Jean Hersholt
Date of birth: 1886-07-10
Place of birth: Copenhagen, Denmark
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Jean Pierre Hersholt, Jean Pierre Carl Buron
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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. He appeared in 140 films and directed four.
Movie Credits
Greed
1924-12-04
A lottery win of $5,000 forever changes the lives of a miner turned dentist and his wife.
The Mask of Fu Manchu
1932-11-04
The villainous Dr. Fu Manchu races against a team of Englishmen to find the tomb of Ghengis Khan, be
The Beast of the City
1932-02-13
Police Chief Jim Fitzpatrick is after gangster Sam Belmonte. He uses his police detective brother Ed
Fifth Avenue Models
1925-04-26
A model in an expensive clothing shop quarrels with another model, and an expensive gown is ruined.
Flames
1926-09-15
Railroad builder James Travers (George Nichols) wants his pretty daughter, Anne (Virginia Valli), to
Grand Hotel
1932-05-25
Guests at a posh Berlin hotel struggle through worry, scandal, and heartache.
Mark of the Vampire
1935-04-26
Sir Borotyn, a prominent Prague resident, is discovered murdered in his home, with all indications p
The Terror
1917-02-12
Gunman Chuck Connelly is hired to silence the new district attorney who has been pounding the graft
Love's Prisoner
1919-06-07
A young lady, who "hates the law" rises from the tenements to society. Financial reverses lead her t
Alexander's Ragtime Band
1938-05-24
Classical violinist Roger Grant disappoints his family and teacher when he organizes a jazz band, bu
Happy Landing
1938-01-23
Bandleader and manager discover skater in Norway. They become rivals as she returns with them to Ame
The Old Soak
1926-10-11
To the distress of his family, Clem Hawley, retired from his garage business, spends his time and mo
Stage Door Canteen
1943-06-24
A young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars o
Cheap Kisses
1924-12-21
Refusing to join his family in their new social life when Henry Dillingham suddenly becomes wealthy,
Dinner at Eight
1933-12-22
An ambitious New York socialite plans an extravagant dinner party as her businessman husband, Oliver
The Painted Veil
1934-11-23
The wife of a doctor in China falls in love with a diplomat.
Dancing in the Dark
1949-12-02
Emery Slade was one of the brightest stars in Hollywood in 1932, but by 1949 his career has hit the
Abie's Irish Rose
1928-04-19
When a Catholic and a Jew wed they find themselves disowned by both of their families.
The Golden Trail
1920-09-01
At the Golden Trail saloon in Alaska, Dave Langdon meets chorus girl Faro Kate who reminds him of hi
Jazzmania
1923-02-12
The queen of a mythical European nation flees to America when a general threatens to overthrow her g
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
1928-01-30
A young prince falls in love with a beautiful barmaid while at university in old Heidelberg.
The Phantom of Paris
1931-09-12
Chéri-Bibi is a world class escape artist, but he cannot escape the false murder charge that is plac
Mr. Moto in Danger Island
1939-04-07
In Puerto Rico to investigate a glut of contraband diamonds that are flooding the world's jewel mark
The Cat and the Fiddle
1934-02-16
A romance between a struggling composer and an American singer.
The Crime of the Century
1933-02-18
Driven to desperation by his young and extravagant wife, alienist Dr. Emil Brandt has arranged a per
Emma
1932-01-02
After decades of raising the motherless Smith children, housekeeper Emma Thatcher is faced with rese
Men in White
1934-04-06
A dedicated young doctor places his patients above everyone else in his life. Unfortunately, his soc
The Battle of the Sexes
1928-10-12
Gum-chewing frizzy-haired golddigger Marie Skinner cooks up a scheme with her lover Babe Winsor, a j
Perils of the Secret Service
1917-03-09
A 9-part movie serial- 1. The Last Cigarette 2. The Clash of Steel 3. The Dreaded Tube 4. The Crimso
The Clash of Steel
1917-03-16
Princess Seraphina, taking her small son, Paul, flees from Yulania to the village of Champ Fleury in
Flesh
1932-12-08
Gifted German wrestler Polokai falls in love with ex-con Laura, who persuades him to emigrate to Ame
Don Q Son of Zorro
1925-06-15
Don Cesar De Vega crosses swords with a vicious member of the Queen's Guard, and steals the affectio
Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)
1931-10-10
A young woman runs away from an abusive home and pre-arranged marriage only to be frustrated in her
His Brother's Wife
1936-08-07
Epidemiologist Cliff Claybourne falls in love with Rita Wilson in a gambling house. They want to mar
Break of Hearts
1935-05-31
Constance, a poor but aspiring composer, meets the great conductor, Franz, through their old music t
One in a Million
1937-01-01
American theatrical manager discovers Greta Muller preparing for the Olympics in Switzerland and bri
East Is West
1930-10-23
Ming Toy is on the auction block in China. She is saved by Billy and taken to San Francisco by Lo Sa
Hearts of Humanity
1932-08-31
Genial Irish NYC policeman Tom O'Hara is looking forward to the arrival of his wife and their young
Are You Listening?
1932-03-21
WBLA is on the air, presenting the live music, the sudsy dramas and the sell-sell-sell of commercial
Hell Harbor
1930-03-14
Lovely Anita dreams of escaping the monotony of her island home and sailing to bustling Havana. But
They Meet Again
1941-07-11
Dr. Christian takes time out from his appointed rounds to help clear a bank teller of embezzlement c
When Romance Rides
1922-03-16
Lucy Bostil, daughter of a Colorado ranch owner, is led by a dog to his master, Lin Slone, who is ex
The Younger Generation
1929-03-04
Soap-opera about a social-climbing Jewish man and his old-world parents who are heartbroken by his r
Her Night of Romance
1924-11-24
An impoverished British lord (Paul Menford) impersonates a doctor in order to woo an ailing American
Seventh Heaven
1937-03-25
A Parisian sewer worker longs for a rise in status and a beautiful wife. He rescues a girl from the
The Case of Sergeant Grischa
1930-02-23
This film earned an Oscar nomination for Sound Recording. It is the only film nominated in this cate
Tough Guy
1936-01-24
An unhappy child, accompanied by his dog, runs away from home and is befriended by a gangster on the
Five of a Kind
1938-10-14
Rival reporters compete to sign the Wyatt Quintuplets to be guests on their radio shows.
Remedy for Riches
1940-11-29
A small town doctor suspects the stranger in town is promoting an oil swindle. The fourth entry in t
To the People of the United States
1944-04-16
World War II public education film about sexually transmitted diseases focused on syphilis.
New Morals for Old
1932-06-04
Proper parents who treat their adult children as teenagers have a son who wants to go to Paris to st
Unashamed
1932-07-02
A debutante's (Helen Twelvetrees) brother (Robert Young) stands trial for killing her no-good lover.
Daybreak
1931-05-02
An Austrian soldier must choose between a wealthy fiancee and a new girl who takes his fancy.
The Fountain
1934-08-22
Set during the first World War in neutral, but pro-German, Holland, Lewis Allison, an interned Briti
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
2004-02-03
Until 1932's Grand Hotel, never had there existed an all-star ensemble cast on film. Conceived by MG
Viennese Nights
1930-11-25
In 1890, Gus Sascher joins the Austrian Army and romances the impoverished girl Elsa Hofner. Elsa in
The Country Doctor
1936-03-12
A doctor has a rough time obtaining the money for his services in a lumber town until he delivers qu
Heidi
1937-10-15
Heidi is orphaned and her uncaring maternal Aunt Dete takes her to the mountains to live with her re
I'll Give a Million
1938-07-27
After saving a tramp from suicide, a millionaire takes his clothing and disappears. Word is out that
Mamba
1930-03-09
August Bolte, the richest man in a settlement in German East Africa in the period before World War I
Skyscraper Souls
1932-07-16
After bank president David Dwight makes a vast loan to himself to build a remarkable skyscraper, his
Stella Dallas
1925-11-16
An eccentric lower class woman struggles to gain respect in high society after marrying a wealthy ma
Reunion
1936-11-20
Newspapers around the world proclaim the birth in Moosetown, Canada of the 3,000th baby brought into
Give and Take
1928-12-23
The owner of a fruit cannery is facing financial ruin as a result of a strike. Unbeknownst to him, h
Tess of the Storm Country
1922-11-12
Wealthy Elias Graves builds his home on the top of a hill, where a group of squatters have taken up
Souls for Sale
1923-04-22
A young woman hits Hollywood, determined to become a star.
The Strangers' Banquet
1922-12-31
In managing the shipyard inherited from her father, Derith Keogh has considerable labor problems and
Meet Dr. Christian
1939-11-17
The first of six films in the "Dr. Christian" series, starring Jean Hersholt as a small town doctor
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
1921-03-06
Set in the years before and during World War I, this epic tale tells the story of a rich Argentine f
The Sin of Madelon Claudet
1931-10-23
Out of jail for a crime she did not commit, Madelon turns to prostitution and thievery to send her i
The Girl on the Barge
1929-02-03
The illiterate daughter of a drunken, nasty sea captain falls in love with a tugboat pilot. Her fath
Red Lights
1923-09-30
A mysterious figure attempts to keep a daughter from reuniting with her father.
Black Orchids
1917-01-01
Frivolous young Marie de Severac is frightened into following a more virtuous path, when her father
The Courageous Dr. Christian
1940-04-04
A doctor fights an epidemic that breaks out in the poor section of town and tries to get the rest of
Dr. Christian Meets the Women
1940-08-05
A conman arrives in town trying to sell his miracle methods of weight loss to the ladies. It's left
Melody for Three
1941-06-19
Dr. Christian takes an interest in a young boy, a violin prodigy, whose mother is a divorced music t
Murder in the Fleet
1935-05-24
A traitor is lurking somewhere aboard the USS Carolina, and Lt. Tom Randolph is determined to find t
'49–'17
1917-10-15
A judge who had taken part in the gold rush of 1849 hires an acting troupe to recreate the experienc
Night Court
1932-06-04
A corrupt night court judge tears an innocent young family apart in his efforts to elude a special p
Transatlantic
1931-08-19
As a luxurious ocean liner makes its way across the Atlantic Ocean, the audience is made privy to th
Sins of Man
1936-06-19
Austrian church bell ringer Freyman loves music and wants his two sons (both played by Ameche) to lo
The Cat Creeps
1930-11-10
Disappearances and strange goings-on in a spooky old mansion.
My Old Dutch
1926-05-23
The story that inspired Albert Chevalier to write his immortal Costermonger song, 'My Old Dutch', is
Song of the Eagle
1933-04-27
This drama centers on the fight for certain post-Prohibitionist groups to gain total control over th
Hell's Hinges
1916-03-05
When Reverend Robert Henley and his sister Faith arrive in the town of Hell's Hinges, saloon owner S
So Big
1924-12-28
After graduating from a fashionable finishing school and touring Europe with her father, Selina Peak
The Secret Hour
1928-02-04
An Elderly fruit grower sends a photo of his foreman, not himself, to a waitress he wishes to marry.
The Disciple
1915-10-16
Jim Houston, the "Shootin' Iron" Parson, comes to Barren Gulch to reform the morals of the frontier
Run for Cover
1955-04-29
An ex-convict drifter and his flawed young partner are made sheriff and deputy of a Western town.
Private Lives
1931-12-12
Amanda and Elyot are one another's former spouse. Elyot is remarried to Sibyl and Amanda married Vic
The Soul Herder
1917-08-07
Harry is thrown out of town and on his way across the desert meets a minister and his family; when t
Dangerous Innocence
1925-04-12
Ann, a 19-year-old girl who looks much younger, meets a dashing army major on a boat sailing from Li
Jazz Mad
1928-11-18
A composer and his daughter emigrate to America in the hope that he can sell his symphony. But he me
The Aryan
1916-04-09
Steve Denton, rich from years of prospecting, is fleeced by the citizens of Yellow Ridge. In his rag
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
1940-07-31
This 1940 presentation features highlights of earlier (1928 onward) Oscar ceremonies including Shirl
Complicated Women
2003-05-06
Looks at the stereotype-breaking films of the period from 1929, when movies entered the sound era, u
A Star Is Born World Premiere
1954-09-28
Live television broadcast of the world premiere. Described by various participants as the biggest wo
The Climax
1930-01-04
Young Italian girl wants to become a great opera singer.
Heart's Haven
1922-08-08
A fine cast brings depth to this melodrama of a crippled boy, an unhappy marriage, an injured young
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2
1941-12-05
Hedda Hopper plays hostess at a party for her (grown) son William (DeWolfe Jr.). Hopper, attends the
The Greater Glory
1926-05-02
Fanny von Berg's engagement to Count Maxim von Hurtig is suddenly broken off and she is denounced by
13 Washington Square
1928-01-28
In this comedy, a wealthy matron is terribly upset when she learns that her socialite son is plannin
Princess Virtue
1917-11-12
The daughter of a disowned upper class Bostonian finds acceptance in Parisian society.
The Saintly Sinner
1917-02-26
When her father goes broke in the stock market, Jane Lee is forced to leave her prestigious boarding
A Stormy Knight
1917-09-10
While relaxing in his cabin one stormy night, John Winton, a rising young businessman who has succes
Southern Justice
1917-05-28
Three old men -- Judge Moran (George Hernandez), Roger Appleby (Jack Curtis) and Caleb Talbot (Jean
Love Aflame
1917-01-29
Jack Calvert bets four friends that he can travel from New York to Constantinople without a cent.
The Man Of The Forest
1921-06-01
Ailing ranch owner Al Auchincloss (Harry Lorraine) sends for his two nieces, Helen and Bo Raynor (Cl
The City of Stars: A Reporters Visit to the Universal Studios
1924-03-21
The City of Stars is structured as a "coming attractions" promo within the fictional framework of an
Madame Spy
1918-01-21
Robert "Bob" Wesley horrifies his father, Admiral John Wesley of the Naval Advisory Board, by failin
The Wrong Mr. Wright
1927-02-27
Scott Sidney silent mistaken identity romantic comedy about a timid man, named Seymour White, who cr
Alias The Deacon
1927-06-20
A hillbilly deacon, who is actually a cardsharp in disguise, becomes involved in a small-town fight
A New Hat for the Madam
1906-11-15
A young woman is out shopping and buys a new hat in the latest fashion. Unfortunately, the hat is so
Kinkaid, Gambler
1916-12-04
Determined to maintain her status as a star detective, Nellie Gleason goes after Jim Kinkaid, who ha
The Third Alarm
1930-11-16
The story of the firemen at Engine House No.8, where widower Frank "Dad" Brooks is the beloved veter
The Goldfish
1924-03-30
A newly married husband and wife make an agreement that should either of them want to terminate thei
It Must Be Love
1926-08-22
Fernie Schmidt (Colleen Moore) lives with her parents in the rear of their delicatessen. The smells
The Deceiver
1920-12-01
The story of a man who seeks self-aggrandizement regardless of the sacrifice of friends, sweetheart
Christopher Bean
1933-11-17
When the painter Christopher Bean dies, some unscrupulous art dealers try to get several of his pain
Torment
1924-02-25
Torment is a 1924 American silent film crime drama produced and directed by Maurice Tourneur and dis
The Woman on the Jury
1924-04-20
The story of a woman on trial for her life for shooting the man who had promised to love her but had
Modern Love
1929-07-21
In order to keep her job, a young dress designer must keep her recent marriage a secret from her bos
Fighting for Love
1917-01-08
Two cowboys, Jim and Johnny Little Bear, discover a rich mine and decide to spend some of their mone
The Red Lane
1920-07-12
After returning home from years spent in a convent, Marie Beaulieu, is shocked to discover that her
Little Red Decides
1918-02-24
Upon learning that the parents of "Little Red" have died, the cowboys of Colonel Ferdinand Aliso's r
Whom the Gods Would Destroy
1919-04-15
After a young inventor discovers a powerful new explosive, agents from a German chemical firm induce
Bullets and Brown Eyes
1916-03-12
Countess Olga and Prince Carl, although from two European countries that have been longtime enemies,
Never Again
1915-09-22
Inmate thinking of resolutions after his release from prison.
The Answer
1918-03-17
Social worker John Warfield meets socialist radical Guido Garcia, and together they establish a refu
Merely Mary Ann
1920-09-12
An orphan girl named Mary Ann falls for a poverty-stricken composer named John Lonsdale.
A Woman's Faith
1925-08-09
Donovan Steele returns to Quebec to be married and finds his fiancée in the arms of another man. Thi
A Certain Rich Man
1921-05-28
In the small town of Sycamore Ridge live youthful sweethearts Bob Hendricks and Molly Culpepper; Bob