The pairing came together in the mid Twenties by accident rather than design, but the effect was immediate. Laurel & Hardy made the transition to the talkies with ease, and their joint career continued the upward trajectory that had begun when they first joined forces. In an historic partnership lasting three decades, the comedy duo made just over 100 films spanning the silent era and the Fifties.
Stan Laurel took his final bow in 1965, eight years after his partner. But their fame and influence lives on as strongly as ever in the current digital era. Lookalikes ply a roaring trade, and the disparate double acts who’ve been inspired by them could fill a book of their own.