His light blue eyes almost ended his movie career before it began. Until the early 1920s, filmmakers used black-and-white Orthochromatic film stock, which was "blue blind." Hal Roach cameraman George Stevens (the same George Stevens who would later become an acclaimed producer/director) knew of panchromatic film and was able to get a supply of it from Chicago. This new film was sensitive to blue and recorded Laurel's pale blue eyes in a more natural way. Stevens became Laurel's cameraman on his short films at Roach. When Laurel teamed with Oliver Hardy, the team made Stevens their cameraman of choice.
His partner Oliver Hardy was an inveterate golfer, often setting up his own little putting green on the set so he could practice between takes. Laurel once joked to a reporter interviewing him that golf was Hardy's only "bad habit". When the reporter asked if he had any bad habits, Laurel--who had been married and divorced five times--replied, "Yes, and I married them.".
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In 1910, Stan Laurel joined Fred Karno's troupe of actors, which also included a young Charlie Chaplin. For some time, Stan acted as Chaplin's understudy. The Karno troupe toured America, and brought both Chaplin and Laurel to the United States for the first time.
In 1910, Stan Laurel joined Fred Karno's troupe of actors, which also included a young Charlie Chaplin. For some time, Stan acted as Chaplin's understudy. The Karno troupe toured America, and brought both Chaplin and Laurel to the United States for the first time.
In 1961, Stan Laurel was given a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award for his pioneering work in comedy.
In 1989, a statue of Laurel was erected in Dockwray Square, North Shields, Northumberland, England where he lived at No. 8 from 1897 to 1902, and where the steps down from the Square to the North Shields Fish Quay were said to have inspired the piano-moving scene in The Music Box.
In 2008, a statue of Stan Laurel was unveiled in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, UK, on the site of the Eden Theatre. Although Laurel was born in Ulverston, Cumbria, he was moved as a baby to Bishop Auckland, where he was baptised at St. Peter's Church and schooled at King James Grammar School.
In April 2009, a bronze statue of Laurel and Hardy was unveiled in Ulverston, Cumbria.
In his later years he was a close friend of Dick Van Dyke.
In his later years he was arguably the most approachable of all movie stars, keeping his phone number in the phone book, welcoming all sorts of visitors, and responding to his fan mail personally.
Interred at Forest Lawn (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California, USA.
Is portrayed by Jim Plunkett in Harlow (1965/II).
Laurel and Hardy's famous piano moving scene from 1932's The Music Box was filmed in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles. The scene shows Laurel & Hardy struggling futilely to haul a heavy piano up a long flight of steps. The 131 steps are still in existence today, and are a public staircase (they do not lead to a single residence as in the film). They connect Vendome Street (at the base of the hill) with Descanso Drive (at the top of the hill). They are located near the neighborhood where Sunset Boulevard and Silver Lake Boulevard intersect. The address is 923-935 Vendome Street near the intersection of Del Monte Street. A commemorative plaque was set into one of the lower steps between 1993 and 1995. The "Music Box" steps can be seen in the background of an earlier Charley Chase silent comedy produced at the Hal Roach Studios, "Isn't Life Terrible?" (1925), during a scene in which Chase is trying to sell fountain pens to Fay Wray.
Laurel and Hardy's likenesses have made frequent "cameo appearances" in animated cartoons and comic strips since the 1930s. They were featured in a Laurel and Hardy cartoon series by Hanna-Barbera and made a guest appearance in The New Scooby-Doo Movies. From Mickey Mouse to Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies to Woody Woodpecker, caricatured versions of the comedians appeared as walk-on characters and sometimes in supporting roles in cartoons from the Golden Age of American animation. Laurel and Hardy have also turned up in more recent works such as the Asterix album Obelix and Co., Mark Dindal's animated film Cats Don't Dance (1997), Berkeley Breathed's comic strip Bloom County, Gary Larson's comic strip The Far Side and The Simpsons episode The Wandering Juvie.
Laurel first appeared with his future partner, Oliver Hardy, in The Lucky Dog (1921), which was filmed in 1919, but not released until 1921.
Laurel insisted that the quote attributed to him, "You know my hobbies; I married them all" was actually dreamed up by the publicity department.
Only son died 9 days after birth in 1930.