Jean Hersholt Biography

Fast Facts

• Was a leader of the effort to establish the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California
• The Academy Awards' Humanitarian Award was named after him in recognition of his being one of Hollywood's most active philanthropists during his lifetime
• Served as the President of the Motion Picture Relief Fund, which provides support for financial support for film industry employees, for 18 years
• Was knighted by King Christian X of Denmark in 1948 for his translation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales
• Made his American acting debut as an extra in the film "The Disciple" in 1915
• Began his acting career in the Danish films "Konfirmanden" and "Oplob Pa Frederiskberg" in 1906
• Collected and translated a six-volume set of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales that he called "The Complete Andersen," and also wrote several articles on the author and edited "The Andersen-Scudder-Letters" in 1948
• Created the kindly doctor character Dr․ Christian, named after his favorite author, Hans Christian Andersen, in 1937 for the radio show by the same name, and also starred in several films produced by RKO
• Directed and starred in the films "The Golden Trail" and "The Deceiver" in 1920 and "When Romance Rides" in 1922
• Best known for his role as Adolph Kramer in "Heidi" and as the star of the radio program "Dr․ Christian․"