Jean Pierre Carl Buron (12 July 1886 â€" 2 June 1956), known
professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is
best known for starring on the radio series Dr. Christian
(1937â€"1954) and in the film Heidi (1937). 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 (140 total); he directed four.Hersholt was born Jean
Pierre Carl Buron in Copenhagen, Denmark. Hersholt claimed to be born
into a family of actors, but in reality both of his parents Henri
Pierre Buron (1859-1922, the son of a French Catholic father and a
Danish Christian mother) and Clara (née Petersen) (1854-1931, the
daughter of a Danish Christian father and a Danish Jewish mother) were
hairdressers though the father later was a cigar and wine
retailer/vendor.) He appeared in two of the first short films of
Danish film studio Nordisk Film in 1906, but didn't find much success
in his early years in Denmark. He was embroiled in a scandal
surrounding the so-called "big sexual offence trial" in Copenhagen
1906/07 as an informant for the tabloid newspaper Middagsposten. The
ensuing moral panic and outing of several prominent men as homosexuals
eventually involved Hersholt (then Buron) who was reported to the
police. He admitted to prostitution and was sentenced to 8 months in
prison. He emigrated to the United States in 1913, and the remainder
of his career was in America.Hersholt's best-remembered film roles
include Marcus Schouler in Erich von Stroheim's 1924 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.[citation needed]
professionally as Jean Hersholt, was a Danish-American actor. He is
best known for starring on the radio series Dr. Christian
(1937â€"1954) and in the film Heidi (1937). 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 (140 total); he directed four.Hersholt was born Jean
Pierre Carl Buron in Copenhagen, Denmark. Hersholt claimed to be born
into a family of actors, but in reality both of his parents Henri
Pierre Buron (1859-1922, the son of a French Catholic father and a
Danish Christian mother) and Clara (née Petersen) (1854-1931, the
daughter of a Danish Christian father and a Danish Jewish mother) were
hairdressers though the father later was a cigar and wine
retailer/vendor.) He appeared in two of the first short films of
Danish film studio Nordisk Film in 1906, but didn't find much success
in his early years in Denmark. He was embroiled in a scandal
surrounding the so-called "big sexual offence trial" in Copenhagen
1906/07 as an informant for the tabloid newspaper Middagsposten. The
ensuing moral panic and outing of several prominent men as homosexuals
eventually involved Hersholt (then Buron) who was reported to the
police. He admitted to prostitution and was sentenced to 8 months in
prison. He emigrated to the United States in 1913, and the remainder
of his career was in America.Hersholt's best-remembered film roles
include Marcus Schouler in Erich von Stroheim's 1924 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.[citation needed]
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