Arthur Stanley Jefferson was born on 16 June 1890, in Ulverston, Lancashire, England, and was an actor, film director and writer, best known for being part of the comedy duo Laurel and Hardy. Alongside Oliver Hardy, he appeared in 107 short films, cameo roles, and feature films; all of his efforts helped put his net worth to where it was, prior to his passing in 1965.
How rich was Stan Laurel? As of mid-2017, sources inform us of a net worth that was at $50,000, mostly earned through success in acting and comedy. Laurel and Hardy are considered among the best double comedy acts to have ever been in the industry. All of these achievements ensured the position of his wealth.
Stan Laurel Net Worth $50,000
Stan grew up in a household that was inclined to acting thanks to his parents who were both active in theatre. He attended King James I Grammar School, King’s School, and later Rutherglen Academy. At the age of 16, he would be part of his first professional performance on stage, and then continued to work on his craft, creating his standard comic devices, his bowler hat included. In 1910, Stan joined Fred Karno’s troupe of actors, and became friends with Charlie Chaplin; the two arrived in the United States at the same time and toured the country. In 1918, he first worked with Oliver Hardy in the silent film “The Lucky Dog”, before the two started partnering. Stan then started doing two reel comedies, including “Nuts in May” and “Mud and Sand” which started increasing his net worth. He left the stage in 1924 to fully dedicate to films, and continued making two reel comedies including “Mandarin Mix-Up”, “Detained”, and “West of Hot Dog”, all contributing to his net worth.
Laurel then signed with Hal Roach studio, and started directing films. He was asked to return to acting in 1927, which is when he started sharing the screen with Oliver Hardy – they had chemistry, and the two quickly became friends. Audiences also reacted well to them which led to the creation of Laurel and Hardy. They worked on numerous short films, including “Two Tars”, “With Love and Hisses” and “Big Business”, and also transitioned to feature films starring in “Pardon Us”. They won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject in 1932’s “The Music Box”.
Stan continued to work with Hardy at Roach Studio throughout the 1930s. In 1941, they then signed with 20th Century Fox and continued to build their net worth, although their work became less popular due to the war years. They still had successful work despite the problems, then in 1947 Stan returned to England, and thanks to a successful tour there, they spent the next seven years touring in Europe and the UK. They planned more projects, but were continuously effected by illness – Hardy died in 1957, and Stan refused to return to acting after his death. In 1961, Laurel received a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award for his work in comedy.
For his personal life, it is known that Laurel married Lois Nelson in 1926 and they had two children, however, the second child died just after nine days. They divorced in 1934 and he then married Virginia Ruth Rogers, but they divorced in 1938, and he then married Vera Ivanova Shuvalova, but after two years they divorced too, and he returned to Virginia in 1941 – they remarried but five years later divorced again. Laurel then married Ida Kitaeva Raphael, and they remained married until his death. He passed away in 1965 in Santa Monica, California, after suffering a heart attack.
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