Stan Laurel was a legendary English comic actor, writer, and film director, most famous as one half of the iconic comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Born Arthur Stanley Jefferson in Ulverston, Lancashire, he began his career in the British music hall, where he worked as an understudy to Charlie Chaplin. After moving to the United States, he teamed up with Oliver Hardy in 1927, and together they created over 100 films that defined slapstick comedy for generations. His creative genius as the writer and gag-man behind the scenes was as crucial to the duo's success as his on-screen persona of the dim-witted but kind-hearted friend.