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Holmes Herbert | |
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![]() Herbert inSherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942) | |
Born | Horace Edward Jenner (1882-07-30)30 July 1882 Mansfield,Nottinghamshire, England |
Died | 26 December 1956(1956-12-26) (aged 74) Hollywood,California, U.S. |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park,Glendale, California |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1915–1952 |
Spouse(s) | Elinor Kershaw Ince (m. 19??; div. 19??) Beryl Mercer (m. 1909; div. 19??) Agnes Bartholomew (m. 19??; d. 1955) |
Children | 1 |
Holmes Herbert (bornHorace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an Englishcharacter actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman.
Born Horace Edward Jenner,[1] (some sources give Edward Sanger[2][3]) Holmes Herbert emigrated to the United States in 1912. He was the first son of Edward Henry Jenner (stage name Ned Herbert), who worked as an actor and comedian in the British theatre.
Holmes Herbert never made a film in his native country but managed to appear in 228 films during his career in the U.S., beginning with stalwart leading roles during the silent era and numerous supporting roles in many classic Hollywood films of the sound era, includingCaptain Blood (1935),The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936),The Life of Emile Zola (1937),The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), andForeign Correspondent (1940).
In silent films, Herbert could play different nationalities, as did his contemporaries likeWyndham Standing, but when sound films came in, their pronounced British accents were revealed.
Herbert is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Jekyll's friend Dr. Lanyon inDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), and made something of a career in horror films of the period, appearing inThe Terror (1928),The Thirteenth Chair (1929 and 1937),Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933),The Invisible Man (1933),Mark of the Vampire (1935),Tower of London (1939),The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942),The Undying Monster (1942),The Mummy's Curse andThe Son of Dr. Jekyll (1952). He also played in several ofUniversal'scycle of Sherlock Holmes films during the 1940s. He retired from acting in 1952.
Herbert was married three times. His first wife was actressBeryl Mercer, and his second wasElinor Kershaw Ince, widow of film mogulThomas H. Ince. Both marriages ended in divorce. His third wife, Agnes Bartholomew, died in 1955, leaving Herbert a widower.[4] He died in 1956 at age 74. He was buried inForest Lawn Memorial Park,Glendale, California.[5]