Hal Roach was born in 1892 in Elmira, New York. He worked various jobs before moving to Hollywood, where he began working as an extra in comedies and met comedian Harold Lloyd. Roach saw a future in the movie business and began producing, directing, and writing short film comedies under the banner of Phun Philms, starring Lloyd.
Initially, the quality of the films was poor, but with effort, the quality improved, and they were nominally financed and distributed by Pathe. The Roach/Lloyd team morphed through two characters, "Will E. Work" and "Lonesome Luke," an imitation of Charles Chaplin. Lloyd's dissatisfaction with the character irritated Roach, and the two men engaged in a series of battles, walkouts, and reconciliations. Lloyd eventually abandoned the character, creating his famous "Glasses" character.
Roach's relationship with Lloyd became increasingly acrimonious after 1920, and they eventually severed ties. Roach continued to build his career, focusing on kiddie comedy series, Our Gang, which became an immediate hit. He traveled extensively across Europe and created many memorable comic series, including the team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy.
Roach became the "King of Comedy" and created many successful series, including Our Gang, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Charley Chase, Edgar Kennedy, and Snub Pollard. He secured a deal with MGM and continued to produce films, including the popular Topper series and the prestigious Of Mice and Men.
Roach's views on politics were controversial, and he became enamored with Benito Mussolini, forming RAM Productions and eventually signing a deal with United Artists. His views on Mussolini were widely criticized, and he refused to re-examine his attitudes after World War II.
Roach continued to produce films and TV shows, including My Little Margie and Blondie. He made a stab at retirement but returned to the industry to focus on facilities leasing and managing the TV rights of his film catalog. In 1983, his company developed the first successful digital colorization process.
Roach became a producer for many TV series on the Disney Channel and continued to work until his death in 1992, just shy of his 101st birthday.
