Stan Laurel

Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson (16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965), known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as one half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. Laurel began his career in the British music hall from where he took a number of his standard comic devices: the bowler hat, the deep comic gravity, and the nonsensical understatement. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film The Music Box (1932).

In 1961, Laurel was given a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award for his pioneering work in comedy. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. In a 2005 UK poll to find The Comedians' Comedian, Laurel and Hardy ranked top among best double acts and seventh overall. In 2009, a bronze statue of the duo was unveiled in Laurel's hometown of Ulverston, Cumbria.