Harold Lloyd

Harold Lloyd was an actor, comedian and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films and “talkies” from 1914–1947. He also served as the 1949–1950 Imperial Potentate of Shriners International.

In his earlier days as a Shriner, Lloyd laid the groundwork for cooperation between Al Malaikah Shriners and the moving picture industry for the use of props and equipment in ceremonials at unusual places, including the desert, the Boulder Dam and Carlsbad Caverns.

Before being elected to the Imperial line, Lloyd served as Potentate of Al Malaikah Shriners in Los Angeles.

The Imperial Session over which Lloyd presided was held in Los Angeles, and was one of the grandest Sessions ever held with not only morning and night Shriner parades, but also a parade and pageant put on by the movie industry as a tribute to one of their own.

In Lloyd’s last address as Imperial Potentate, he said, “I am a Shriner because I believe in the ideals on which the Shrine was founded…We believe in the brotherhood of man and in the dignity of the individual…In the Shrine, I have found myself surrounded by men full of the joy of living, men of hope and optimism, and understanding.

Lloyd served as a medium to establish the Shriners in the eyes of the public as an institution of importance. During his time as Imperial Potentate, newspapers, radio stations and television featured segments on the Shriners and their fun and hi-jinx.