The comedian Stan Laurel was part of the duo 'Laurel and Hardy', famous in the early days of cinema. He spent his boyhood in North Shields where his father was a theatre manager.
This statue, by Robert Olley (1992 - refurbished 2016) is in Laurel Park, Dockwray Square, North Shields near where he lived.

A book on the life of Stan Laurel may be found here