Jean Hersholt

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Jean Hersholt
Born Jean Hersholt
July 12, 1886(1886-07-12)
Flag of Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark
Died June 2, 1956 (aged 69)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Years active 1906-1955

Jean Hersholt (July 12, 1886 – June 2, 1956) was an Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe Award-winning Danish 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. Asked how to pronounce his name, he told The Literary Digest, "In English, her'sholt; in Danish, hairs'hult." [1]

Born in Copenhagen, Denmark to a well-known Danish stage family, Hersholt toured Europe performing with his family when he was young. He then graduated from the Copenhagen Art School. [2] His first two films were made in Germany in 1906. He emigrated to the US in 1913, and the rest of his movies were made in America. Of his total credits, 75 were silent films and 65 were sound films. He is the uncle of former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Erik Nielsen, whose brother is the actor Leslie Nielsen. He appeared in 140 films and directed four.

Hersholt's best remembered film roles included Marcus Schouler in Erich von Stroheim's 1924 film 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.

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[edit] Radio

After Hersholt appeared as Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe in The Country Doctor (1936), he 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 philosophical Dr. Paul Christian who practiced in the Midwest town of River's End with the assistance of Nurse Judy Price (Rosemary DeCamp, Lurene Tuttle, Kathleen Fitz, Helen Claire). With the opening theme music of "Rainbow on the River," Dr. Christian was introduced on CBS November 7, 1937 on The Vaseline Program, aka Dr. Christian's Office and later Dr. Christian, sponsored by Chesebrough Manufacturing's Vaseline.

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-run hit, continuing on CBS until January 6, 1954, with Hersholt so strongly identified with the role that he received mail asking for medical advice. There were various spin-offs as Hersholt co-wrote a Dr, Christian novel and made a series of six family films as Christian from 1939 to 1941. In 1956, his Dr. Christian character made the transition to television, scripted by Gene Roddenberry, with Macdonald Carey as his nephew Dr. Mark Christian.

On August 31, 1952, Hersholt appeared on the television game show What's My Line?.

[edit] Books

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 English. These were published in 1949 in six volumes as "The Complete Andersen". His Andersen translations are regarded as the best English versions in existence. Hersholt was knighted by King Christian X of Denmark in 1948 partly due to this endeavor. Hersholt's grave in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery is marked with a statue of Klods Hans, a Hans Christian Andersen character who left Denmark to find his way in the world — much as Hersholt himself had done.

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 was honored for his services to the industry twice with an Academy Honorary Award, first in 1940 and the second time in 1950. Hersholt died in Hollywood, California and was interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. 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.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Funk, Charles Earle. What's the Name, Please?, Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.
  2. ^ Golden Silents: Jean Hersholt

[edit] Listen to

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Hersholt, Jean
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hersholt, Jean
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH 1886-7-12
PLACE OF BIRTH Copenhagen, Denmark
DATE OF DEATH 1956-6-2
PLACE OF DEATH Hollywood, California, U.S.