Hal Roach

For the Irish comedian, see Hal Roach (comedian)

Harold Eugene Roach (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer from 1910s to 1980s, born in Elmira, New York.

He began producing short comedies in 1915.

During the 1920s and 1930s, he employed stars such as Harold Lloyd, the Our Gang kids, Charley Chase, and most famously Laurel & Hardy.During this time his biggest rival was Mack Sennett.

Roach continued to produce films until the early 1950s, and briefly established himself as a television producer until retiring in the late 1950s and selling his studio in Culver City, California (since torn down). He occasionally worked on projects related to his past work for two more decades, and claimed to still be writing gags into the early 1990s.

Roach is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira, New York.