Jean Hersholt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jean Hersholt (July 12, 1886 - June 2, 1956) was a Danish actor.
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Hersholt would become a well-known actor in the United States, best known for his portrayal of Marcus Schouler in Erich von Stroheim's 1924 film Greed. He was also a Hans Christian Andersen enthusiast who assembled a large collection of books related to that writer (now in the Library of Congress). His translations of Andersen's Tales are considered the best English version in existence.
Hersholt also played Shirley Temple's beloved grandfather in the 1937 film version of the 1880 children's book, Heidi, written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri.
He died in Hollywood, California and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Asked how to say his name, he told The Literary Digest "In English, her'sholt; in Danish, hairs'hult." (Charles Earle Funk, What's the Name, Please?, Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)
See The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
