Jean Pierre Carl Buron (1886-1956) was born in Denmark to a French father and Danish mother. He is known to have appeared in three short Danish films in 1906, amongst the country’s earliest cinematic works. After struggling to find acting work, he emigrated to America in 1913.
Hersholt worked steadily throughout the silent era in features and shorts, and including an uncredited role in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921). His career moved up a level when he was cast by Erich von Stroheim as the second lead in Greed (1924), the great film maudit of the 1920s. As the duplicitous Marcus, Hersholt was at the centre of the gruelling shoot in Death Valley, where the cameras had to be wrapped in iced towels to prevent them from warping. He reportedly lost 27 pounds and ended up in hospital.
The rest of Hersholt’s career was spent as a reliable supporting actor,often in character parts, in over 130 features. He was particularly effective as the cruel uncle victimizing Greta Garbo in Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) (1931), and played opposite Shirley Temple, much more benevolently, in Heidi (1937).
During the late thirties, he played kindly Dr Christian in a radio series, and went on to recreate the character in a number of pictures and on television.
Hersholt only appeared in one MGM musical, aged up to play Professor Bertier in The Cat and the Fiddle.
Jean Hersholt’s name crops up most frequently today in relation to the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, presented by the American Academy to individuals whose actions have “brought credit to the industry”, Recent recipients have included Michael J Fox (2023) and Dolly Parton (2026).
The award was established to honour Hersholt’s own role in establishing the Motion Picture Relief Fund, money from which was used to set up the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital, where many actor have spent their final years.
