Although his parents were never in show business, as a young boy Oliver Hardy was a gifted singer and, by age eight, was performing with minstrel shows. In 1910 he ran a movie theatre, which he preferred to studying law. In 1913 he became a comedy actor with the Lubin Company in Florida and began appearing in a long series of shorts; his debut film was _Outwitting Dad , in a cameo role. He died in 1957.
Related to Captain Hardy (as in "Kiss me Hardy" - Nelson).
Had appeared in over 400 movies.
Best known for his work with Stan Laurel.
Interred at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park, North Hollywood, California, USA.
Subject of one of five 29 US commemorative postage stamps celebrating famous comedians, issued in booklet form 29 August 1991. He is shown with his partner Stan Laurel. The stamp designs were drawn by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. The other comedians honored in the set are Edgar Bergen (with alter ego Charlie McCarthy), Jack Benny , Fanny Brice , and Bud Abbott and Lou Costello.
His favourite pastime was playing golf, which he learned from comedian Larry Semon.
Appears on sleeve of The Beatles album "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band".
When Ollie died in 1957, his partner, Stan Laurel , pledged he would never perform again. Despite offers, he never did.
Used Babe Hardy for a screen name until convinced by a numerologist that the longer screen name, Oliver Hardy, would bring him success.
Billy Wilder planned on doing a film with him and Stan Laurel in the 1950s. The film would have opened with each of them sleeping in one of the letter Os of the Hollywood sign. The plot centered on a woman coming between them. The project was aborted owing to Ollies failing health.
His father, also named Oliver Hardy, was a successful lawyer who died when Norvell, as he was known to his family, was ten months old. At a time when few women had careers, his mother supported the family by running a highly successful hotel.
Despite rumors over the years, he did not die from the effects of obesity--quite the contrary. Dieting on doctors orders, he took off too much weight too fast, going from 300+ pounds to 150 in a matter of a few weeks, weakening his constitution well past the danger point. It was becoming dangerously underweight in this manner that brought about his final illness and death.
He was voted, along with comedy partner Stan Laurel , the 45th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
Laurel and Hardys films had and still have great success in Italy, where they are known as "Stanlio and Ollio". Their voices being dubbed into Italian in a very funny and colorful way accentuates their funny lines.
He and partner Stan Laurel have been and continue to be very popular in Germany under the name of "Dick und Doof" (Fatty and Stupid).
His voice in the Italian version of his and Stan Laurel s shorts and features was that of Alberto Sordi.
Entered St. Vincents Hospital to have his tonsils removed the day after filming wrapped on Babes in Toyland .
Is portrayed by John Fox in Harlow
He and partner Stan Laurel have been and continue to be very popular in Spain, Mexico and Latin America under the name of "El Gordo y El Flaco" (The Fat One and The Thin One).
He and partner Stan Laurel have been and continue to be very popular in Hungary under the name of "Stan s Pan".
In 1930, he lived at 621 North Alta Drive in Beverly Hills, California.
Suffered a severe stroke on September 12, 1956 that left him paralyzed and unable to speak.
He was the only child of Oliver Hardy and his second wife; both of them had two children from an earlier marriage; Oliver had two boys, and his second wife had two girls.
Still popular in Brazil where he and partner Stan Laurel are known as "O Gordo e O Magro" (Fat and Skinny).
Had a mild heart attack in May 1954.
Was a member of the Lakeside Country Club and close friends with John Wayne and Bing Crosby.
According to letters written by Stan Laurel , Hardy had advanced cancer at the time of his death from two strokes.
A heavy smoker, Hardy had been suffering from heart problems since the filming of Atoll K , and his weight had ballooned from 250 to 350 lbs.
An avid sportsman, Hardy became interested in hunting. After he shot his first deer, he walked to the animal expecting to field-dress it. However, the deer was still alive, and looked Hardy directly in the eyes. He never picked up a gun again.
A man of many interests, Hardy was an excellent cook, card player, golfer, singer and dancer, and unlike "Ollie", was always impeccably tailored. Off camera, he and Laurel both combed their hair straight back, as was the fashion of their time.
Lucille Hardy tells the story of Babe, her brother, and several others building elaborate chicken coops for the birds they raised. In true Laurel and Hardy fashion, they were too big to move out the door of the shed where they had been built, and had to be taken apart and reconstructed outside.
A popular Lakeside Country Club foursome consisted of Oliver Hardy , Bing Crosby , W.C. Fields and Babe Ruth.
Shared the nickname "Babe" with another beloved comedian of his time - Curly Howard. Hardy was named by a Florida barber because of his "baby" face; Howard by his family because he was the youngest, or "baby".
Throughout their association with Hal Roach, Laurel and Hardy had separate contracts, with Stans salary being considerably higher than Babes. This didnt bother Hardy one bit, as he acknowledged that Stan did much more than he during the making of their films.
His given first name was Norvell, the name his family always used. He took the name Oliver in respect for his father, who died when Norvell was still an infant. He also liked the "over the top" sound of introducing himself as "Oliver Norvell Hardy" in the films.
While he and Stan Laurel were between contracts with Hal Roach , John Wayne asked him to co-star in The Fighting Kentuckian , a film Wayne was producing. Wayne and Hardy had previously appeared together on stage for a wartime benefit, and Wayne knew the value of comedy in his pictures. Hardy at first refused, fearing rumors of a breakup with Stan; but Laurel encouraged his partner to take the role and Hardy delivered a memorable light comedy performance.
Stan Laurel put Hardys trademark "camera look" and his love of golf to good use. He held many of the "camera look" shots till the end of the day, when he knew Hardy was dying to get to the golf course. Hardys frustration in these looks is quite real.
He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1500 Vine Street in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.
At clubs and restaurants, Hardy pointed out the stars he recognized as if he were a tourist to Hollywood. "Look, theres Norma Shearer", he would say. It never occurred to him that he was as famous as the people who fascinated him.
Because of his weight, most people dont realize that Hardy was almost 62" tall, and towered over all his co-stars except the 65" Tiny Sanford.
Hardys favorite restaurant meal was a 32-ounce steak medium well, potatoes fried in pure lard, a salad, and a pot of coffee.
In Spain Stan and Ollie were known as El Gordo y El Flaco..
In Holland Stan and Ollie were known as De Dikke en de Dunne.
In some of the shows Norvell was spelled Norval.
Oliver "Norvell" Hardys father Oliver Hardy (1844-1892) was a sergeant in Company K, 16th Georgia Infantry of the Confederate States Army. Olivers unit fought with the Army of Northern Virginia from the Seven Days Battles to Gettysburg. Oliver, Jr. was the son to Oliver, Sr. and his third wife.
Stan and Ollie made their first comic appearance in issue 46 of the American The Realm of Fun and Fiction in December 1929. In 1949 they had their own comic - the Laurel and Hardy Comic- produced by Jubilee publications and Archer St John Press. They made their first appearance in the centre spread of the English comic Film Fun in issue 564 dated November 1930 which moved to the front page in March 1934 and remained there until 1957. The popularity of the strip found it syndicated abroad where in Italy it appeared in Bombolo in 1934 and Cine Comico, a film weekly. The same year a rival company produced the Mastro Remo comic with them on the cover in a strip in colour called Stan e Oli. In France in 1934 there was a colour strip of them in Cri-Cri. After the war an Italian publisher produced an all Laurel and Hardy comic called Criche e Croc.
He, in a partnership which included Bing Crosby, and Gary Cooper had the Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California built in 1937.
During contract disputes between Hal Roach and Stan Laurel in the mid 30s a press release was issued saying that Ollie, Patsy Kelly and Spanky McFarland were to star together in The Hardy Family series to be directed by James W. Horne with the first to be Their Night Out.
[his usual response when asked about how they made the films] You better,ask Stan.
[on his physical grace and athleticism]: I hate to see big men lurching,around all over the place.
