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Louis Calhern
Acting

Louis Calhern

74 titles on file · died at 61 · Brooklyn [now in New York City], New York, USA · IMDb ↗

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 · 74

The Ed Sullivan Show
TV ★ 3.4

The Ed Sullivan Show

1948 · Self

High Society
Film ★ 3.4

High Society

1956 · Uncle Willie

Notorious
Film ★ 3.9

Notorious

1946 · Paul Prescott

Julius Caesar
Film ★ 3.5

Julius Caesar

1953 · Julius Caesar

The Asphalt Jungle
Film ★ 3.7

The Asphalt Jungle

1950 · Alonzo D. Emmerich

The Bad and the Beautiful
Film ★ 3.6

The Bad and the Beautiful

1952 · Georgia Lorrison's Fat...

Duck Soup
Film ★ 3.7

Duck Soup

1933 · Ambassador Trentino

Athena
Film ★ 2.9

Athena

1954 · Grandpa Mulvain

That's Entertainment, Part II
Film ★ 3.5

That's Entertainment, Part II

1976 · (archive footage)

Blackboard Jungle
Film ★ 3.5

Blackboard Jungle

1955 · Jim Murdock

Juarez
Film ★ 3.3

Juarez

1939 · LeMarc

Betrayed
Film ★ 2.9

Betrayed

1954 · Gen. Ten Eyck

Heaven Can Wait
Film ★ 3.5

Heaven Can Wait

1943 · Randolph Van Cleve

The Prisoner of Zenda
Film ★ 3.5

The Prisoner of Zenda

1952 · Col. Zapt

Annie Get Your Gun
Film ★ 3.4

Annie Get Your Gun

1950 · Col. Buffalo Bill Cody

Fifth Avenue Girl
Film ★ 3.5

Fifth Avenue Girl

1939 · Dr. Kessler

The Count of Monte Cristo
Film ★ 3.4

The Count of Monte Cristo

1934 · De Villefort Jr.

Executive Suite
Film ★ 3.5

Executive Suite

1954 · George Nyle Caswell

Forever, Darling
Film ★ 3.5

Forever, Darling

1956 · Charles Bewell

Diplomaniacs
Film ★ 3.8

Diplomaniacs

1933 · Winkelreid

The Man with a Cloak
Film ★ 3.4

The Man with a Cloak

1951 · Charles Theverner

We're Not Married!
Film ★ 3.0

We're Not Married!

1952 · Freddie Melrose

The Last Days of Pompeii
Film ★ 2.9

The Last Days of Pompeii

1935 · Prefect Allus Martius

The Life of Emile Zola
Film ★ 3.4

The Life of Emile Zola

1937 · Major Dort

The Gorgeous Hussy
Film ★ 2.8

The Gorgeous Hussy

1936 · Leroy Sunderland

The Red Pony
Film ★ 3.0

The Red Pony

1949 · Grandfather

Night After Night
Film ★ 3.2

Night After Night

1932 · Dick Bolton

Confidentially Connie
Film ★ 2.9

Confidentially Connie

1953 · Opie Bedloe

The Prodigal
Film ★ 2.3

The Prodigal

1955 · Nahreeb

Men of the Fighting Lady
Film ★ 3.2

Men of the Fighting Lady

1954 · James A. Michener

Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet
Film ★ 3.3

Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet

1940 · Dr. Brockdorf

20,000 Years in Sing Sing
Film ★ 3.2

20,000 Years in Sing Sing

1932 · Joe Finn

Nancy Goes to Rio
Film ★ 3.0

Nancy Goes to Rio

1950 · Gregory Elliott

Up in Arms
Film ★ 2.9

Up in Arms

1944 · Colonel Ashley

The Student Prince
Film ★ 3.2

The Student Prince

1954 · King of Karlsberg

Becoming Marilyn
Film ★ 3.8

Becoming Marilyn

2022 · (archive footage)

Devil's Doorway
Film ★ 3.4

Devil's Doorway

1950 · Verne Coolan

Invitation
Film ★ 3.4

Invitation

1952 · Simon Bowker

A Life of Her Own
Film ★ 2.6

A Life of Her Own

1950 · Jim Leversoe

The Affairs of Cellini
Film ★ 2.6

The Affairs of Cellini

1934 · Ottaviano

Arch of Triumph
Film ★ 3.0

Arch of Triumph

1948 · Boris Morosov

Her Husband Lies
Film ★ 3.5

Her Husband Lies

1937 · Joe Sorrell

The Red Danube
Film ★ 3.4

The Red Danube

1949 · Colonel Piniev

Two Weeks with Love
Film ★ 3.2

Two Weeks with Love

1950 · Horatio Robinson

Remains to Be Seen
Film ★ 3.0

Remains to Be Seen

1953 · Benjamin Goodman

Rhapsody
Film ★ 3.3

Rhapsody

1954 · Nicholas Durant

Main Street to Broadway
Film ★ 3.7

Main Street to Broadway

1953 · Self

The Road to Singapore
Film ★ 2.8

The Road to Singapore

1931 · Dr. George March

It's a Big Country
Film ★ 2.9

It's a Big Country

1951 · Narrator (voice) (uncr...

The Magnificent Yankee
Film ★ 2.9

The Magnificent Yankee

1950 · Oliver Wendell Holmes

The Woman Accused
Film ★ 3.0

The Woman Accused

1933 · Leo Young

Blonde Crazy
Film ★ 3.5

Blonde Crazy

1931 · 'Dapper Dan' Barker

Frisco Jenny
Film ★ 3.3

Frisco Jenny

1933 · Steve Dutton

They Call It Sin
Film ★ 3.0

They Call It Sin

1932 · Ford Humphries

The Blot
Film ★ 3.2

The Blot

1921 · Phil West

Okay, America!
Film ★ 2.9

Okay, America!

1932 · Mileaway Russell

The Man with Two Faces
Film ★ 3.4

The Man with Two Faces

1934 · Stanley Vance

Charlie McCarthy, Detective
Film ★ 4.0

Charlie McCarthy, Detective

1939 · Arthur Aldrich

The Arizonian
Film ★ 4.0

The Arizonian

1935 · Sheriff Jake Mannen

I Take This Woman
Film ★ 2.9

I Take This Woman

1940 · Dr. Martin Sumner Duve...

Woman Wanted
Film ★ 3.4

Woman Wanted

1935 · Smiley

The World Gone Mad
Film ★ 2.4

The World Gone Mad

1933 · Christopher Bruno

Strictly Personal
Film ★ 3.8

Strictly Personal

1933 · Jack Magruder

Latin Lovers
Film ★ 2.4

Latin Lovers

1953 · Grandfather Eduardo Sa...

Afraid to Talk
Film ★ 3.3

Afraid to Talk

1932 · Asst. District Attorne...

Nobody's Darling
Film ★ 4.0

Nobody's Darling

1943 · Curtis Farnsworth

Fast Company
Film ★ 2.7

Fast Company

1938 · Elias Z. Bannerman

The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Film ★ 3.2

The Bridge of San Luis Rey

1944 · Don Andre - The Vicero...

Washington Story
Film ★ 3.5

Washington Story

1952 · Charles W. Birch

The Last Moment
Film ★ 3.5

The Last Moment

1923 · Harry Gaines

Too Wise Wives
Film ★ 2.7

Too Wise Wives

1921 · David Graham

What's Worth While?
Film ★ 4.5

What's Worth While?

1921 · 'Squire' Elton

Stolen Heaven
Film ★ 3.5

Stolen Heaven

1931 · Steve Perry

Sweet Adeline
Film ★ 3.4

Sweet Adeline

1934 · Major Jim Day

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