Fred Karno

Fred Karno is the stage name of Frederick John Westcott (* March 26, 1866; † September 18, 1941 ), a Theaterproduzenden from London, the successful tradition of the comic pantomime games was continuing with his ensembles, until it went bankrupt in 1921. Among the talented young cast, he took them under contract, belonged to the later as Stan Laurel Arthur Stanley Jefferson and known from 1908 until the end of 1913 Charles Chaplin.

When the Fred Karno troupe ( in engl. Original Fred Karno 's Army ) began in June 1910, for two years to tour the United States and Canada, Chaplin was already the young star of the ensemble and Laurel replacement actor for his roles. Especially Chaplin wowed the audience and the press so much that Karno sent his ensemble after only five months in England for a second tour to America. However, this was far less successful.

During the year 1913, the American film industry made ​​contact with Chaplin, who responded gratefully to the interest and undertook in September for a year as a film actor at the Keystone Studios, the comedy specialists at the New York Motion Picture Company. After Chaplin left the band on 28 November, the other tour was finally, finally stopped with Stanley Jefferson Chaplin place to flop for Karno and the ensemble members unemployed.

Jefferson decided nevertheless to stay in America and to seek an acting career. He was called from 1917 Laurel ( Laurel) and moved to the emerging new film City of Hollywood later as Chaplin.

Fred Karno's houseboat ( Astoria ), which lies on the River Thames in Henley, is now used by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd as a recording studio.