Harry Weldon (comedian)

Harry Weldon (1 February 1881 – 10 March 1930) was an English comedian and music hall performer popular in the 1910s.

Although Weldon's work is almost forgotten today his most well known sketch was "Stiffy the Goalkeeper" that was recorded in January 1912 with Charlie Chaplin. The sketch was so successful it had a fourteen-week run in London and after the sketch's run ended Weldon still used Stiffy as his main character, notably in one of his final sketches "Stiffy the Warder" that was recorded in June 1928. Weldon had a famous boxing skit in 1916 entitled "The White Hope".

Weldon's real name was James Henry Stanley and he was born on 1 February 1881 in Liverpool. He appeared at two Royal Command shows and took ill in 1923 but returned to his career after his illness. He died after taking ill while touring in South Africa on 10 March 1930 at the age of 49.

Musichallcds.com released a CD of Weldon in 2008 entitled "The White Hope" after his famous boxing skit.

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