Lloyd, Harold

Lloyd, Harold, 1893–1971, American movie actor, b. Burchard, Kans. Lloyd was famous for his comic portrayals of a wistful innocent with horn-rimmed glasses who blunders in and out of hair-raising situations. His natural style of acting helped to create a believable character that made Lloyd the most popular film comedian of the 1920s. He appeared in over 500 films, including many shorts, spanning both the silent and sound eras; among them were Safety Last (1923), Girl Shy (1924), The Freshman (1925), Movie Crazy (1932), and Mad Wednesday (1947).

Bibliography

See S. Lloyd and J. Vance, Harold Lloyd: Master Comedian (2002).

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Lloyd, Harold

(born April 20, 1893, Burchard, Neb., U.S.—died March 8, 1971, Hollywood, Calif.) U.S. film comedian. He began to appear in one-reel comedies in 1913 and mastered the comic chase scene as a member of Mack Sennett's troupe. He joined Hal Roach's company and created his Lonesome Luke character in popular movies such as Just Nuts (1915). He developed his trademark white-faced character wearing round glasses in 1918. Noted for his use of physical danger as a source of laughter, he performed his own daring stunts, hanging from the hands of a clock far above the street in Safety Last (1923) and standing in for a football tackling-dummy in The Freshman (1925). He was the highest paid star of the 1920s. He received a special Academy Award in 1952.

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Lloyd, Harold (Clayton) (1893–1971) movie actor; born in Burchard, Nebr. Beginning in movies in 1912 as a bit-player and extra, he appeared in a one-reel comedy series as "Willie Work," then did another series as "Lonesome Luke"; both were done under Hal Roach. In subsequent movies Lloyd fine-tuned his persona as a shy, colorless, average man – always wearing oversize horn-rimmed glasses—who makes his way through the minefields of life with a combination of pluck and ingenuity. Dubbed the "king of daredevil comedy," he performed his own stunts and from 1914 to 1947 kept movie fans suspended between hilarity and terror—and made himself a fortune. In 1952 he received a Special Academy Award for being a "master comedian and a good citizen," the latter recognizing his many contributions to charities and service organizations.

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Lloyd, Harold 

Born Apr. 20, 1893, in Burchard, Neb.; died Mar. 8, 1971, in Hollywood, Calif. American motion-picture actor.

Lloyd graduated from a drama school in San Diego and began to appear in films in 1913. Between 1915 and 1917, Lloyd appeared in the popular Lonesome Luke series of one-reel films, which showed the influence of C. Chaplin. Gradually, Lloyd developed the distinctive persona that brought him world fame: the elegant, well-bred, and self-assured young man who pursues a goal stubbornly and imperturbably. Lloyd’s most characteristic films included Grandma’s Boy (1922), Safety Last (1923), and Girl Shy (1924). Harold Lloyd’s World of Comedy, a compilation of scenes from his films, appeared in 1962. Lloyd was also a director and producer.

REFERENCE

Arnol’di, E. “Garol’d Lloid.” In Komiki mirovogo kino. Moscow, 1966.