Herbert Mundin
Encyclopedia
Herbert Mundin was an English-born Hollywood character actor
. He was frequently typecast in films as an older cheeky eccentric, a type helped by his jowled features and cheerful disposition.
He was born Herbert Thomas Mundin in St Helens
, then in Lancashire
(now part of Merseyside
). His father was a nomadic, Primitive Methodist
home missionary. His family moved within a short time of his birth to St Albans
in Hertfordshire
(the 1901 census
data reveal that the family lived at St Helens Villa, Paxton Road, St Albans; his parents William and Jane apparently naming their house after the town where they first met and where Herbert was born).
Mundin was educated at St Albans School
, and joined the Royal Navy
during World War I
. He began his acting career on the London stage
during the 1920s. Mundin first travelled to America on 18 December 1923 for a series of theatrical engagements in New York. He sailed from Southampton
on the RMS Aquitania
and described himself in ship’s passenger manifest as 5'7" tall with a fair complexion, brown hair, blue eyes and a scar over his left eye. His big break as an actor was arguably with Gertrude Lawrence
and Beatrice Lillie
in Charlot's Revue when it appeared on Broadway
in 1925.
In 1931, after working in Australia and London, he permanently moved to the US, where he received a contract with Twentieth Century Fox Studios and enjoyed a successful career as a character actor in over 50 films.
Perhaps his most celebrated role was as Much in The Adventures of Robin Hood
(1938), alongside Errol Flynn
. Other film appearances included Mutiny on the Bounty
(1935) with Charles Laughton
and Clark Gable
, and MGM's David Copperfield (1935).
He died in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
following a car crash. He was killed instantly when the car in which he was riding collided with another car at a street intersection. The force of the impact threw open the door and hurled Mundin to the street.He received a fractured skull and crushed chest. He was 40 years old. The other occupants of the car were not injured.
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
. He was frequently typecast in films as an older cheeky eccentric, a type helped by his jowled features and cheerful disposition.
He was born Herbert Thomas Mundin in St Helens
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
, then in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
(now part of Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
). His father was a nomadic, Primitive Methodist
Primitive Methodism
Primitive Methodism was a major movement in English Methodism from about 1810 until the Methodist Union in 1932. The Primitive Methodist Church still exists in the United States.-Origins:...
home missionary. His family moved within a short time of his birth to St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
(the 1901 census
Census in the United Kingdom
Coincident full censuses have taken place in the different jurisdictions of the United Kingdom every ten years since 1801, with the exceptions of 1941 and in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Free State in 1921; simultaneous censuses were taken in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, with...
data reveal that the family lived at St Helens Villa, Paxton Road, St Albans; his parents William and Jane apparently naming their house after the town where they first met and where Herbert was born).
Mundin was educated at St Albans School
St Albans School (Hertfordshire)
St Albans School is an independent school in the city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, in the East of England. Entry before Sixth Form is for boys only, and co-educational thereafter. Founded in 948 by Wulsin , St Albans School is not only the oldest school in Hertfordshire but also one of the oldest...
, and joined the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He began his acting career on the London stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
during the 1920s. Mundin first travelled to America on 18 December 1923 for a series of theatrical engagements in New York. He sailed from Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
on the RMS Aquitania
RMS Aquitania
RMS Aquitania was a Cunard Line ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. She was launched on 21 April 1913 and sailed on her maiden voyage to New York on 30 May 1914...
and described himself in ship’s passenger manifest as 5'7" tall with a fair complexion, brown hair, blue eyes and a scar over his left eye. His big break as an actor was arguably with Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence
Gertrude Lawrence was an English actress, singer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End theatre district of London and on Broadway.-Early life:...
and Beatrice Lillie
Beatrice Lillie
Beatrice Gladys "Bea" Lillie was an actress and comedic performer. Following her 1920 marriage to Sir Robert Peel in England, she was known in private life as Lady Peel.-Early career:...
in Charlot's Revue when it appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1925.
In 1931, after working in Australia and London, he permanently moved to the US, where he received a contract with Twentieth Century Fox Studios and enjoyed a successful career as a character actor in over 50 films.
Perhaps his most celebrated role was as Much in The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Adventures of Robin Hood (film)
The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley. Filmed in Technicolor, the picture stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains.-Plot:...
(1938), alongside Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
. Other film appearances included Mutiny on the Bounty
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)
Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, and directed by Frank Lloyd based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall novel Mutiny on the Bounty.The film was one of the biggest hits of its time...
(1935) with Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
and Clark Gable
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable , known as Clark Gable, was an American film actor most famous for his role as Rhett Butler in the 1939 Civil War epic film Gone with the Wind, in which he starred with Vivien Leigh...
, and MGM's David Copperfield (1935).
He died in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California
Van Nuys is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.-History:Look at the two photos of Van Nuys' first year—and then listen to what the Los Angeles Times wrote on February 23, 1911, the day after the Van Nuys town lot auction--"Between dawn and dusk, in the...
following a car crash. He was killed instantly when the car in which he was riding collided with another car at a street intersection. The force of the impact threw open the door and hurled Mundin to the street.He received a fractured skull and crushed chest. He was 40 years old. The other occupants of the car were not injured.
Selected filmography
- East Lynne on the Western FrontEast Lynne on the Western FrontEast Lynne on the Western Front is a 1931 British comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Herbert Mundin, Mark Daly and Alf Goddard...
(1931) - Chandu the MagicianChandu the Magician (film)Chandu the Magician is a 1932 American mystery film starring Edmund Lowe as a Magician/Yogi secret agent, Frank Chandler and Bela Lugosi as the megalomaniac villain Roxor, that he must stop. Based on the radio play of the same name, written by Harry A. Earnshaw, Vera M. Oldham and R.R. Morgan...
(1932) - Sherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes (1932 film)Sherlock Holmes is a film starring Clive Brook as the eponymous London detective. The movie is based on the successful stage play by William Gillette, in turn based on the stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, and is directed by William K. Howard for the Fox Film Corporation.Reginald Owen plays Dr....
(1932) - Cavalcade (1933)
- Adorable (1933)
- It's Great to Be AliveIt's Great to Be AliveIt's Great to Be Alive is a science fiction musical comedy film produced by Fox Film Corporation, is a remake of The Last Man on Earth , and later influenced the novel Mr. Adam by Pat Frank.-Synopsis:...
(1933) - Shanghai MadnessShanghai MadnessShanghai Madness is a 1933 American drama film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Spencer Tracy, Fay Wray, Ralph Morgan and Albert Conti. After attacking and destroying a Chinese outpost, an American officer is dismissed from the US navy and instead finds himself in charge of a gunboat and...
(1933) - Hoop-LaHoop-LaHoop-La is a 1933 drama film notable as both a pre-code film and as the final appearance of actress Clara Bow. It was directed by Frank Lloyd and released by Fox Film Corporation, with Preston Foster, Richard Cromwell, and Minna Gombell also in the cast...
(1933) - Bottoms UpBottoms Up (1934 film)Bottoms Up is a 1934 musical comedy film made by Fox Film Corporation, and was directed by David Butler who co-wrote original story and screenplay with producer Buddy G. DeSylva and co-star Sid Silvers. The film stars Spencer Tracy, Pat Paterson, John Boles and Herbert Mundin...
(1934) - Springtime for HenrySpringtime for HenrySpringtime for Henery is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Otto Kruger, Nancy Carroll and Nigel Bruce. It was based on a play of the same name by Benn W. Levy which enjoyed an eight month run on Broadway.-Plot:...
(1934) - David Copperfield (1935)
- Mutiny on the BountyMutiny on the Bounty (1935 film)Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, and directed by Frank Lloyd based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall novel Mutiny on the Bounty.The film was one of the biggest hits of its time...
(1935) - The Widow from Monte CarloThe Widow from Monte CarloThe Widow from Monte Carlo is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Arthur Greville Collins and starring Warren William, Dolores del Rio, Louise Fazenda and Colin Clive. It was based on the play A Present from Margate by A.E.W...
(1935) - Charlie Chan's SecretCharlie Chan's SecretCharlie Chan's Secret is the tenth Fox-produced film in the Charlie Chan series with Warner Oland as the detective.- Plot :Alan Colby, heir to a vast fortune, reappears after a seven year absence, only to be murdered before he can claim his inheritance. The Lowells have been living off the Colby...
(1935) - Under Two Flags (1936)
- Tarzan EscapesTarzan EscapesTarzan Escapes is a 1936 Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the third in the MGM Tarzan series to feature Johnny Weissmuller as the "King of the Apes".-Plot:...
(1936) - King of BurlesqueKing of BurlesqueKing of Burlesque is a 1936 musical film about a former burlesque producer played by Warner Baxter who moves into a legitimate theatre does very well, until he marries a socialite...
(1936) - AngelAngel (1937 film)Angel is a 1937 American comedy-drama film made by Paramount Pictures. It was produced and directed by Ernst Lubitsch from a screenplay by Samson Raphaelson and Frederick Lonsdale, adapted by Guy Bolton and Russell Medcraft from the play Angyal by Melchior Lengyel. The music score was by Frederick...
(1937) - The Adventures of Robin HoodThe Adventures of Robin Hood (film)The Adventures of Robin Hood is a 1938 American swashbuckler film directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley. Filmed in Technicolor, the picture stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, and Claude Rains.-Plot:...
(1938) - Lord JeffLord JeffLord Jeff is a 1938 film starring Freddie Bartholomew as a spoiled orphan who gets mixed up with some crooks, but gets set straight by a stint in a school.-Plot:...
(1938) - Society LawyerSociety LawyerSociety Lawyer is a 1939 crime film starring Walter Pidgeon and Virginia Bruce. It is a milder remake of the pre-Code Penthouse.-External links:*...
(1939)
External links
- The Herbert Mundin Connection
- Tragic End for Herbert the Great - 1998 article from the Lancashire Evening Telegraph