Nisha Rathode (Editor)

Jean Hersholt

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Occupation
  
Actor

Years active
  
1906–1955


Name
  
Jean Hersholt

Role
  
Actor

Jean Hersholt 102876031jpgv8CD9CEF83C23E50

Full Name
  
Jean Pierre Hersholt

Born
  
12 July 1886 (
1886-07-12
)
Copenhagen, Denmark

Died
  
June 2, 1956, Hollywood, California, United States

Spouse
  
Via Hersholt (m. 1914–1956)

Children
  
Allan Hersholt, Jean Hersholt Jr.

Parents
  
Claire Petersen, Henry Hersholt

Movies
  
Heidi, Greed, Grand Hotel, Mark of the Vampire, The Student Prince in

Similar People
  

Angelina jolie receives the jean hersholt humanitarian award at the 2013 governors awards


Jean Pierre Hersholt (12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956) was a Danish-born actor who lived in the United States, where he was a leading film and radio talent, best known for his 17 years starring on radio in Dr. Christian and for playing Shirley Temple's grandfather in Heidi. Asked how to pronounce his name, he told The Literary Digest, "In English, her'sholt; in Danish, hairs'hult." Of his total credits, 75 were silent films and 65 were sound films (140 total); he directed four.

Contents

Jean Hersholt 102876041jpgv8CD9CEF83C6D230

Paul newman receiving the jean hersholt humanitarian award


Early life

Jean Hersholt Jean Hersholt

Hersholt was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, the son of Claire (née Petersen) and Henry Hersholt, actors who worked with the Danish Folk Theatre. Hersholt toured Europe performing with his family when he was young. This is not true however. His father was a cigar salesman and his mother a singing girl . He then graduated from the Copenhagen Art School. His first two films were made in Germany in 1906. He emigrated to the US in 1913, and the remainder of his movies were made in America.

Career

Jean Hersholt Jean Hersholt Silent and Sound Movie Actor goldensilentscom

Hersholt's best-remembered film roles include Marcus Schouler in Erich von Stroheim's 1924 Greed and Shirley Temple's beloved grandfather in the 1937 film version of the 1880 children's book, Heidi, written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. During his long career in the movies, his roles ran the gamut from early silent villains to secondary parts in which his mild Danish accent and pleasant voice suited him to depict a succession of benevolent fathers, doctors, professors, and European noblemen. Hersholt's last role was in the 1955 movie Run for Cover.

Jean Hersholt Jean Hersholts Album Of Hollywood Stars

In The Country Doctor (1936), a movie starring the Dionne quintuplets, Hersholt portrayed Dr. John Luke, a character based on Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe, the Canadian obstetrician who delivered and cared for the Dionne quintuplets. Two sequels followed. Hersholt wanted to do the role on radio, but could not get the rights. He decided to create his own doctor character for radio, and since he was a Hans Christian Andersen enthusiast, he borrowed that name for his character of the philosophical Dr. Paul Christian who practiced in the Midwest town of River's End with the assistance of Nurse Judy Price. With the opening theme music of "Rainbow on the River", Dr. Christian was introduced on CBS on 7 November 1937 on The Vaseline Program, or Dr. Christian's Office and later Dr. Christian.

Jean Hersholt Matinee At The Bijou Jean Hersholts Dr Christian

The small-town physician's good humor, innate common sense, and scientific training helped drive off a series of villainous types who tried to interfere with the peaceful lifestyle of River's End. Produced by Dorothy McCann, the radio series became a popular long-running hit, continuing on CBS until 6 January 1954, with Hersholt so strongly identified with the role that he received mail asking for medical advice. Various spin-offs were produced, as Hersholt co-wrote a Dr. Christian novel and made a series of six family films as Christian from 1939 to 1941, for instance Dr. Christian Meets the Women in 1940. In 1956, his Dr. Christian character made the transition to television, scripted by Gene Roddenberry, with Macdonald Carey as his nephew Dr. Mark Christian. From the '30s through the '50s, Neil Reagan, brother of Ronald Reagan, directed the radio series Dr. Christian, starring Jean Hersholt.

Jean Hersholt Jean Hersholt Bio Facts Family Famous Birthdays

In 1939, Hersholt helped form the Motion Picture Relief Fund to support industry employees with medical care when they were down on their luck. The fund was used to create the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, and it led to the creation in 1956 of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Academy Award given to an "individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry".

Hersholt's large collection of Hans Christian Andersen books is now in the Library of Congress. He translated over 160 of Andersen's fairy tales into the English language. These were published in 1949 in six volumes as The Complete Andersen, this work is "... rated as the standard translation, being one of the best" in English. Hersholt was appointed a knight of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1948, partly due to this endeavour.

Family

Hersholt was married to his wife, Via, in 1914. They had one child: Allan. He was the paternal half-uncle of the late actor Leslie Nielsen and former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Erik Nielsen.

Death

Hersholt died of cancer in Hollywood, and is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. His grave is marked with a statue of Klods-Hans (English: Clumsy Hans), a Hans Christian Andersen character who left home to find his way in the world — much as Hersholt himself had done.

Honors and awards

Hersholt was honored for his services to the industry twice with an honorary Academy Award, first in 1940 and the second time in 1950, and in his honor the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was named by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6501 Hollywood Boulevard for his work in motion pictures and another one at 6701 Hollywood Boulevard for his work in radio.

Filmography

Actor
1956
Dr. Christian (TV Series) as
Dr. Paul Christian
- The Fighter (1956) - Dr. Paul Christian
- The Thin Line (1956) - Dr. Paul Christian
1955
Run for Cover as
Mr. Swenson
1949
Dancing in the Dark as
Jean Hersholt
1943
To the People of the United States (Documentary short) as
Colonel Jensen - Medical Corps.
1943
Stage Door Canteen as
Jean Hersholt
1941
They Meet Again as
Dr. Paul Christian
1941
Melody for Three as
Dr. Paul Christian
1940
Remedy for Riches as
Dr. Paul Christian
1940
Dr. Christian Meets the Women as
Dr. Paul Christian
1940
The Courageous Dr. Christian as
Dr. Paul Christian
1939
Meet Dr. Christian as
Dr. Christian
1939
Mr. Moto in Danger Island as
Sutter
1938
Five of a Kind as
Dr. John Luke
1938
I'll Give a Million as
Victor
1938
Alexander's Ragtime Band as
Professor Heinrich
1938
Happy Landing as
Herr Lars Ericksen
1937
Heidi as
Adolph Kramer / Grandfather
1937
Seventh Heaven as
Father Chevillon
1936
One in a Million as
Heinrich Muller
1936
Reunion as
Dr. John Luke
1936
His Brother's Wife as
Professor Fahrenheim
1936
Sins of Man as
Christopher Freyman
1936
The Country Doctor as
Dr. John Luke
1936
Tough Guy as
Doctor
1935
Murder in the Fleet as
Victor Hanson
1935
Break of Hearts as
Professor Thalma
1935
Mark of the Vampire as
Baron Otto
1934
The Painted Veil as
Herr Koerber
1934
The Fountain as
Baron Van Leyden
1934
Men in White as
Dr. 'Hockie' Hochberg
1934
The Cat and the Fiddle as
Professor
1933
Christopher Bean as
Rosen
1933
Dinner at Eight as
Jo Stengel
1933
Song of the Eagle as
Otto Hoffman
1933
The Crime of the Century as
Dr. Emil Brandt
1932
Flesh as
Mr. Herman
1932
The Mask of Fu Manchu as
Von Berg
1932
Hearts of Humanity as
Sol Bloom
1932
Skyscraper Souls as
Jake Sorenson
1932
Unashamed as
Heinrich Schmidt
1932
New Morals for Old as
James Hallett
1932
Night Court as
Herman - the Janitor
1932
Grand Hotel as
Senf
1932
Are You Listening? as
George Wagner
1932
The Beast of the City as
Sam Belmonte
1932
Emma as
Frederick Smith
1931
Private Lives as
Oscar
1931
The Sin of Madelon Claudet as
Dr. Dulac
1931
Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) as
Karl Ohlin
1931
The Phantom of Paris as
Herman
1931
Transatlantic as
Rudolph aka Jed Kramer
1931
Daybreak as
Herr Schnabel
1931
The Voice of Hollywood No. 7 (Second Series) (Short)
1930
Viennese Nights as
Herr Hofner - Elsa's Father
1930
The Third Alarm as
Frank 'Dad' Morton
1930
The Cat Creeps as
Dr. Patterson
1930
A Soldier's Plaything as
Grandfather Rittner
1930
East Is West as
Man
1930
Hell Harbor as
Joseph Horngold
1930
Mamba as
August Bolte (Mamba)
1930
The Case of Sergeant Grischa as
Posnanski
1930
The Climax as
Luigi Golfanti
1929
Modern Love as
François Renault
1929
The Younger Generation as
Julius Goldfish - Pa
1929
The Girl on the Barge as
McCadden
1928
Give and Take as
John Bauer - Factory Owner
1928
The Battle of the Sexes as
William Judson
1928
Jazz Mad as
Franz Hausmann
1928
Abie's Irish Rose as
Solomon Levy
1928
The Secret Hour as
Tony
1928
13 Washington Square as
'Deacon' Pyecroft
1927
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg as
Dr. Jüttner
1927
Alias the Deacon as
George Caswell aka The Deacon
1927
The Wrong Mr. Wright as
Seymour White
1926
The Old Soak as
Clement Hawley, Sr.
1926
Flames as
Ole Bergson
1926
It Must Be Love as
Pop Schmidt
1926
My Old Dutch as
'Erb 'Uggins
1926
The Greater Glory as
Gustav Schmidt
1925
Stella Dallas as
Ed Munn
1925
A Woman's Faith as
Jules Cluny
1925
Don Q Son of Zorro as
Don Fabrique
1925
If Marriage Fails as
Dr. Mallini
1925
Fifth Avenue Models as
Mr. Jones - A Crook
1925
Dangerous Innocence as
Gilchrist
1924
So Big as
Aug Hempel
1924
Cheap Kisses as
Gustaf Borgstrom
1924
Greed as
Marcus
1924
Her Night of Romance as
Joe Diamond
1924
Sinners in Silk as
Dr. Eustace
1924
The Woman on the Jury as
Jury Foreman
1924
The Goldfish as
Herman Krauss
1924
Torment as
Boris
1923
Red Lights as
Ezra Carson
1923
Souls for Sale as
Jean Hersholt
1923
Quicksands as
Ring Member
1923
Jazzmania as
Prince Otto of Como
1922
The Strangers' Banquet as
Fiend
1922
Tess of the Storm Country as
Ben Letts
1922
Heart's Haven as
Henry Bird
1922
When Romance Rides as
Joel Creech
1921
Man of the Forest as
Lem Beasley
1921
A Certain Rich Man as
Adrian Brownwell
1921
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as
Professor von Hartrott (uncredited)
1921
The Servant in the House as
Manson, The Servant in the House
1920
The Deceiver
1920
The Golden Trail as
Harry Teal
1920
Merely Mary Ann as
Stranger
1920
The Red Lane as
Vetal Beaulieu
1919
In the Land of the Setting Sun (Short)
1919
Love's Prisoner as
Party Guest (uncredited)
1919
Whom the Gods Would Destroy
1918
The Answer as
Shepard
1918
Little Red Decides as
Sour Milk
1918
Madame Spy as
Count Von Ornstorff
1917
Princess Virtue as
Emile Carre
1917
'49-'17 as
'Gentleman Jim' Raynor
1917
A Stormy Knight as
Dr. Fraser
1917
The Show Down as
Parkes
1917
The Soul Herder (Short) as
The Parson
1917
The Greater Law as
Basil Pelly
1917
The Gunman's Gospel (Short) as
The Mayor
1917
Southern Justice as
Caleb Talbot
1917
The Townsend Divorce Case (Short) as
Mr. Townsend
1917
Her Primitive Man (Short) as
Rance
1917
The Clash of Steel (Short) as
Prince Feodor
1917
Perils of the Secret Service as
Prince Feodor (Episode #2)
1917
The Saintly Sinner as
Undetermined Role
1917
The Terror as
Jimm, the Dope
1917
Love Aflame as
Reginald
1917
Fighting for Love as
Ferdinand
1917
Black Orchids
1916
The Desert
1916
Scratched (Short) as
Paul Brant
1916
Kinkaid, Gambler as
Undetermined Role
1916
It's All Wrong (Short) as
The Minister
1916
As the Candle Burned (Short) as
John Ayres
1916
Some Medicine Man (Short) as
Grouch
1916
The Aryan as
Minor Role (uncredited)
1916
Hell's Hinges as
Bartender (uncredited)
1916
Bullets and Brown Eyes
1915
The Disciple as
Mob Member (uncredited)
1915
Never Again (Short)(unconfirmed)
1906
En ny hat til Madammen (Short)
1906
Konfirmanden (Short)
1906
Professorens Morgenavis (Short)
Director
1922
When Romance Rides
1922
The Gray Dawn (unconfirmed)
1920
The Deceiver
1920
The Golden Trail
Assistant Director
1922
Heart's Haven (assistant director)
1919
In the Land of the Setting Sun (Short) (assistant director)
Soundtrack
1938
Five of a Kind (performer: "Frere Jacques" - uncredited)
1937
Heidi (performer: "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name" (1774) - uncredited)
1936
The Country Doctor (performer: "Happy Birthday to You" (1893) - uncredited)
1935
Break of Hearts (performer: "Wedding March" (1842) - uncredited)
Miscellaneous
1922
Golden Dreams (associate director)
Self
1955
Galathea - Around the world in 80 minutes (Documentary) as
Self
1955
Screen Snapshots Series 34, No. 6: Hollywood Shower of Stars (Short) as
Self
1955
The Ed Sullivan Show (TV Series) as
Self
- A Cavalcade of Radio 1920-1955 (1955) - Self
1954
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Stars on Parade (Documentary short) as
Self
1954
A Star Is Born World Premiere (TV Movie) as
Self
1954
This Is Your Life (TV Series) as
Self
- Jean Hersholt (1954) - Self
1954
The Name's the Same (TV Series) as
Self
- Jean Hersholt (1954) - Self
1953
The 25th Annual Academy Awards (TV Special) as
Self - Presenter
1952
Screen Snapshots 5852: Hollywood Night at '21' Club (Documentary short) as
Self - Honoree
1952
What's My Line? (TV Series) as
Self - Mystery Guest
- Jean Hersholt (1952) - Self - Mystery Guest
1950
Screen Snapshots: The Great Showman (Short) as
Self
1949
Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Happy Homes (Documentary short) as
Self
1941
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 (Documentary short) as
Self - at Motion Picture Home Dedication (uncredited)
1940
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards (Documentary short) as
Self
1924
The City of Stars (Short) as
Self
1923
C-V News: Filming Greed (Short) as
Self (uncredited)
Archive Footage
2023
Compression (TV Series documentary)
- Compression Mark of the Vampire de Tod Browning (2023)
2008
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies (Documentary) as
Self (uncredited)
2004
Checking Out: Grand Hotel (Video documentary short) as
Self - At the premiere
2003
Complicated Women (TV Movie documentary) as
Self
1999
Biography (TV Series documentary) as
Christopher Freyman
- Don Ameche: Hollywood's Class Act (1999) - Christopher Freyman (uncredited)
1990
Hollywood Mavericks (Documentary) as
Marcus (uncredited)
1987
Bloopermania (Video documentary)
1976
Hollywood on Trial (Documentary) as
Self
1963
Hollywood Without Make-Up (Documentary) as
Self
1944
Some of the Best (Documentary) as
Jo Stengel in Dinner at Eight (uncredited)

References

Jean Hersholt Wikipedia


Similar Topics