Occupation Actor Parents Ned Herbert Role Character actor | Name Holmes Herbert Years active 1915-1952 Children Joan Mercer | |
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Full Name Horace Edward Jenner Movies Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Sherlock Holmes and the S, The Invisible Man, Sherlock Holmes and the H, Dressed to Kill Similar People Roy William Neill, Beryl Mercer, Rouben Mamoulian, William Nigh, Elinor Kershaw | ||
Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952.
Contents
Life and career
Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sources give Edward Sanger) Holmes Herbert emigrated to the United States in 1912. He was the first son of Edward Henry Jenner (stage name Ned Herbert), who worked as an actor and comedian in the British theatre. He never made a film in his native country but managed to appear in 228 films during his career in the U.S., beginning with stalwart leading roles during the silent era and numerous supporting roles in many classic Hollywood films of the sound era, including Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Life of Emile Zola (1937), The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), and Foreign Correspondent (1940).
In silent films Herbert could play different nationalities, as did his contemporaries like Wyndham Standing, but when sound films came in, their pronounced British accents were revealed.
Herbert is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Jekyll's friend Dr. Lanyon in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), and made something of a career in horror films of the period, appearing in The Terror (1928), The Thirteenth Chair (1929 and 1937), The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), The Invisible Man (1933), Mark of the Vampire (1935), Tower of London (1939), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), The Undying Monster (1942), The Mummy's Curse and The Son of Dr. Jekyll (1952). He also played in several of Universal's cycle of Sherlock Holmes films during the 1940s. He retired from acting in 1952.
Herbert was married three times. His first wife was actress Beryl Mercer, and his second was Elinor Kershaw Ince, widow of film mogul Thomas H. Ince. Both marriages ended in divorce. Third wife Agnes Bartholomew died, leaving Herbert a widower, in 1955.
He died in 1956 at age 74.
Filmography
Actor
1952
The Brigand as
Archbishop
1952
At Sword's Point as
Mallard (uncredited)
1952
The Wild North as
Magistrate (uncredited)
1951
The Unknown Man as
Reverend Michael (uncredited)
1951
The Son of Dr. Jekyll as
Constable (uncredited)
1951
Anne of the Indies as
English Sea Captain
1951
David and Bathsheba as
Jesse (uncredited)
1951
The Law and the Lady as
English Colonel (uncredited)
1950
The Magnificent Yankee as
Justice McKenna (uncredited)
1950
To Please a Lady as
Benson - Regina's Butler (uncredited)
1950
The Iroquois Trail as
Gen. Johnson
1950
Mark of the Gorilla as
Narrator (voice, uncredited)
1949
Post Office Investigator as
James Seeley
1949
Barbary Pirate as
1949
Canadian Pacific as
Head of Canadian Parliament (uncredited)
1949
The Stratton Story as
Doctor (uncredited)
1949
The Lost Tribe as
Narrator (voice, uncredited)
1949
South of St. Louis as
Sir Cecil (uncredited)
1948
Command Decision as
Chairman (uncredited)
1948
Jungle Jim as
Commissioner Geoffrey Marsden
1948
Family Honeymoon as
Rev. Miller (uncredited)
1948
Hills of Home as
Hillocks (uncredited)
1948
Johnny Belinda as
Judge (uncredited)
1948
Sorry, Wrong Number as
Wilkins (uncredited)
1948
The Wreck of the Hesperus as
Pastor West
1948
A Woman's Vengeance as
Warder (uncredited)
1948
The Swordsman as
Lord Glowan
1947
If Winter Comes as
Mr. Broadhurst (uncredited)
1947
This Time for Keeps as
Norman Randall (uncredited)
1947
Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back as
Inspector McIver
1947
Singapore as
Rev. Thomas Barnes
1947
Ivy as
Mulloy (uncredited)
1947
Bulldog Drummond at Bay as
Scotland Yard Inspector McIvar
1947
The Ghost Goes Wild as
Judge
1947
Mr. District Attorney as
Gallentyne (uncredited)
1947
Over the Santa Fe Trail as
Doc Henderson
1946
Love Laughs at Andy Hardy as
Dr. White - Minister (uncredited)
1946
The Verdict as
Sir William Dawson
1946
Cloak and Dagger as
British Officer (uncredited)
1946
Dressed to Kill as
Ebenezer Crabtree
1946
Three Strangers as
Sir Robert (uncredited)
1946
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest as
Baron (uncredited)
1945
Confidential Agent as
Lord Benditch
1945
George White's Scandals as
Lord Michael Asbury (uncredited)
1945
Swingin' on a Rainbow as
Butler (uncredited)
1945
The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry as
Warden (uncredited)
1945
Jealousy as
Melvyn Russell
1945
The House of Fear as
Alan Cosgrave
1944
The Mummy's Curse as
Dr. Cooper
1944
Enter Arsene Lupin as
Jobson
1944
The Unwritten Code as
McDowell (uncredited)
1944
Our Hearts Were Young and Gay as
Captain (uncredited)
1944
The Pearl of Death as
James Goodram
1944
Bermuda Mystery as
Judge (uncredited)
1944
The Uninvited as
Charlie Jessup (uncredited)
1943
Calling Dr. Death as
Bryant - the Butler
1943
Corvette K-225 as
Commodore Ramsay (uncredited)
1943
The Man from Down Under as
Government Official at Train Station (uncredited)
1943
Two Tickets to London as
Kilgallen
1943
A Stranger in Town as
Supreme Court Justice (uncredited)
1943
Sherlock Holmes in Washington as
Mr. Ahrens
1942
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon as
Sir. Reginald
1942
The Undying Monster as
Chief Constable (uncredited)
1942
Strictly in the Groove as
Commissioner
1942
Invisible Agent as
Sir Alfred Spencer
1942
Lady in a Jam as
Man at Auction (uncredited)
1942
Danger in the Pacific as
Commissioner
1942
This Above All as
Dr. Mathias
1942
The Ghost of Frankenstein as
Magistrate
1941
The Men in Her Life as
Second Doctor (uncredited)
1941
International Squadron as
Sir Basil Wryxton
1941
Man Hunt as
Saul Farnsworthy (uncredited)
1941
Scotland Yard as
Dr. Woodward (uncredited)
1941
Rage in Heaven as
The Judge (uncredited)
1940
South of Suez as
Simpson
1940
The Letter as
Robert's Friend at Bar at Party (uncredited)
1940
A Dispatch from Reuters as
Member of Parliament (uncredited)
1940
Foreign Correspondent as
Asst. Commissioner
1940
Boom Town as
Doctor (uncredited)
1940
Phantom Raiders as
Sir Edward (uncredited)
1940
Women in War as
Chief Justice (uncredited)
1940
An Angel from Texas as
Second Banker (uncredited)
1940
The Earl of Chicago as
Sergeant-at-Arms (uncredited)
1939
Everything Happens at Night as
Featherstone
1939
We Are Not Alone as
Police Inspector
1939
Tower of London as
Councilman (uncredited)
1939
British Intelligence as
Arthur Bennett
1939
Rulers of the Sea as
Member of Naval Company (uncredited)
1939
20, 000 Men a Year as
Dean Norris (uncredited)
1939
Intermezzo as
The Doctor (uncredited)
1939
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex as
Majordomo (uncredited)
1939
Hidden Power as
Dr. Morley
1939
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes as
Justice
1939
Stanley and Livingstone as
Frederick Holcomb
1939
Bad Boy as
Mr. McNeil
1939
The House of Fear as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1939
Trapped in the Sky as
Fielding
1939
The Sun Never Sets as
Colonial Official (uncredited)
1939
Wolf Call as
J.L. Winton
1939
Juarez as
Marshal Randon (uncredited)
1939
Mystery of the White Room as
Hospital Administrator (uncredited)
1939
The Mystery of Mr. Wong as
Prof. Ed Janney
1939
The Little Princess as
Doctor
1938
The Miracle of Salt Lake (Documentary short) as
Brigham Young (uncredited)
1938
Say It in French as
Richard Carrington Sr.
1938
Mr. Moto's Last Warning as
Bentham (uncredited)
1938
Marie Antoinette as
Herald (uncredited)
1938
Kidnapped as
Judge
1938
The Adventures of Robin Hood as
Archery Referee (uncredited)
1938
The Black Doll as
Dr. Giddings
1938
Here's Flash Casey as
Major Addison
1938
The Buccaneer as
Capt. McWilliams
1937
The Man Without a Country (Short) as
Aaron Burr
1937
Lancer Spy as
Dr. Aldrich (uncredited)
1937
The Girl Said No as
Charles Dillon (scenes deleted)
1937
Love Under Fire as
Darnley (uncredited)
1937
The Life of Emile Zola as
Commander of Paris (uncredited)
1937
Slave Ship as
Commander
1937
The Thirteenth Chair as
Sir Roscoe Crosby
1937
The Prince and the Pauper as
First Doctor
1937
Stolen Holiday as
Nicole's Dance Partner at Party (uncredited)
1936
Lloyd's of London as
Spokesman
1936
The House of Secrets as
Sir Bertram Evans - Home Secretary
1936
The Charge of the Light Brigade as
General O'Neill (uncredited)
1936
15 Maiden Lane as
Harold Anderson
1936
The Gentleman from Louisiana as
Chief Steward
1936
Charlie Chan at the Race Track as
Chief Steward - Melbourne Cup (uncredited)
1936
The White Angel as
War Minister (uncredited)
1936
Champagne Charlie as
Capt. Dell (uncredited)
1936
The Country Beyond as
Inspector Reed
1936
Brilliant Marriage as
Rodney Allison
1936
Wife vs. Secretary as
Frawley (uncredited)
1935
Captain Blood as
Capt. Gardner
1935
The Dark Angel as
Major in Dugout (uncredited)
1935
Accent on Youth as
Frank Galloway
1935
Mark of the Vampire as
Sir Karell Borotyn
1935
Cardinal Richelieu as
Noble
1935
One in a Million as
Donald Cabot, Sr.
1934
Sons of Steel as
Curtis Chadburne
1934
The Curtain Falls as
John Scorsby
1934
The Pursuit of Happiness as
Gen. Sir Henry Clinton
1934
The Count of Monte Cristo as
Judge
1934
The House of Rothschild as
Rowerth
1934
Beloved as
Lord Landslake
1933
The Invisible Man as
Chief of Police
1933
Mystery of the Wax Museum as
Dr. Rasmussen
1932
Sister to Judas as
Bruce Rogers
1932
Central Park as
Benefit Emcee (uncredited)
1932
Miss Pinkerton as
Arthur Glenn
1932
Shop Angel as
James Walton Kennedy
1931
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as
Dr. Lanyon
1931
Daughter of the Dragon as
Sir John Petrie
1931
Broadminded as
John J. Hackett Sr.
1931
Chances as
Maj. Bradford
1931
The Hot Heiress as
Mr. Hunter
1931
The Single Sin as
Roger Van Dorn
1930
The Ship from Shanghai as
Paul Thorpe
1929
Untamed as
Howard Presley
1929
The Kiss as
M. Lassalle
1929
The Thirteenth Chair as
Sir Roscoe Crosby
1929
The Careless Age as
Sir John Hayward
1929
Her Private Life as
Rudolph Solomon
1929
Madame X as
Noel
1929
Say It with Songs as
Dr. Robert Merrill
1929
Careers as
Carouge
1929
The Charlatan as
Count Merlin - aka Peter Dwight
1928
On Trial as
Gerald Trask
1928
Through the Breakers as
Eustis Hobbs
1928
The Terror as
Goodman (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1928
The Sporting Age as
James Driscoll
1928
Their Hour as
Cora's Father
1928
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as
Henry Spoffard
1927
The Silver Slave as
Tom Richards
1927
East Side, West Side as
Gilbert Van Horn
1927
The Gay Retreat as
Charles Wright
1927
Slaves of Beauty as
Leonard Jones
1927
The Heart of Salome as
Sir Humphrey
1927
Lovers? as
Milton
1927
Mr. Wu as
Mr. Gregory
1927
When a Man Loves as
Jean Tiberge
1927
One Increasing Purpose as
Charles Paris
1926
The Fire Brigade as
James Corwin (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1926
Josselyn's Wife as
Thomas Josselyn
1926
The Honeymoon Express as
Jim Donaldson
1926
The Passionate Quest as
Erwen (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1926
The Nest as
Richard Elliot
1925
A Woman of the World as
Richard Granger
1925
Wreckage as
Stuart Ames
1925
The Wanderer as
Prophet
1925
Wildfire as
Garrison
1925
Up the Ladder as
Robert Newhall
1925
Daddy's Gone A-Hunting as
Greenough
1925
The Lost World as
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
1924
Love's Wilderness as
David Tennant (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1924
Sinners in Heaven as
Hugh Rochedale
1924
Her Own Free Will as
Peter Craddock
1924
Another Scandal as
Pelham Franklin
1924
The Enchanted Cottage as
Maj. Hillgrove (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1924
Swords and the Woman as
Sir Percy Blakeney
1924
Week End Husbands as
William Randall (as H.J. Herbert)
1923
Toilers of the Sea as
Sandro
1922
A Woman's Woman as
John Plummer (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1922
Moonshine Valley as
Dr. Martin
1922
Divorce Coupons as
Roland Bland (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1922
Evidence as
Judge Rowland
1922
A Stage Romance as
Prince of Wales
1922
Any Wife as
Philip Gray
1921
The Family Closet as
Alfred Dinsmore
1921
The Inner Chamber as
Edward J. Wellman (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1921
The Wild Goose as
Frank Manners (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1921
Heedless Moths as
The Sculptor (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1921
Her Lord and Master as
R. Honorable Thurston Ralph, Viscount Canning
1920
The Truth About Husbands as
Dustan Renshaw (as H.E. Herbert)
1920
Dead Men Tell No Tales as
Squire John Rattray (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1920
Lady Rose's Daughter as
Jacob Delafield (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1920
The Right to Love as
Lord Falkland (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1920
My Lady's Garter as
Henry Van Derp, aka The Hawk (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1920
His House in Order as
Filmer Jesson (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1920
Black Is White as
Jim Brood (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1920
On with the Dance as
Undetermined Role (uncredited)
1919
Greater Than Love (as H.E. Herbert)
1919
The A.B.C. of Love as
Harry Bryant
1919
The Market of Souls as
Temple Bane (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1919
Other Men's Wives as
Fenwick Flint (as Holmes E. Herbert)
1919
The White Heather as
Lord Angus Cameron (as H.E. Herbert)
1919
The Rough Neck as
A Half-Breed Indian (as H.E. Herbert)
1919
The Divorcee as
Sir Paradine Fuldes
1918
The Death Dance as
Arnold Maitland (as H.E. Herbert)
1918
The Whirlpool as
Judge Reverton (as H.E. Herbert)
1918
A Doll's House as
Thorvald Helmer (as H.E. Herbert)
1917
The Man Without a Country as
Lt. Philip Nolan (as H.E. Herbert)
1917
Her Life and His as
Ralph Howard (as H.E. Herbert)
1915
The Fisherwoman (Short) as
The Son (as H.E. Herbert)
1915
His Wife as
John Dennys
Soundtrack
1930
The Ship from Shanghai (performer: "Sailing, Sailing (Over the Bounding Main)" (1880) - uncredited)
Archive Footage
2007
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (TV Series documentary) as
Dr. Lanyon
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) (2007) - Dr. Lanyon
2006
Life Is a Dream in Cinema: Pola Negri (Documentary) as
Self
1995
Biography (TV Series documentary) as
Rowerth
- Darryl F. Zanuck: 20th Century Filmmaker (1995) - Rowerth (uncredited)
References
Holmes Herbert Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA