 Picture Courtesy of Jimmy Emerson
Harlem became the birthplace of the rotune member of one of Hollywood's greatest comedy teams when Oliver Hardy was born January 18, 1892. After his father died and was buried in the Harlem Cemetary the year of Oliver's birth, his mother took the family to Milledgeville where she became the manager of the Baldwin Hotel. Young Oliver was enthralled by the visiting troupes of performers who stayed there. Later, as the manager of the towns first movie theater, Hardy performed regularly.
After attending the Georgia Military Academy, the Atlanta Conservatory of Music, and, for a short time, the University of Georgia, Hardy left Georgia in 1913 for the newly established film colony in Jacksonville, Florida. After working at various studios on the east coast, he left for Hollywood in 1918.
"Babe", as Hardy became known to his friends, worked for several years as a supporting actor until he was accidently teamed with a young Englishman, Stan Laurel. Laurel and Hardy remained parteners and friends until Hardy's death in Hollywood in 1957.
Georgia Historic Commission, 1989
Oliver Hardy Museum--Harlem, Columbia County Georgia
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