Oswald Gray was born in Melbourne, Australia on January
20, 1866. Gray moved to England with his mother after the death of his father.
When his mother re-married, he took his step-father's last name, Stoll.
Stoll helped his new step-father who ran a music hall
in Liverpool, learning management and business. In 1880, when his step-father
died, Stoll took over management of the music hall at the age of 14 with
the help of his mother. A shrewd businessman, Stoll started building a chain
of music and variety halls using the name Stoll's 'Coliseum'.
He soon became direct competition for Horace Edward
Moss, a Scotsman who had been building the Moss 'Empire' theater chain.
Moss had started with a tiny hall in Edinburgh and built
a chain of 33 variety theatres at its peak.
In 1898 Stoll, who had owned 16 theaters, merged his
business with that Moss, creating the largest 
variety
theater chain in the UK.
In 1904, Stoll built the famous London Coliseum. Stoll
used architect Frank Matcham to build the largest and fanciest theater in
all of Great Britain. Stoll brought in ballet, musical extravaganzas and
major international performers such as Sarah Bernhardt.
By 1905, almost every large town in Great Britain
had an 'Empire' or a 'Coliseum' theatre, run by Stoll in what became the
Stoll Moss Group.
The print on the right was done in Jan 1911 at a performance
at the London Colliseum.
In 1912, Moss died leaving full control to Stoll.
Stoll set up new offices at 39 Charing Cross Road, Randvoll House in Westminster.
Stoll had to move his offices several times during the war and finally establishing
a permanent office at 242 High Holborn, Holborn Empire Offices in Holbornin
1920.
In 1916, affected by the war, Stoll donated the land
for Stoll Mansions and set up the Oswald Stoll Foundation which was a center
for disabled soldiers and those who care for them. In 1919, Stoll was knighted
by King George V and the foundation became know as the Sir
Oswald Stoll Foundation which is still in existance today.
In 1919, Stoll decided that he wanted to move more
into the film industry and formed Stoll Picture Productions for both production
and distribution.
In 1920, he purchased an airplane factory that was
used during the war and converted it into a film studio, called Cricklewood
Studio.
Stoll hired director Maurice Elvey and began producing
a variety of films that were well accepted. Stoll also hired Cricklewood
out to independents such as American J. Stuart Blackton. Blackton is credited
with producing the first feature length colour film in the UK but Blackton's
films were not well received and Blackton went back to the US in 1923. Other
production companies such as Welsh-Pearson and British and Dominions also
filmed at Cricklewood.
Stoll Picture ceased production in 1926 and put the
distribution of independent production at Cricklewood through New Era and
Butcher's Film Service.
On the advent of sound, Cricklewood was slow to install
sound stages and equipment and was used primarily for shorts and 'quota
quickies'.
With production coming to a halt, Stoll completely
renovated Cricklewood in 1937 adding new sound stage and equipment.... but
it was too late. Cricklewood was sold off in 1938.
Stoll died at his home in Putney on January 9, 1942.
Stoll married twice. He married his first wife, Harriet
Lewis, in 1892, and they had one daughter. Harriet died in 1902, and Stoll
married Millicent Shaw the following year. Oswald and Millicent Stoll had
three sons.
