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Harry Holman
Holman in 1909
Born
Harry James Holman

(1862-03-15)March 15, 1862
Conway, Missouri, U.S.
DiedMay 3, 1947(1947-05-03) (aged 85)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Resting placeMemorial Park Cemetery, Enid, Oklahoma, U.S.
Other namesHarold Holman
OccupationActor
Years active1903–1947

Harry James Holman (March 15, 1862[citation needed] – May 3, 1947) was an American actor. He appeared in approximately 130 films from 1923 to 1947.

Biography

Holman in 1924

Born in Conway, Missouri, Holman dropped out of school in the ninth grade and began seeking work as an actor.[citation needed] In films from at least 1930, he played "a vast array of mayors, justices of the peace, attorneys, millionaires and sugar daddies".[1] He is best known to modern audiences as the desperate Professor Richmond who tries to transform the uncouth Three Stooges into gentlemen in the film Hoi Polloi (1935). He also played frequently in the films of director Frank Capra, for example as the mayor in Meet John Doe (1941) and as the befuddled high school teacher Mr. Partridge in It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

On Broadway, Holman portrayed Wilson Prewitt in The County Chairman (1903) and Caesar Augustus Miggs in Ruled Off the Turf (1906).[2]

Holman performed in vaudeville, heading the Harry Holman Comedy Company, which presented skits including "The Merchant Price".[3] In 1929[1] or 1932, Holman left vaudeville, where he "was nationally known" for his "Hard-Boiled Hampton"[4] comedy sketch.[5]

On May 3, 1947,[4] Holman died of a heart attack in Hollywood, California.[6]

Selected filmography

Holman in Oliver Twist (1933)

References

  1. ^ a b Erickson, Hal. "Harry Holman". AllMovie. Archived from the original on September 29, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Harry Holman". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "Harry Holman will play new role". The Pittsburgh Press. November 23, 1913. p. 38. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Harry Holman". The New York Times. May 3, 1947. p. 60. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  5. ^ "Spanish dancer, Trini, at Keith's". The Boston Globe. November 9, 1926. p. 32. Retrieved September 29, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ California Death Index. FamilySearch. Retrieved 13 October 2015.

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