Stan & Ollie (Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel) acted together in about 200 films, even as far back as the silent film era. Whatever the duo - much beloved as "Fat and Stupid" in Germany - is up to, it inevitably ends in disaster. America's most successful comedian pair were undoubtedly masters of slapstick.

Charlie Chapin didn't skimp on slapstick, for instance in "The Tramp," but he also wove social criticism into his films. In the 1925 film "The Gold Rush," poverty is the theme, and his character is so desperately hungry that he eats shoe soles. The 1936 "Modern Times" takes on capitalism, and "The Great Dictator" in 1940 lampooned Adolf Hitler.

Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo and Zeppo - the Marx Brothers - were the first to really focus on language in their films, taking turns with visual and verbal gags. Groucho's irreverent remarks in particular had people roaring with laughter. As a rule, the film's story would take place in a confined environment, like an opera house, where the brothers would wreak havoc with their trademark anarchy.

Goggle-eyed with a jutting chin and a sly grin: Bob Hope's facial expressions were funny. Critics also loved his timing and his jokes in the tradition of the Marx Brothers. They gave the popular actor and comedian the nickname "Midas of Comedy."

The audience adored Louis de Funes, the short French actor who exploded into fits of lunacy, the choleric character who kowtowed to authorities but bullied everybody else in his films in the 1960s and 1970s. Funes' films - in France, he was known fondly as "Fufu" - were international box office hits.

For 10 years, Rowan Atkinson developed the character of Mr. Bean before he made his debut in 1990 in Britain. Hilarious, silly, selfish, but a likeable buffoon all the same, Mr. Bean comes up with the oddest, most awkward solutions to everyday situations. He rarely says a word in the sketches, but he certainly makes up for it with rolled eyes and grimaces.

Monty Python-style humor is absurd, surreal, anarchistic and inky black. The above scene from the 1979 film "The Life of Brian" is legendary, with crucified men happily singing "Always look on the bright side of life." The British comedy group's humor is also intelligent, combining slapstick with philosophical and historical references in its films and many sketches.

For decades, Vicco von Bülow alias Loriot had millions of Germans in stitches with his sketches, cartoons and feature films. His humor often centered on miscommunication, and he typically ridiculed middle-class family scenarios. He was a prolific humorist, writer, actor and talented cartoonist.

The role of police lieutenant Frank Drebin catapulted Canadian actor Leslie Nielson to international comedy fame in the late 1980s. What amounted to a veritable fireworks of slapstick in the "Naked Gun" crime comedy trilogy got more than a few laughs. The actor was also adept at imitating the exasperated look Oliver Hardy would give his partner - a clear homage to the comic duo.

Nobody does extreme facial expressions like Jim Carrey. He lent his trademark talent to his characters in "The Mask" and "Dumb and Dumber," giving them an unmistakable look The 2004 romantic comedy "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" demonstrates the breadth of Carrey's skill.

Using accents and guises to portray fictional characters Ali G, Borat or Brüno, British actor Baron Cohen asks interview partners absurd questions studded with racial cliches. Cohen's mockumentaries - a combination of documentary and fiction - are revealing snapshots of society.