Lloyd was born in Burchard, Nebraska, on April 20, 1893, to James Darsie Lloyd and Sarah Elisabeth Fraser; his paternal great-grandparents were from Wales.[7]
In 1910, after his father succumbed to several failed business ventures, Lloyd's parents divorced and his father moved with his son to San Diego. Lloyd had acted in theater since a child, but in California he began acting in one-reel film comedies around 1912. Lloyd worked with Thomas Edison's motion picture company, and his first role was a small part as a Yaqui Indian in the production of The Old Monk's Tale. At the age of 20, Harold moved to Los Angeles, and took up roles in several Keystone comedies. He was also hired by Universal as an extra and soon became friends with aspiring filmmaker, Hal Roach.[8] Lloyd began collaborating with Roach who had formed his own studio in 1913. Roach and Lloyd created "Lonesome Luke", similar to and playing off the success of Charlie Chaplin films.[9]
Lloyd hired Bebe Daniels as a supporting actress in 1914; the two of them were involved romantically and were known as "The Boy" and "The Girl." In 1919, she left Lloyd to pursue her dramatic aspirations. Lloyd replaced Daniels with Mildred Davis in 1919. Lloyd was tipped off by Hal Roach to watch Davis in a movie. Reportedly, the more Lloyd watched Davis the more he liked her. Lloyd's first reaction in seeing her was that "she looked like a big French doll!"<span>[10]</span>
