Lois Laurel Hawes, Daughter of Stan Laurel, Dies at 89. Her first husband was actor Rand Brooks, who appeared in 'Gone With the Wind' and Hopalong Cassidy films
31/07/2017
- Lois Laurel Hawes, the only daughter of famed comedian Stan Laurel, has died. She was 89. Hawes died Friday after a long illness at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Calif., family spokesman Tyler St. Mark announced. She was married to actor Rand Brooks — who played Scarlett O'Hara's first husband, Charles, in Gone With the Wind and sidekick Lucky Jenkins in a series of Hopalong Cassidy films — and then to writer-actor Tony Hawes. Her mother was the first of Laurel's four wives, silent-movie actress Lois Neilson. Her brother, also named Stanley, died nine days after his premature birth in 1930. Laurel, of course, partnered with Oliver Hardy to appear in more than 100 short films and features, including the classics The Music Box (1932), Sons of the Desert (1933), Babes in Toyland (1934) and Way Out West (1937). Laurel was 74 when he died in February 1965. He had retired from acting upon Hardy's death in August 1957 at age 65. Born in Beverly Hills on Dec. 10, 1927, Hawes frequently visited the film sets of her father and "Uncle Babe" Hardy and, according to IMDb, appeared uncredited in at least two Laurel & Hardy pictures, The Chimp (1932) and Swiss Miss (1938). Later, she appeared in documentaries about the duo, worked to preserve their legacy and was a popular guest of the Sons of the Desert, the worldwide fan club dedicated to the work of Laurel & Hardy. She and Brooks also founded a private ambulance company in Glendale, Calif., that served the community for two decades. Most recently, Hawes lived with her granddaughter Cassidy and great-grandchildren Tommy and Lucy. She had five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren in all, as well as a daughter, Laurel. A celebration of her life is being planned for December.
(Hollywoodreporter FILM)
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