Oliver Norvell Hardy
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Oliver Hardy, born January 18, 1892 in Harlem, Georgia, formed the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy with Stan Laurel in 1926. They starred in over 100 films together, including Way Out West 1937 and Block-Heads 1938. Hardy passed away on August 7, 1957 from a cerebral thrombosis.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Oliver Hardy — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Oliver Hardy by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Oliver Hardy — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Oliver Norvell Hardy lost his father, a lawyer, when he was ten months old. His mother, Mary Emily Jackson, ran a hotel to support the family—an unusual career for a woman then. By age eight, Hardy was performing with minstrel shows. He attended Young Harris College and Georgia Military College, then tried law but preferred running a movie theatre in 1910. He also studied law at Georgia State University and vocal music at Atlanta Conservatory of Music, but entertainment won.
Hardy debuted in the short Outwitting Dad 1914 with the Lubin Company in Florida. He appeared in the Pokes and Jabbs series from 1914-15, the Plump and Runt series from 1916-18, and the Jimmy Aubrey series from 1919-21. As an actor and co-director for Larry Semon from 1921-25, he also took roles in westerns and melodramas. The turning point came when comedy producer Hal Roach paired him with British comic Stan Laurel, whom Hardy had briefly worked with in The Lucky Dog 1921. Their first film as a team was 45 Minutes from Hollywood 1926, followed by Sugar Daddies 1927 and From Soup to Nuts 1928, their first with star billing. Laurel and Hardy became a hit, moving from two-reelers to features like Pardon Us 1931. They starred in classics such as Way Out West 1937, March of the Wooden Soldiers 1934, and Block-Heads 1938. After leaving Roach in the mid-1940s, they signed with Twentieth Century-Fox, but films became formulaic without Laurel’s creative control. Their last film together was the French production Utopia 1951. Hardy also appeared solo in Zenobia 1939 with Harry Langdon and The Fighting Kentuckian 1949 with John Wayne.
Hardy married three times. His first marriage, to Madelyn Saloshin, lasted from November 7, 1913 to November 17, 1921. He then married Myrtle Reeves on November 24, 1921; they divorced on February 23, 1937. His final marriage, to Virginia Lucille Jones, began on March 7, 1940 and lasted until his death. Hardy loved golf, hunting, and cooking. He once shot a deer, but when he saw it still alive and looking at him, he never hunted again. He suffered from weight issues, ballooning to 350 pounds at times, and was a heavy smoker. Despite his size, he was an excellent dancer, singer, and always impeccably dressed off-camera. He had a mild heart attack in 1954 and a severe stroke on September 12, 1956, which left him paralyzed and unable to speak. He died on August 7, 1957.
Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel are one of the greatest comedy duos in film history. Hardy received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street on February 8, 1960. He was voted the 45th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. His image appears on The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. In 1991, he and Stan Laurel were featured on a 29-cent US commemorative postage stamp, drawn by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, a devoted fan, wrote several stories about them. Laurel and Hardy remain popular worldwide, known as El Gordo y El Flaco in Spain, Dick und Doof in Germany, and O Gordo e O Magro in Brazil. Hardy is remembered for his comic partnership with Stan Laurel, bringing laughter to generations.
The complete filmography of Oliver Hardy — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Oliver Hardy — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Oliver Hardy — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
I Don’t Know Much, but I Know a Little About a Lot of Things.
On His Screen Character – I’m the Dumbest Kind of Guy There Is; I’m the Dumb Guy Who Thinks He’s Smart.
Little-known facts about Oliver Hardy — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Stan Laurel vowed never to perform again after Oliver Hardy’s death in 1957 and kept that promise despite numerous offers.
Hardy would excitedly point out celebrities he recognized at clubs and restaurants, unaware that he was just as famous as they were.
During a break in contracts with Hal Roach, John Wayne asked Hardy to co-star in The Fighting Kentuckian 1949. Hardy initially refused due to fear of breakup rumors, but Stan Laurel encouraged him to take the role, resulting in a memorable comic performance.
An avid hunter, Hardy stopped hunting after shooting a deer that looked him in the eyes while still alive.
He suffered a severe stroke on September 12, 1956 that left him paralyzed and unable to speak.
A regular foursome at Lakeside Country Club included Oliver Hardy, Bing Crosby, W.C. Fields, and Babe Ruth.
Hardy appeared in over 400 movies during his career.
His father, also named Oliver Hardy, was a successful lawyer who died when Hardy was ten months old. His mother, Mary Emily Jackson, ran a hotel to support the family.
Throughout their partnership with Hal Roach, Laurel and Hardy had separate contracts, with Laurel’s salary significantly higher; Hardy accepted this because he acknowledged Laurel’s greater contribution.
According to letters by Stan Laurel, Hardy had advanced cancer at the time of his death from two strokes.
Despite rumors, Hardy did not die from obesity but from rapid weight loss on doctor’s orders, dropping from over 300 to 150 pounds in weeks, weakening his constitution.
Despite his weight, Hardy was 6’2 tall and towered over most co-stars except 6’5 Tiny Sandford.
He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street on February 8, 1960.
A heavy smoker, Hardy had heart problems since filming Utopia 1951, and his weight fluctuated from 250 to 350 pounds.
Hardy and Stan Laurel were voted the 45th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Hardy used the name Babe Hardy until a numerologist convinced him that the longer name Oliver Hardy would bring success.
Stan Laurel often scheduled Hardy’s trademark camera look shots for the end of the day, knowing Hardy wanted to golf; Hardy’s frustration in those looks is genuine.
Hardy shared the nickname Babe with Curly Howard; Hardy got it as a child from a barber for his baby face.
Hardy appears on the sleeve of The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Billy Wilder planned a film with Laurel and Hardy in the 1950s, opening with them sleeping in the O’s of the Hollywood sign, but Hardy’s failing health aborted the project.
Hardy’s wife Virginia recalled that he and others built elaborate chicken coops that were too large to move out the door and had to be dismantled.
Hardy was an excellent cook, card player, golfer, singer, and dancer, and was always impeccably tailored off-camera.
His given first name was Norvell; he took Oliver out of respect for his father and liked the imposing sound of Oliver Norvell Hardy.
In films, Stan Laurel wore a smaller bowler hat to sit higher on his head, while Hardy wore a larger one; after Hardy’s death, Laurel never wore a bowler again.
Hardy was cremated at Chapel of the Pines Crematory, and his urn was buried at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park in North Hollywood.
Hardy’s father served as a sergeant in the 16th Georgia Infantry of the Confederate States Army, fighting from the Seven Days’ Battles to Gettysburg.
Hardy was the only child of his father’s third wife; his father had three daughters from previous marriages.
Stan Laurel’s daughter Lois disliked Hardy because of his on-screen bullying, so Laurel incorporated a revenge scene in One Good Turn 1931.
Hardy and Laurel were featured on a 29-cent US commemorative postage stamp in 1991 as part of a set of famous comedians, drawn by Al Hirschfeld.
Science fiction writer Ray Bradbury was a big fan and wrote stories about Laurel and Hardy, including The Laurel and Hardy Love Affair.
Hardy was a member of Lakeside Country Club.
He studied law at Georgia State University and vocal music at Atlanta Conservatory of Music.
His nervous laugh and tie-twiddling gesture originated before he met Stan Laurel.
Returning from a 1947 tour of Britain, Stan Laurel was diagnosed with diabetes; while Laurel recuperated, Hardy performed in a charity production of What Price Glory? with John Wayne, Ward Bond, and Maureen O’Hara, leading to his role in The Fighting Kentuckian.
Hardy applied to join the Freemasons in Jacksonville in 1916; he was later seen drunk by brethren, but it was for a film scene.
After their 1954 TV appearance, Hal Roach contracted Laurel and Hardy for hour-long TV specials that were never made.
Laurel and Hardy believed their comedy came from combining dumbness with dignity, making audiences feel superior.
They were very popular in Hungary as Stan és Pan.
Hardy’s half-brother Sam Tant drowned in a river; Hardy tried to rescue him but failed.
If Hardy had not burned his arm cooking, Stan Laurel would not have taken his role in a film, and Leo McCarey might not have noticed their chemistry.
Hardy found it difficult to cut back on meals; his favorite restaurant meal was a 32-ounce steak, potatoes fried in lard, salad, and a pot of coffee.
Hardy partnered with Bing Crosby and Gary Cooper to build the Del Mar racetrack in 1937.
He and Laurel were inducted into the Grand Order of Water Rats on March 30, 1947.
Hardy believed the world would be better if people treated each other with more respect.
Laurel and Hardy were popular in Spain, Mexico, and Latin America as El Gordo y El Flaco.
Hardy had a mild heart attack on May 17, 1954.
During a contract dispute, a press release announced that Hardy, Patsy Kelly, and George Spanky McFarland would star in a Hardy Family series, but it never materialized.
Laurel and Hardy were known in Germany as Dick und Doof.
In Brazil, they were known as O Gordo e O Magro.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Oliver Hardy.
Celebrities similar to Oliver Hardy — same craft, ranked by reach.
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