Jean Pierre Carl Buron(12 July 1886 – 2 June 1956), known professionally asJean Hersholt,was aDanish-Americanactor. He is most famous for starring on theCBSradio seriesDr. Christianfrom 1937–1954, which later inspired a TV series with the same name from 1956-1957. He also co-starred withShirley Templein the filmHeidi(1937).[2]When asked how to pronounce his name, he toldThe Literary Digest,"in Englishher'sholt;in Danish,hairs'hult."[3]From 1924 to 1955, he had 140 motion picture credits: 75silent filmand 65"talkies";he directed four.
Jean Hersholt | |
|---|---|
 Hersholt in 1929 | |
| Born | Jean Pierre Carl Buron[1] 12 July 1886 |
| Died | 2 June 1956(aged 69) Los Angeles,California,U.S.A. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California |
| Other names | Jean Pierre Hersholt Jean Buron Hersholt |
| Occupation(s) | Actor (film and radio), philanthropist, humanitarian, literary editor/translator |
| Years active | 1906–1955 |
| Spouse |
Via Hersholt (m.1914) |
| Children | 1 son |
Early life
editHersholt was born Jean Pierre Carl Buron on 12 July 1886 inCopenhagen,the capital of Denmark. He claimed to have been born into a family of actors,[4]but in reality, both of his parents, Henri Pierre Buron and Clara (née Petersen), were hairdressers. Henri was the son of a French Roman Catholic father and a Danish Protestant mother, while Clara was the daughter of a Danish Protestant father and a Danish Jewish mother. Initially, Henri worked as a hairdresser but later became a cigar and wine merchant/vendor.[5]Hersholt appeared in two of the first short films of the Danish film studioNordisk Filmin 1906, but did not find much success in his early years in Denmark.[6]Hersholt emigrated to the United States in 1913, and spent the remainder of his acting career in America.
Career
edit
Hersholt is best remembered for his roles in two iconic films. In 1924, he played Marcus Schouler in thesilent filmclassicGreeddirected byErich von Stroheim.A decade later, he co-starred with world-famous child actressShirley Templeas her beloved grandfather living in the remoteAlpsin the1937 film versionof the classic 1880 children's book,Heidi,written bySwissauthorJohanna Spyri.Throughout his extensive film career, he portrayed a wide range of characters, from villains in earlysilent filmsto supporting roles where his gentleDanish languageaccent and pleasant voice made him well-suited to portray a succession of benevolent fathers, doctors, professors, andEuropeannoblemen.Hersholt's final on-screen appearance was in the 1955 movieRun for Cover.[7]
In the 1936 movieThe Country Doctor,starring the famousDionne quintupletschildren, Hersholt portrayed Dr. John Luke, a character based onDr. Allan Roy Dafoe,theCanadianobstetricianwho delivered and cared for the Dionne quintuplets. Two sequels followed the movie. Hersholt wanted to portray the role on radio but could not obtain the rights. He chose to create his own doctor character for radio. Since he was a fan of fairy tale anthology authorHans Christian Andersen,he borrowed that name for his character portrayal. This character, "Dr. Paul Christian," was a philosophical doctor who practiced in the typicalMidwesterntown of River's End. He received assistance from Nurse Judy Price and occasionally from others. On 7 November 1937,Dr. Christiandebuted on theColumbia Broadcasting System(CBS) radio network as part of the 'Vaseline Program' opening with the theme music, "Rainbow on the River."
The small-town physician's good humor, innate common sense, and scientific training helped drive off a series of villainous types attempting to disrupt the peaceful lifestyle of River's End. The radio series, produced by Dorothy McCann, became a popular long-running hit. It aired on the CBS network for 17 years until 6 January 1954. Hersholt was so strongly associated with the role that he received mail asking for real-life medical advice. The Dr. Christian series spawned several spin-offs, making it one of the earliest media franchises. For example, Hersholt co-wrote a Dr. Christian novel and starred in a series of six family feature films as Dr. Christian in a franchise spanning two years, from 1939 to 1941. An example of one of these films isDr. Christian Meets the Womenreleased in 1940.
In 1956, two years after the long-running radio program concluded, the character Dr. Christian made the transition totelevisionand its uniqueprogrammingstyle. The script for this new television program was written by a youngGene Roddenberry,who would later become famous for creating the original TV series 'Star Trek' in 1966. This led to the renownedscience fiction franchiseover the next few decades. The new 'Dr. Christian' TV show differed from the radio series by introducing a new younger character portrayed byMacdonald Careyas the elder Christian's nephew, "Dr. Mark Christian". The show was syndicated through CBS and its production company,Ziv Television,and ran for two seasons from 1956-1957. It was mostly broadcast at non-traditional times on local stations nationwide, after Jean Hersholt's death in early 1956.
From the late 1930s through the mid 1950s,Neil Reagan,the brother of actor and future U.S. presidentRonald Reagan,worked as a traveling industry spokesman for theGeneral Electric Company.Additionally, Neil directed the earlier CBS radio seriesDr. Christian,with Jean Hersholt.
In 1939, Hersholt broadened his social interests and played a critical role in establishing theMotion Picture Relief Fund,now known as the Motion Picture and Television Fund. This fund provides medical care and support forHollywoodindustry employees at various levels, offering assistance when experiencing difficulties due to illness, old age, or other challenges. This occurred just four years after the establishment of America's "social safety net" with the passage ofSocial Securityold age pension system by theRoosevelt administration.The fund Hersholt supported was used to establish the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital inWoodland Hills, California.After his death in 1956, his philanthropic endeavors led to the establishment of theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.This honoraryAcademy Award,also known as the "Oscar," is presented to an "individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry." The fund was later expanded to include those working in thetelevision field.[8]
As president of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,Hersholt was actively involved in various activities to promote and preserve American cinema. On March 20, 1948, during the 20th anniversary of the academy's founding, he presented special awards to several pioneers of theAmerican motion pictures/film industry.The recipients included ColonelWilliam N. Selig,Albert E. Smith,George K. Spoor,andThomas Armat.These individuals were often referred to as"the Men Who Invented Hollywood".[9]
Hersholt's extensive collection of books and other materials by the famous Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is now housed in the special collections division of theLibrary of CongressinWashington, D.C..He translated over 160 of Andersen'sfairy talesinto English. These were published in 1949 in six volumes asThe Complete Andersen,this work is "... rated asThestandard translation, being one of the best "in English cited by the Hans Christian Andersen Center of theUniversity of Southern Denmark.[10]
Hersholt was appointed a knight of the DanishOrder of the Dannebrogand awarded a medal in 1948, partly due to this literary academic endeavor.[11]
On August 31, 1952, the accomplished elder Hersholt appeared as the mystery guest on the popular long-runningCBS-TVpanel/quiz showWhat's My Line?less than four years before his death. The show aired from the 1950s and into the 1960s and was hosted byJohn Charles Daly.
Family
editHersholt married Vita Andersen on 11 April 1914. They had one son, Allan Hersholt.
He was the paternal half-uncle (by marriage) of actorLeslie Nielsenand former Canadian Deputy Prime MinisterErik Nielsen.[12]
Death
edit
Hersholt died of cancer inHollywoodin 1956 and is interred inForest Lawn Memorial Park CemeteryinGlendale,California. His grave is marked with a statue ofKlods-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.[13]
Honors and awards
editHersholt was honored for his services to the industry three times with anhonorary Academy Award,first in 1940 and the second time in 1949 and the third time in 1950.[14]In his honor, theJean Hersholt Humanitarian Awardwas named by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[15]He is one of only 11 people with two stars on theHollywood Walk of Fame.One is located at6501 Hollywood Boulevardfor his work in motion pictures, and another one is located at 6701 Hollywood Boulevard for his work in radio.[citation needed]
Selected filmography
editRadio appearances
edit| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Lady Esther Screen Guild Theatre | Men in White[16] |
References
edit- ^"Free Family Tree, Genealogy, Family History, and DNA Testing".myheritage.Retrieved15 December2022.
- ^ObituaryVariety,6 June 1956, p. 63.
- ^Funk, Charles Earle(1936).What's the Name, Please? A Guide to the Correct Pronunciation of Current Prominent Names.New York: Funk & Wagnalls.OCLC1463642.
- ^Current biography yearbook, Volume 5.H. W. Wilson Co. 1945. p. 288.
- ^Kastrup, Kim (28 September 2017)."Dansk Hollywood-stjerne var trækkerdreng"[Danish Hollywood star was a rent boy].Ekstra Bladet(in Danish).Retrieved1 August2019.
- ^"Jean Hersholt".Danish Film Institute(in Danish).Retrieved1 March2018.
- ^https:// imdb /name/nm0380965/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_1_nm_7_q_hersholt[bare URL]
- ^"Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- ^Erish, Andrew A. (2012).Col. William N. Selig: The Man Who Invented Hollywood.University of Texas Press. p. 1.ISBN978-0292728707.Retrieved8 August2019.
- ^Lars Bo Jensen (2008)."The Complete Andersen – Edition info".The Hans Christian Andersen Center, University of Southern Denmark.Retrieved17 January2008.
- ^"Danish-American Medal Recipient Index"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 24 July 2012.Retrieved13 July2010.
- ^Carr, Jay (13 March 1994). "If Leslie Nielsen has learned anything, it's how to play slapstick with a... straight face".The Boston Globe.p. 83.
I did learn very early that when I would mention my uncle, people would look at me as if I were the biggest liar in the world. Then I would take them home and show them 8-by-10 glossies, and things changed quite drastically. So I began to think that maybe this acting business was not a bad idea, much as I was very shy about it and certainly without courage regarding it. My uncle died not too long after I was in a position to know him. I regret that I had not a chance to know him better.
- ^Andersen, Hans Christian."Clumsy Hans".Retrieved13 July2010.
- ^"Jean Hersholt".oscars.org.AMPAS.Retrieved7 July2024.
- ^"Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2009.Retrieved20 January2008.
- ^"Allbritton, Louise".radioGOLDINdex.Archived fromthe originalon 28 May 2015.Retrieved26 May2015.
External links
edit
- Jean Hersholtat theAmerican Film Institute Catalog
- Jean HersholtatIMDb
- Jean Hersholtat theTCM Movie Database
- Jean Hersholt: The Complete Andersen
- Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs:Dr. Christian
- Literature on Jean Hersholt
- The Jean Hersholt Collectionsat theLibrary of Congressincludes early editions of Hans Christian Andersen's writings and his papers; first editions of the writings of Hugh Walpole and Sinclair Lewis and related papers.
- Jean HersholtatLibrary of Congress,with 55 library catalogue records
