JEAN HERSHOLT - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 01/19/1956 - HFSID 20347

JEAN HERSHOLT
Jean Hersholt sends a typed letter about his favorite Bible quote.
Typed Letter Signed: "Jean Hersholt", 1p, 7¼x10½. Beverly Hills, California, 1956 January 19. To Mr. Frank R. Thornton, Holyoke, Massachusetts. In full: "In response to your letter of January 15, I am pleased to advise you that my favorite Bible quotation is the 23rd Psalm. This has served as a guiding light to me in my work and private life. It has proved both a spiritual and material aid in time of privation and stress, as well as in life's little everyday problems. I try to keep this passage ever in my heart, and I feel better for it. I believe it has helped me to live a fuller, richer life, more understanding and appreciative of our Creator and plain of existence. It has influenced and helped me in some of the most important moves and decisions I have had to make. With best wishes, Sincerely," Danish actor Jean Hersholt's (1886-1956) screen image was altered permanently in 1936 when he was cast as Dr. Dafoe, the Canadian obstetrician who delivered the celebrated Dionne Quintuplets, in 20th Century-Fox's The Country Doctor. Plans to create a Dr. Dafoe movie series were blocked by the real Dafoe, but Hersholt was anxious to sustain the characterization of a beneficent, lovable small-town doctor. Thus Dr. Christian, named for Hersholt's favorite author, Hans Christian Andersen, was born. The actor created the role of Dr. Christian on radio in 1937 and then filmed a series of six Christian movies for RKO (1939-1941). Extending the ethics and generosity of Dr. Christian into his private life, Hersholt set up the Motion Picture Relief Fund, which provided medical care and a livable income for actors, directors and other studio employees who were no longer able to care for themselves. While serving as President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he received two honorary Academy Awards for his charity work (1940, 1950). After the actor's death in 1956, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award was set up by the Academy to honor conspicuous acts of selflessness and kindness in the movie industry. Fold creases not near signature. Fine condition.