Holmes Herbert
Encyclopedia
Holmes Herbert was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952.
Born as 'Horace Jenner', Holmes Herbert emigrated to the United States in 1912. He was the first son of Ned Herbert (born Edward Jenner), who worked as and actor/comedian in the English Theatre. He 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 movies of the sound era, including Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade
(1936), The Life of Emile Zola
(1937), The Adventures of Robin Hood
(1938), and Foreign Correspondent
(1940).
In silent pictures Herbert, as did his contemporaries like Wyndham Standing
, could play different nationalities but when sound films came in audiences were revealed to their thick British accents.
Herbert is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Jekyll's friend Dr. Lanyon in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(1931), and made something of a career in horror films of the period, appearing in The Terror (1928), The Thirteenth Chair
(1929 and 1937), The 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
and The Son of Dr. Jekyll
(1952).
He played in several of the Universal
cycle of Sherlock Holmes
movies during the 1940s.
, who bore his only child. He died at age 74 and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
in Glendale, California
.
Born as 'Horace Jenner', Holmes Herbert emigrated to the United States in 1912. He was the first son of Ned Herbert (born Edward Jenner), who worked as and actor/comedian in the English Theatre. He 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 movies of the sound era, including Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade
The charge of the light brigade
The Charge of the Light Brigade may refer to the following:* Charge of the Light Brigade, a military action in the Crimean War* The Charge of the Light Brigade, a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson* The Charge of the Light Brigade, a 1936 film...
(1936), The Life of Emile Zola
The Life of Emile Zola
The Life of Emile Zola is a 1937 American biographical film about French author Émile Zola. Set in the mid through late 19th century, it depicts his friendship with noted painter Paul Cézanne, and his rise to fame through his prolific writing, with particular focus on his involvement in the Dreyfus...
(1937), 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), and Foreign Correspondent
Foreign Correspondent (film)
Foreign Correspondent is a 1940 American spy thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock which tells the story of an American reporter who tries to expose enemy spies in Britain, a series of events involving a continent-wide conspiracy that eventually leads to the events of a fictionalized World War...
(1940).
In silent pictures Herbert, as did his contemporaries like Wyndham Standing
Wyndham Standing
Wyndham Standing was an English film actor. He appeared in 131 films between 1915 and 1948. A popular and much beloved leading man in the silent film era, he starred and costarred along many famous names of the day, both men and women. He and Ronald Colman were the stars of the now lost classic...
, could play different nationalities but when sound films came in audiences were revealed to their thick British accents.
Herbert is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Jekyll's friend Dr. Lanyon in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931 film)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and starring Fredric March. The film is an adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde , the Robert Louis Stevenson tale of a man who takes a potion which turns him from a mild-mannered man of...
(1931), and made something of a career in horror films of the period, appearing in The Terror (1928), The Thirteenth Chair
The Thirteenth Chair
The Thirteenth Chair is a 1929 mystery film directed by Tod Browning. It is based on a 1916 play of the same name by Bayard Veiller.-Cast:* Conrad Nagel as Richard Crosby* Leila Hyams as Helen 'Nellie' O'Neill...
(1929 and 1937), The Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H.G. Wells published in 1897. Wells' novel was originally serialised in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, and published as a novel the same year...
(1933), Mark of the Vampire
Mark of the Vampire
Mark of the Vampire is a 1935 horror film, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Jean Hersholt and directed by Tod Browning...
(1935), Tower of London
Tower of London (1939 film)
Tower of London is a 1939 black-and-white historical film and quasi-horror film released by Universal Pictures and directed by Rowland V. Lee. It stars Basil Rathbone as the future Richard III of England, and Boris Karloff as his fictitious club-footed executioner Mord. Vincent Price appears as...
(1939), The Ghost of Frankenstein
The Ghost of Frankenstein
The Ghost of Frankenstein, is an American monster horror film released in 1942. The movie is the fourth in a series of films produced by Universal Studios based upon characters in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and features Lon Chaney, Jr...
(1942), The Undying Monster
The Undying Monster
The Undying Monster is a 1942 horror and mystery film, also known as The Hammond Mystery, featuring a werewolf as the primary antagonist...
(1942), The Mummy's Curse
The Mummy's Curse
The Mummy's Curse is the 1944 horror film follow-up to The Mummy's Ghost which was also released in 1944. This film marks Lon Chaney, Jr.'s final appearance as Kharis, the Egyptian mummy. The Universal Mummy series boasts of a parallel-earth kind of timeline...
and The Son of Dr. Jekyll
The Son of Dr. Jekyll
The Son of Dr. Jekyll is a horror film made and distributed by Columbia Pictures in 1951, directed by Seymour Friedman, based on a screenplay by Jack Pollexfen and Mortimer Braus. The film is a continuation of Robert Louis Stevenson's original classic novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,...
(1952).
He played in several of the Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
cycle of Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
movies during the 1940s.
Personal life
He retired in 1952 and died in 1956. He was married three times, including to Beryl MercerBeryl Mercer
Beryl Mercer was a Spanish-born American-based actress of the 1920s and 1930s.Born to British parents in Seville, Beryl Mercer was best-known for her motherly roles in film and regularly appeared as a grandmother or cook or maid in some high profile films...
, who bore his only child. He died at age 74 and was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
.
Selected filmography
- His House in OrderHis House in Order (1920 film)His House in Order is a 1920 silent film drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Hugh Ford and starred Elsie Ferguson. It is based on a 1906 Broadway play by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero which starred John Drew and Margaret Illington. The story was...
(1920) - Lady Rose's DaughterLady Rose's DaughterLady Rose's Daughter is a 1920 silent film drama starring Elsie Ferguson and David Powell with directing being from Hugh Ford. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released through Paramount Pictures. The film was based on a stage play performed in 1903 on Broadway. Both the film and the...
(1920) - Heedless MothsHeedless MothsHeedless Moths is a 1921 feature length silent film melodrama with an appearance by real life nude model Audrey Munson playing herself, a nude model. Munson also contributed the story...
(1921) - The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex The Private Lives of Elizabeth and EssexThe Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex is a 1939 historical romantic drama film. It is based on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I, portrayed by Bette Davis, and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, played by Errol Flynn...
(1939) - Bulldog Drummond at BayBulldog Drummond at Bay (1947 film)Bulldog Drummond at Bay is a 1947 American thriller film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Ron Randell, Anita Louise, Patrick O'Moore and Terry Kilburn. The film is loosely based on the novel Bulldog Drummond at Bay by H. C...
(1947) - SingaporeSingapore (1947 film)Singapore is a American romance film directed by John Brahm and starring Fred MacMurray and Ava Gardner. The film was remade as Istanbul with the location moved to Turkey.-Plot:...
(1947)