Biography of Charlie Hall, silent and talking film character actor, fondly remembered as a recurring foil for Laurel and Hardy
Charlie Hall (August 19, 1899 – December 7, 1959)
Charlie Hall was an English actor, best known for his work in over 250 films during the silent and sound eras of Hollywood. He was born on August 19, 1899, in Birmingham, England. Charlie left school in 1914 to assist his father as a carpenter. He began supplementing his wages by doing comedy sketches in vaudeville around music halls and clubs in the Midlands. He eventually was signed up with Fred Karno when he was 16.
Charlie Hall immigrated to the USA in 1920. Hall’s first screen appearance was in film “Bride and Gloom” in 1921. He began working as a comedian and actor in silent films in Hollywood. He often played comedic roles and appeared in films alongside stars like Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd.
In the 1930s, Hall transitioned to sound films and continued to work in Hollywood throughout the decade. He appeared in films such as “The Devil’s Brother“, “Babes in Toyland“, and “The Bohemian Girl“, all starring Laurel and Hardy. He typically served as an antagonist and foil. Unlike most “heavies” he was actually small – 5 feet 4.5 inches.
Charlie Hall’s career slowed down in the 1940s. But he continued to appear in films and television shows through the 1950s. He made his final film appearance in the short film “So You Want to Play the Piano” in 1956. In total, he appeared in over 250 films during his career. He made numerous television appearances, with his final in 1956 on Cheyenne and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Charlie Hall passed away on December 7, 1959, in North Hollywood, California, at the age of 60.
Trivia
- Hall appeared in more Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy movies than any other actor. This includes Mae Busch, Billy Gilbert or James Finlayson.
- In most of his appearances in the Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy films, Charlie Hall doesn’t have much dialogue. The lines he has are usually growled or barked angrily at either Laurel or Hardy. That was to disguise his British accent, which was more pronounced than Laurel’s.
- In 1937 Charlie returned to England probably hoping to get work in the British studios. However things didn’t turn out well for him as little filming was being done in London. With money running out he eventually moved to his family in Birmingham where the only work he was able to get was in a gas mask factory. But then he met up with his friend Edgar Kennedy, who’d come over to make ‘Hey. Hey USA‘ with Will Hay, and got him a few days work on the film. This earned him enough for him to get back to the States.
- By the mid-1950s, his health was declining. Returning to his carpentry skills, he took a job as a prop-maker at Warner Brothers.
- In the Laurel and Hardy short “Laughing Gravy” (1930) he played a dog-hating landlord who would mercilessly throw a little dog, named Laughing Gravy, out into the frigid cold. In real life, he reportedly adopted one of Laughing Gravy’s puppies.
- He met Stan Laurel when they were both members of the Fred Karno company which toured Britain.
- Hall is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California, Eventide section, Lot 1928. He’s buried along side his wife, who pre deceased him.
- His first Laurel and Hardy film was Love ‘Em and Weep in 1927 and his last Saps at Sea in 1940.
- He married Wilda George, whose stage name was Foxie Hall, on 8th November 1935.