played a small part in two of the three films he directed. In Pack Up Your Troubles he played the army cook whilst in Their First Mistake Marshall plays the neighbour who congratulates Stan and Ollie on the adoption of their child. He also directed the classic Laurel & Hardy short Towed In A Hole.
Authorised biographer of Laurel & Hardy who first met the Boys in 1953 during their UK tour of 'Birds Of A Feather'. McCabe's work includes 'Mr Laurel and Mr Hardy', 'The Comedy World Of Stand Laurel' and 'Babe: The Life Of Oliver Hardy'. The 'Sons Of The Desert' club was founded and created by McCabe with the approval of Stan Laurel.
Director of Habeas Corpus, We Faw Down, Liberty and Wrong Again, McCarey was also involved in many other Laurel & Hardy films as supervisor contributing to both the script and the format of the Boys on-screen performance.
McCarey's younger brother Raymond directed Scram after Leo's departure from the studios.
Sinister looking actor who appeared in four Laurel & Hardy films. Middleton played the Foreign Legion commandant in both Beau Chumps and The Flying Deuces whilst in The Fixer-Uppers, he was the tempestuous artist Pierre, challenging Stan & Ollie to a duel. Middleton also appeared in Pack Up Your Troubles as the official in charge at the orphanage.
Along with Harry Bernard and Tiny Sandford, Morton was most often cast as an officer of the law. He appeared in this role in both Me And My Pal and Tit For Tat as well being cast in non typical roles such as the barman in Way Out West and the caretaker in Block-Heads.
Actress who appeared with Laurel & Hardy both prior to their teaming and also in their later films. Her first appearance with the Boys was in Love 'em And Weep as Mrs Laurel. She later switched roles and played Mrs Hardy in We Faw Down and That's My Wife. Her other contributions include the inebriated wife of the the Judge in Scram and also as the harassed wife of the Sheriff in Way Out West.
Comic supporting actor present in Sugar Daddies as the man taken for Oliver Hardy by a suspicious cop and The Battle Of The Century as the crafty insurance salesman who manages to persuade Ollie to take out a policy on Stan. Pallette can also be seen in the background as a dinner guest in The Second Hundred Years whilst in The Stolen Jools he appears in a scene seperate from that with the Boys.
Director of nearly all the best Laurel & Hardy films including Hog Wild , Two Tars, Perfect Day, Brats, The Hoose-Gow, The Music Box, County Hospital, Another Fine Mess and our all time favourite Laurel & Hardy film, Helpmates.
Parrott also directed Pardon Us which was the first feature length Laurel & Hardy film.
Disagreeable and surly, Payson contributed her brusqueness to three Laurel & Hardy films. She smashes the Boys musical instruments in Below Zero after being hit by a misguided snowball, becomes very quickly annoyed with Stan in Our Wife and makes a terrifying phonecall to Ollie as Mrs Hardy in Helpmates. Unsurprisingly, Blanche Payson was said to have been a woman's prison officer before moving to films.
Diminutive actress who played Mrs Hardy in Thicker Than Water and Our Relations and also appeared in Bonnie Scotland and The Dancing Masters.
Australian born comedian whose real name was Harold Fraser. Pollard supported Harold Lloyd in his early films before starring in his own comedy series which was directed by Charley Chase. Pollard's roles in the Laurel & Hardy films were confined to bit parts.
Energetic and vigorous brunette who appeared often in the early Laurel & Hardy silents. Amongst others, she played Laurel's betrothed in Why Girls Love Sailors, Judge Finlayson's wife in Do Detectives Thinks and Ollie's girlfriend in Should Married Men Go Home ?.
Producer of most of the Laurel & Hardy films and owner of the Hal Roach Studios. It is widely accepted that the Hal Roach Studios were the only environment in which the Boys could have been created into their now familiar characters. Roach himself allowed a degree of freedom and informality around the site which enabled good ideas to flourish.
Director and close friend of Stan Laurel, Rogers both directed and appeared in a number of Laurel & Hardy films. His directing credits include the splendid Them Thar Hills, Tit For Tat and The Live Ghost whilst on-screen amongst others, he played the valet in Pack Up Your Troubles and the butler in Our Wife.
Rogers also co-directed the feature length Laurel & Hardy films Fra Diavolo, Babes In Toyland and The Bohemian Girl.
Burly actor otherwise known as 'Tiny' who appeared in 23 Laurel & Hardy films most often as a prison warden or benevolent policeman as in Big Business with Sandford playing the cop who watches the carnage unfold between Stan, Ollie and James Finlayson. Prison officer roles included Pardon Us where Tiny succeeds in tempting Stan & Ollie to postpone their hunger strike and The Hoose-Gow where he plays the warden who unwittingly shares his lunch with the Boys.
Supporting actor. Sedan was the drunkard in You're Darn Tootin', a hotel desk clerk in Double Whoopee and a customer at the 'La Taverne Del Cucu' hotel in Fra Diavolo.
Former comedian and Buster Keaton director who later directed Pick A Star and Air Raid Wardens.
Long term friend of the Boys and director of the best Laurel & Hardy feature film ever produced Sons Of The Desert.
Director of The Flying Deuces and also producer of the Oliver Hardy solo feature with Harry Langdon, Zenobia.
Veteran screen writer from the silent era who also directed Harold Lloyd during the early 20's. He was brought in by 20th Century-Fox to direct Nothing But Trouble which continued the pattern of 20th Century-Fox assigning any experienced 1920's director with the Boys in the hope of repeating their success at the Roach studios.
Blonde actress who was sometimes appears under the pseudonym 'Alison Lloyd'. In Unaccustomed As We Are, Thelma is cast as Ollie's neighbour Mrs Kennedy. Another Fine Mess sees her as Lady Buckshot whilst in Chickens Come Home, she plays the unsuspecting Mrs Hardy.
Thelma also appears in the feature films Fra Diavolo and was cast as the Gypsy Queen in The Bohemian Girl. However, before the latter film was released, Thelma was found dead in her car from carbon monoxide poisoning. Subsequently, the plot of The Bohemian Girl was re-worked and she now appears merely in crowd shots with her original character having been reduced to a bit part.
Cross-eyed comedian instantly recognizable as the Justice Of The Peace in Our Wife and one of Stan & Ollie's colleagues at the horn factory in Saps At Sea.
Actress whose on-screen haughtiness is often brought down to earth most noticably in The Battle Of The Century and The Hoose-Gow.
Known as 'Beanie', Walker wrote the opening title cards for Laurel & Hardy films and later became dialogue writer. The fact that title cards were retained even after the move from silents to talkies is a testament to the way in which they so effectively set the scene.
Examples include the excellent title gag in Be Big which opens with 'Mr Hardy is a man of great care, caution and discretion - Mr Laurel is married too' and the opening title to Our Wife which reads 'Mr Hardy was making big preparations to get married - Mr Laurel was taking a bath too'.
Also known as Jacqueline Brown, Wells was the leading lady in both Any Old Port and The Bohemian Girl.
Director of A-Haunting We Will Go who, as with Sam Taylor, was assigned to the Boys by 20th Century-Fox purely because of his experience during the 1920's era of silent comedy.
Champion weightlifter who often played a villain in the Harold Lloyd films. His appearances with Laurel & Hardy include Do Detectives Think ?, Sugar Daddies and The Battle Of The Century. Young can also be seen in the background in The Fixer-Uppers and Bonnie Scotland.