Known For
Acting
Known Credits
74
Gender
Male
Birthday
February 18, 1895 (131 years old)
Place of Birth
Brooklyn [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.
| 2022 | Becoming Marilynas (archive footage) | |
| 1976 | That's Entertainment, Part IIas (archive footage) | |
| 1956 | High Societyas Uncle Willie | |
| 1956 | Forever, Darlingas Charles Y. Bewell | |
| 1955 | The Prodigalas Nahreeb | |
| 1955 | Blackboard Jungleas Jim Murdock | |
| 1954 | Athenaas Grandpa Mulvain | |
| 1954 | Betrayedas Gen. Ten Eyck | |
| 1954 | The Student Princeas King of Karlsberg | |
| 1954 | Men of the Fighting Ladyas James A. Michener | |
| 1954 | Executive Suiteas George Nyle Caswell | |
| 1954 | Rhapsodyas Nicholas Durant | |
| 1953 | Main Street to Broadwayas Self | |
| 1953 | Latin Loversas Grandfather Eduardo Santos | |
| 1953 | Julius Caesaras Julius Caesar | |
| 1953 | Remains to Be Seenas Benjamin Goodman | |
| 1953 | Confidentially Connieas Opie Bedloe | |
| 1952 | The Bad and the Beautifulas Georgia Lorrison's Father (voice) (uncredited) | |
| 1952 | The Prisoner of Zendaas Col. Zapt | |
| 1952 | We're Not Married!as Freddie Melrose | |
| 1952 | Washington Storyas Charles W. Birch | |
| 1952 | Invitationas Simon Bowker | |
| 1951 | The Man with a Cloakas Charles Theverner | |
| 1951 | It's a Big Countryas Narrator (voice) (uncredited) | |
| 1950 | The Magnificent Yankeeas Oliver Wendell Holmes | |
| 1950 | Two Weeks with Loveas Horatio Robinson | |
| 1950 | A Life of Her Ownas Jim Leversoe | |
| 1950 | Devil's Doorwayas Verne Coolan | |
| 1950 | Annie Get Your Gunas Col. Buffalo Bill Cody | |
| 1950 | The Asphalt Jungleas Alonzo D. Emmerich | |
| 1950 | Nancy Goes to Rioas Gregory Elliott | |
| 1949 | The Red Danubeas Colonel Piniev | |
| 1949 | The Red Ponyas Grandfather | |
| 1948 | The Ed Sullivan Showas Self | |
| 1948 | Arch of Triumphas Boris Morosov | |
| 1946 | Notoriousas Paul Prescott | |
| 1944 | Up in Armsas Colonel Ashley | |
| 1944 | The Bridge of San Luis Reyas Don Andre - The Viceroy | |
| 1943 | Nobody's Darlingas Curtis Farnsworth | |
| 1943 | Heaven Can Waitas Randolph Van Cleve | |
| 1940 | Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bulletas Dr. Brockdorf | |
| 1940 | I Take This Womanas Dr. Martin Sumner Duveen | |
| 1939 | Charlie McCarthy, Detectiveas Arthur Aldrich | |
| 1939 | Fifth Avenue Girlas Dr. Kessler | |
| 1939 | Juarezas LeMarc | |
| 1938 | Fast Companyas Elias Z. Bannerman | |
| 1937 | The Life of Emile Zolaas Major Dort | |
| 1937 | Her Husband Liesas Joe Sorrell | |
| 1936 | The Gorgeous Hussyas Leroy Sunderland | |
| 1935 | The Last Days of Pompeiias Prefect Allus Martius | |
| 1935 | Woman Wantedas Smiley | |
| 1935 | The Arizonianas Sheriff Jake Mannen | |
| 1934 | Sweet Adelineas Major Jim Day | |
| 1934 | The Count of Monte Cristoas De Villefort Jr. | |
| 1934 | The Affairs of Cellinias Ottaviano | |
| 1934 | The Man with Two Facesas Stanley Vance | |
| 1933 | Duck Soupas Ambassador Trentino | |
| 1933 | Diplomaniacsas Winkelreid | |
| 1933 | The World Gone Madas Christopher Bruno | |
| 1933 | Strictly Personalas Jack Magruder | |
| 1933 | The Woman Accusedas Leo Young | |
| 1933 | Frisco Jennyas Steve Dutton | |
| 1932 | 20,000 Years in Sing Singas Joe Finn | |
| 1932 | Afraid to Talkas Asst. District Attorney John Wade | |
| 1932 | They Call It Sinas Ford Humphries | |
| 1932 | Night After Nightas Dick Bolton | |
| 1932 | Okay, America!as Mileaway Russell | |
| 1931 | Blonde Crazyas 'Dapper Dan' Barker | |
| 1931 | The Road to Singaporeas Dr. George March | |
| 1931 | Stolen Heavenas Steve Perry | |
| 1923 | The Last Momentas Harry Gaines | |
| 1921 | The Blotas Phil West | |
| 1921 | Too Wise Wivesas David Graham | |
| 1921 | What's Worth While?as 'Squire' Elton |