Louis Calhern (real name Carl Henry Vogt) is an American film and theater actor of the last century, nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe. In 1954 he received a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival for his role in the drama A Room for Directors.
The creative biography of the actor began with performances on stage during his school years. Carried away by the theater, Louis was going to continue his acting career, but the war intervened in his plans. He was drafted into the army and served in the US Artillery Regiment based in France.
After the end of hostilities, Calhern returned to his homeland. He continued to work in the theater, acting in silent films.
Starting his acting career, the artist took on a stage name - Louis Calhern. The name was part of the name of the city of St. Louis, where he lived with his family for a long time. And the surname came from the combination of his two real names: Karl and Henry.
Biography facts
The future actor was born in the United States in the winter of 1895. His parents were immigrants from Germany. They moved to America before the birth of their son. My father quickly found a job and became involved in the sale of tobacco, and my mother was in charge of the household. After living for several years in New York, the family moved to St. Louis, where Louis spent his school years.
A lucky chance brought the boy to the theater stage. He played on the school football team and at one of the games he was seen by a representative of a touring theater troupe. A handsome, tall young man immediately attracted his attention and after the game he offered Louis a job in the theater during the tour.
After completing his primary education, the young man returned to New York to pursue an acting career. He began working in the theater, but his further plans were destroyed by the First World War. The young man was called up for service and only in 1921 he was able to return to the stage.
Creative career
In 1922, Louis joined the famous acting club The Lambs in New York. The club was founded in 1868 in London by the English actor John Hare, and later opened a branch in America.
The club brought together representatives of art, actors, artists, writers to exchange news and discuss theatrical performances. It was also possible to hire actors for new performances there.
From 1923 to 1955, Calhern played dozens of roles on the Broadway stage. One of the most successful works at the beginning of his theatrical career was the role in the play "Cobra", which was shown in 1924 and went on for several months with a constant full house.
Louis got his first leading role in a silent film in 1921 in the drama directed by Lois Weber "Too Wise Wives". The film also stars Claire Windsor, Phillips Smalley and Mona Lisa. The script for the painting was written by L. Weber and Marion Orth.
In the same year, the artist got another role with L. Weber in the drama "Spot". After the release of the picture on the screens, some film critics wrote that Louis is the new star of the cinema, which may soon overshadow the famous performers.
After that Calhern starred in another film "The Last Moment". It was a horror film directed by J. Parker Reed, Jr., starring Henry Hull and Doris Kenyon.
The actor began to receive new offers from famous directors of a little cinema, but he decided to stop filming for a while and devote himself entirely to the theater. Louis returned to cinema only in the 1930s, when sound films appeared.
In 1931, he landed a role in Alfred E. Green's melodrama The Road to Singapore. The film featured actors: William Powell, Doris Kennion, Marian Marsh, Tyler Davis.
The plot of the drama takes place in the family of a doctor. His young wife, a former nurse who once worked with him in the clinic, quit her job immediately after the wedding. But soon she realizes that her husband is more interested in work and career, and she has to while away the time alone. One day she meets a new neighbor and the girl's life begins to change.
In the same year, the artist played one of the central roles in the crime drama Mad Blonde. A year later, he starred in the drama Archie Mayo "Night after Night".
Since 1933, Louis has constantly starred in new projects. On account of his roles in the films: "The Accused", "Duck Soup", "The Riddle of the Count of Monte Cristo", "The Man with Two Faces", "Sweet Adeline", "Arizon", "The Death of Pompeii", "Magnificent Insinuation", The Life of Emile Zola, Juarez, I Will Take This Woman, Heaven Can Wait, Bad Fame, Arc de Triomphe, Red Danube, Grab Your Cannon, Annie!, Asphalt Jungle "," We Are Not Married "," Prisoner of the Zenda Fortress "," Julius Caesar "," Room for Directors "," Rhapsody "," School Jungle ".
Calhern played his last role in the film in 1956. It was the High Society comedy musical melodrama that received two Oscar nominations.
Personal life
Calhern's family life did not work out, despite the fact that he was married 4 times.
The first chosen one was Ilke Chase. Their marriage only lasted a year and resulted in divorce in 1927.
In the same year, Louis married Julia Hoyt. They lived together for 5 years and divorced in 1932.
A year later, the actor remarried, now with Natalie Schafer. Their relationship ended in 1942.
The last wife was Marianne Stewart. But this union was short-lived. The husband and wife lived together from 1946 to 1955.
According to his third wife, the actor suffered from alcohol addiction and refused treatment. She tried to send him to Alcoholics Anonymous, but he flatly refused to go there, claiming that the society is a religious organization, and this is contrary to his outlook on life. According to some reports, he was still able to cope with alcoholism in the early 1950s.
Louis died suddenly in May 1956 while filming another film in Japan. He had a heart attack, the actor could not be saved.
