BIO

Holmes Herbert was born Horace Edward Jenner in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England, in 1882.   His father was an actor and comedian.

Herbert emigrated to the United States in 1912 and made his Broadway debut the following year, at the age of 28.   He appeared in two more productions in 1913 and 1917, but focused most of his energy on his film career.

His first silent picture was a co-starring role for Thanhouser Film in 1915.   He went on to play the male lead to many second-tier female stars of the silent era, while occasionally starring in his own right.   By the beginning of the sound era, Herbert was playing mostly supporting roles.

He appeared in more than 225 feature films, spanning both silent and sound eras, through 1952.

Herbert married three times:

1. Beryl Mercer [1876-1939], stage and film actress, (m. 1909-?), divorced;
2. Elinor Kershaw Ince [1884-1971], stage and film actress (m. 1930-?), divorced.   Ince was the widow of silent film producer Thomas H. Ince [1882-1924].
3. Agnes Bartholomew, actress, (m. ?-1955), widowed.

Herbert died in Los Angeles, in 1956, at the age of 74.

Additional Broadway stage history is available at:

Additional biographical information is available at:

NOTED FILMS

Complete filmography at: