Oliver Norvell Hardy was born in Harlem on January 18, 1892, becoming the rotund member of one of Hollywood's greatest comedy teams. After his father died and was buried in the Harlem Cemetery the year of Oliver's birth, Mrs. Hardy took the family to Milledgeville, where she became manager of the Baldwin Hotel, and young Oliver was enthralled by the visiting troupes of performers who stayed there. Later, as manager of the town's first movie theater, Hardy performed regularly. After attending Georgia Military Academy, the Atlanta Conservatory of Music, and for a short time the University of Georgia, Hardy left Georgia in 1913 for the newly established film colony in Jacksonville, Florida. After working at various studios on the East Coast, he left for Hollywood in 1918. Known to his friends as "Babe," Hardy worked for several years as a supporting actor until he was accidentally teamed with the young Englishman Stan Laurel, and Laurel and Hardy remained partners and friends until Hardy's death in Hollywood in 1957.