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Louis Calhern

Louis Calhern

Acting

Born: February 18, 1895Brooklyn [now in New York City], New York, USA

Carl Henry Vogt (February 19, 1895 – May 12, 1956), known professionally as Louis Calhern, was an American stage and screen actor. For portraying Oliver Wendell Holmes in the film The Magnificent Yankee (1950), he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. Calhern began working in silent films for director Lois Weber in the early 1920s; the most notable being The Blot in 1921. A 1921 newspaper article commented, "The new arrival in stardom is Louis Calhern, who, until Miss Weber engaged him to enact the leading male role in What's Worth While?, had been playing leads in the Morosco Stock company of Los Angeles." In 1923 Calhern left the movies, but would return to the screen eight years later after the advent of sound pictures. He was primarily cast as a character actor in films while he continued to play leading roles on the stage. He reached his peak in the 1950s as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player. Among his many memorable screen roles were Ambassador Trentino in the Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup (1933) and three that he appeared in at MGM in 1950: a singing role as Buffalo Bill in the film version of the musical Annie Get Your Gun, the double-crossing lawyer and sugar-daddy to Marilyn Monroe in John Huston's film noir The Asphalt Jungle, and his Oscar-nominated performance as Oliver Wendell Holmes in The Magnificent Yankee (re-creating his role from the Broadway stage). He was also praised for his portrayal of the title role in the John Houseman production of Julius Caesar (adapted from the Shakespeare play) in 1953, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Calhern also played the role of the devious George Caswell, the manipulative board member of Tredway Corporation in the 1954 production of Executive Suite. Calhern's other film roles included the grandfather in The Red Pony (1949), adapted from the novel by John Steinbeck and starring Robert Mitchum, and the spy boss of Cary Grant in the Alfred Hitchcock suspense classic Notorious (1946). A performance as Uncle Willie in High Society (1956), a musical remake of The Philadelphia Story, turned out to be his final film. Description above from the Wikipedia article Louis Calhern, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For
Filmography
Becoming Marilyn

Becoming Marilyn

2022
That's Entertainment, Part II

That's Entertainment, Part II

(archive footage)

1976
High Society

High Society

Uncle Willie

1956
Forever, Darling

Forever, Darling

Charles Y. Bewell

1956
The Prodigal

The Prodigal

Nahreeb

1955
Blackboard Jungle

Blackboard Jungle

Jim Murdock

1955
Athena

Athena

Grandpa Ulysses Mulvain

1954
Betrayed

Betrayed

Gen. Ten Eyck

1954
The Student Prince

The Student Prince

King of Karlsberg

1954
Men of the Fighting Lady

Men of the Fighting Lady

James A. Michener

1954
Executive Suite

Executive Suite

George Nyle Caswell

1954
Rhapsody

Rhapsody

Nicholas Durant

1954
Main Street to Broadway

Main Street to Broadway

Self

1953
Latin Lovers

Latin Lovers

Grandfather Eduardo Santos

1953
Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

1953
Remains to Be Seen

Remains to Be Seen

Benjamin Goodman

1953
Confidentially Connie

Confidentially Connie

Opie Bedloe

1953
The Bad and the Beautiful

The Bad and the Beautiful

Georgia Lorrison's Father (voice) (uncredited)

1952
The Prisoner of Zenda

The Prisoner of Zenda

Col. Zapt

1952
We're Not Married!

We're Not Married!

Freddie Melrose

1952
Washington Story

Washington Story

Charles W. Birch

1952
Invitation

Invitation

Simon Bowker

1952
The Man with a Cloak

The Man with a Cloak

Charles Theverner

1951
It's a Big Country

It's a Big Country

Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

1951
The Magnificent Yankee

The Magnificent Yankee

Oliver Wendell Holmes

1950
Two Weeks with Love

Two Weeks with Love

Horatio Robinson

1950
A Life of Her Own

A Life of Her Own

Jim Leversoe

1950
Devil's Doorway

Devil's Doorway

Verne Coolan

1950
Annie Get Your Gun

Annie Get Your Gun

Col. Buffalo Bill Cody

1950
The Asphalt Jungle

The Asphalt Jungle

Alonzo D. Emmerich

1950
Nancy Goes to Rio

Nancy Goes to Rio

Gregory Elliott

1950
The Red Danube

The Red Danube

Colonel Piniev

1949
The Red Pony

The Red Pony

Grandfather

1949
Arch of Triumph

Arch of Triumph

Boris Morosov

1948
Notorious

Notorious

Captain Paul Prescott

1946
Up in Arms

Up in Arms

Colonel Ashley

1944
The Bridge of San Luis Rey

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

Don Andre - The Viceroy

1944
Nobody's Darling

Nobody's Darling

Curtis Farnsworth

1943
Heaven Can Wait

Heaven Can Wait

Randolph Van Cleve

1943
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet

Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet

Dr. Brockdorf

1940
I Take This Woman

I Take This Woman

Dr. Martin Sumner Duveen

1940
Charlie McCarthy, Detective

Charlie McCarthy, Detective

Arthur Aldrich

1939
Fifth Avenue Girl

Fifth Avenue Girl

Dr. Kessler

1939
Juarez

Juarez

LeMarc

1939
Fast Company

Fast Company

Elias Z. Bannerman

1938
The Life of Emile Zola

The Life of Emile Zola

Major Dort

1937
Her Husband Lies

Her Husband Lies

Joe Sorrell

1937
The Gorgeous Hussy

The Gorgeous Hussy

Leroy Sunderland

1936
The Last Days of Pompeii

The Last Days of Pompeii

Prefect Allus Martius

1935
Woman Wanted

Woman Wanted

Smiley

1935
The Arizonian

The Arizonian

Sheriff Jake Mannen

1935
Sweet Adeline

Sweet Adeline

Major Jim Day

1934
The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo

De Villefort Jr.

1934
The Affairs of Cellini

The Affairs of Cellini

Ottaviano

1934
The Man with Two Faces

The Man with Two Faces

Stanley Vance

1934
Duck Soup

Duck Soup

Ambassador Trentino

1933
Diplomaniacs

Diplomaniacs

Winkelreid

1933
The World Gone Mad

The World Gone Mad

Christopher Bruno

1933
Strictly Personal

Strictly Personal

Jack Magruder

1933
The Woman Accused

The Woman Accused

Leo Young

1933
Frisco Jenny

Frisco Jenny

Steve Dutton

1933
20,000 Years in Sing Sing

20,000 Years in Sing Sing

Joe Finn

1932
Afraid to Talk

Afraid to Talk

Asst. District Attorney John Wade

1932
They Call It Sin

They Call It Sin

Ford Humphries

1932
Night After Night

Night After Night

Dick Bolton

1932
Okay, America!

Okay, America!

Mileaway Russell

1932
Blonde Crazy

Blonde Crazy

'Dapper Dan' Barker

1931
The Road to Singapore

The Road to Singapore

Dr. George March

1931
Stolen Heaven

Stolen Heaven

Steve Perry

1931
The Last Moment

The Last Moment

Harry Gaines

1923
The Blot

The Blot

Phil West

1921
Too Wise Wives

Too Wise Wives

David Graham

1921
What's Worth While?

What's Worth While?

'Squire' Elton

1921