The Charlie Hall Picture Archive

Charlie Hall

August 19th,1899 - December 7th, 1959

Charlie Hall was born in Birmingham, England.  Little is known about Charlie’s early childhood.  He left school at age fifteen and followed his father’s footsteps by becoming a carpenter.  As well as working a carpenter Charlie supplemented his income by joining the Fred Karno Troupe that had given the world stars like Charlie Chaplin, who was already one of the most recognisable figures in the world, and Arthur Stanley Jefferson, who would soon become known as Stan Laurel.  Charlie appeared in theatres and clubs around Birmingham and the North of England in comedy sketches and vaudeville plays.  The acting bug had bitten this young man and when Charlie left England for America in 1920 he took this bug with him.

Charlie travelled to America on the  SS Carmania

After initially settling in Newark, New Jersey, where his sister was living, Charlie soon moved to Hollywood when an increasing number of film studios began to congregate in the area.

Charlie credits a chance meeting with Bobby Dunn as securing him his first work as an extra in Hollywood.  His first film appearances were for Mack Sennett in the early 1920s.  He soon made his way to the Hal Roach Studios where Roach nicknamed him The Little Menace as frequently Charlie standing only at five foot four inches played the role that used to be reserved for ‘heavies’.

Throughout his career Charlie appeared alongside such stars as Laurel and Hardy, Buster Keaton, Charley Chase, James Finlayson, Will Rogers, Glenn Tryon, Edgar Kennedy, Billy Gilbert, Frank Faylen, Basil Rathbone, Abbott and Costello,  and Charlie Chaplin.  He appeared in more than 270 films but sadly was very rarely a top of the bill star, infact more often than not Charlie's parts were uncredited.

In the mid 1950s Charlie’s health began to suffer.  Troubled with liver problems he all but gave up film work and went back to his roots working as a prop man in the film studios.  On December, 7^th, 1959 Charlie passed away peacefully at home at 5622 Willow Crest Avenue, North Hollywood with his devoted wife, Wilda, at his side.  Charlie’s funeral service was held in the Little Church of the Flowers at Forrest Lawn where he is interred in the Memorial Park.  His marker reads

CHARLIE HALL

A BELOVED HUSBAND

Click the above for the most up to date list of Charlie's filmography