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Jean Hersholt Biography

Birth Name:
Jean Pierre Hersholt
Birth Place:
Copenhagen, Denmark
Profession
Actor, director

Fast Facts

  • Cofounded the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital, one of many endeavors that led to the establishment of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, given annually at the Academy Awards
  • Served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences from 1945 to '49
  • Translated 160 Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales into English; his work became a six-volume set called The Complete Andersen
  • Knighted by King Christian X of Denmark in 1948
  • Honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one for his film work and one for his longtime radio role as Dr
  • Christian
  • Grave is marked with a statue of Klods-Hans, a character from a story by Hans Christian Andersen

Relationships