Before his death on 2 November, 1992, Hal Roach made a name for being one of America’s top men in comedy.

Series and films such as Our Gang and Topper, and co-workers including Laurel and Hardy, all added to the high regard with which he came to be held.

His career was not without its low points, including a much-reviled tie-up with Mussolini, financial losses, and a string of film flops.

But risk-taking and trying something new were ultimately integral to Mr Roach’s popularity, and ensured he would long be held up as an example of good film-making.

Born in New York on 14 January, 1892, Harry Eugene Roach tried his hand at a variety of jobs such as mule skinning and gold prospector before pitching up in Hollywood in 1912 and taking on jobs as extras in silent films.

His foot in the door of the film world, he used a $3,000 inheritance to start making short films in 1915, along with new actor friend Harold Lloyd whom he persuaded to turn his hand to comedy.

The films eventually became to be a good enough quality to attract the financial backing and distribution by film company Pathé, and subsequently went from strength to strength. In 1914 Mr Roach established his own production firm.

He fast became known as a reliable producer, treating his employees as the company’s best asset and ensuring a friendly, family-like feeling to his studios which proved conducive to coming up with feature film success starring the likes of Will Rogers, the Our Gang kids, Laurel and Hardy and Jean Harlow.

Having switched from Pathé to MGM, he converted his studio to one with sound and started releasing talking shorts in 1929. Two years later he went onto make full-length features, the first of which was Laurel and Hardy’s Pardon Us, followed by Topper, Of Mice and Men and One Million BC.

His success during the 1930s and 1940s was punctuated with an ill-advised and much attacked film venture with the repressive dictator Benito Mussolini. He was also suffering financial troubles partly driven by the expense of turning to all-colour producing, a transition his studio was the first in Hollywood to undergo.

But, ever the innovator, Mr Roach turned his attention to television, making – along with Hal Roach Jr – programmes including The Stu Erwin Show and The Gale Storm Show, as well as leasing his facilities to independent producers.

He started producing TV series for the Disney Channel and, despite officially retiring in the late 1950s, continued contributing to the world of production on and off until his death in 1992, at the ripe old age of 100.

Despite financial troubles making his journey a frequently unsteady one, Mr Roach is nevertheless remembered for being one of his era’s comedy masters.

Four Academy Awards accolades are testimony to his work, and his working relationships with actors such as Laurel and Hardy are among some of the most memorable entertainment partnerships.

Indeed, he emphasised the importance of good studio atmosphere and, in turn, many who worked at his studio regarded the times they spent there as some of the best in their careers.

As for the secret of his success, Mr Roach said: “In those days, there was one secret to making a good comedy. If it made the audience laugh, it was a good comedy.”