​Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy were an American comedian duo. In 1921 and between 1926 and 1951 they made 106 films together (79 short films, 27 feature films). While Oliver Hardy mainly contributed to their work as an actor, Stan Laurel is considered the creative mind of the duo. In the films, Stan played the simple, childlike character, while Hardy had to suffer as his slightly self-important, fatherly partner. Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy starred together in a short film for the first time in The Lucky Dog. When exactly the film was filmed is unknown, but it is likely that it was made around 1921. Stan Laurel played the lead role while Oliver Hardy only had a supporting role as a villain. From 1926 onwards, both of them happened to be under contract for producer Hal Roach's studio. While Laurel was still waiting for his big breakthrough as a leading actor after around 50 films, Hardy had appeared in almost 250 films, but mostly only as a supporting actor. Under the direction of Fred Guiol, the world-famous duo gradually developed. By 1940, Laurel and Hardy were under contract to producer Hal Roach. He gave the two comedians a lot of freedom, especially in the short films, so that under Laurel's significant influence they were able to create some small masterpieces of slapstick films. Because of the declining demand for short films in the 1930s, Roach only produced feature films with Laurel and Hardy from 1935 onwards. Artistic differences between Laurel and Roach ultimately led to the duo parting ways with their long-time producer after the film On the High Seas (1940). From 1941 onwards, Laurel and Hardy made eight more feature films for the major Hollywood studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and 20th Century Fox, the last of which, The Bullfighters, was released in cinemas in 1945. In 1950/51, Atoll K was the last film made as a British-French-Italian co-production. When they received an offer to work in television in 1955 from their former producer's son, Hal Roach Jr., Laurel and Hardy enthusiastically accepted. A series of full-hour programs called Laurel & Hardy's Fabulous Fables was planned. However, a few days before filming the first episode, Laurel suffered a minor stroke. Production was delayed again and when Hardy later became ill, the project ultimately had to be dropped. With the death of Oliver Hardy in 1957, the successful duo's career came to an end. In 1961, four years before his death, Stan Laurel was awarded an honorary Oscar for his life's work.