Harold Huber
Encyclopedia
Harold Huber was an American
actor
who appeared on film
, radio
and television
.
in the Fall of 1925 at age sixteen. He was a member of the university debate team, and by his third year had become editor of a school magazine called The Medley. His tenure at that post was marked by an incident, reported in the newspapers, when the administration suspended publication of The Medley in May 1928 for printing "low humor...not fit to bear the name of New York University".
After graduating from NYU in 1929, Huberman attended Columbia University
for a short time, reportedly in the School of Law, but apparently dropped out after getting his first acting job in 1930.
adaption of A Farewell to Arms
. His more Anglo-sounding stage (and later legal) name was ironic, in that nearly all his acting roles would be ethnic caricatures of various types. He spoke several languages. This first acting job lasted a month. He would have small parts in three more Broadway productions in the next two years, before landing roles in some Warner Bros.
films shot on location in New York. His face was scarred in an amateur fencing match, adding to his signature character image as heavies.
Huber made his film debut in Central Park in late 1932, followed quickly a bit part in 20,000 Years in Sing Sing
. He appeared in nearly 100 films in the 1930s and 1940s. An early noteworthy role was as the stool-pigeon Nunnheim in The Thin Man
(1934). He played many roles requiring him to assume different accents, like Ito Nakamura, a Japanese American in the 1942 film Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
. Among his many roles were appearances as a police officer in various Charlie Chan
films, including an American in Charlie Chan on Broadway
(1937), a French officer in Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo
(1937) and Charlie Chan in City in Darkness
(1939), and a Brazilian in Charlie Chan in Rio
(1941). He also played roles in films featuring Mr. Moto
and Charlie McCarthy.
Huber starred as Hercule Poirot
in The Adventures of M. Hercule Poirot in a weekly half-hour program from February to October, 1945 (the program is also cited as being titled simply Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie's Poirot). Agatha Christie
introduced the initial broadcast of the series via shortwave radio. In October 1946, Huber began a year-long run on radio as Poirot in a daily fifteen-minute program on CBS
, called Mystery of the Week, with scripts by Alfred Bester
. Huber also portrayed Fu Manchu
on radio in an eponymous program.
Huber's television debut came in 1950, as the star of a weekly half-hour drama, I Cover Times Square, on the ABC
network. He played Johnny Warren, a nationally known newspaper and radio columnist. Huber also produced the New York-made show, which lasted only one season.
in a short-lived off-Broadway revival of Frank Wedekind's
play Lulu, his last professional credit.
Huber died during surgery at Jewish Memorial Hospital on September 29, 1959, leaving behind his wife Ethel and daughter Margaret. He was buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Queens
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
who appeared on film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
.
Early life
Huber was born Harold Joseph Huberman in the Bronx to Joseph Huberman and "Mammie" Glassberg, Jewish immigrants from Imperial Russia, who had arrived in the United States as infants. His father was the manager of an optical firm. Harold Huberman entered New York UniversityNew York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in the Fall of 1925 at age sixteen. He was a member of the university debate team, and by his third year had become editor of a school magazine called The Medley. His tenure at that post was marked by an incident, reported in the newspapers, when the administration suspended publication of The Medley in May 1928 for printing "low humor...not fit to bear the name of New York University".
After graduating from NYU in 1929, Huberman attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
for a short time, reportedly in the School of Law, but apparently dropped out after getting his first acting job in 1930.
Career
On September 22, 1930, Harold Huberman became Harold Huber, for a BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
adaption of A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Ernest Hemingway concerning events during the Italian campaigns during the First World War. The book, which was first published in 1929, is a first-person account of American Frederic Henry, serving as a Lieutenant in the ambulance...
. His more Anglo-sounding stage (and later legal) name was ironic, in that nearly all his acting roles would be ethnic caricatures of various types. He spoke several languages. This first acting job lasted a month. He would have small parts in three more Broadway productions in the next two years, before landing roles in some Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
films shot on location in New York. His face was scarred in an amateur fencing match, adding to his signature character image as heavies.
Huber made his film debut in Central Park in late 1932, followed quickly a bit part in 20,000 Years in Sing Sing
20,000 Years in Sing Sing
20,000 Years in Sing Sing is a 1932 American black-and-white drama film set in Sing Sing Penitentary, the notorious maximum security prison in New York State. This movie was directed by Michael Curtiz, and it starred the noted actors Spencer Tracy as the main convict, and Bette Davis as his...
. He appeared in nearly 100 films in the 1930s and 1940s. An early noteworthy role was as the stool-pigeon Nunnheim in The Thin Man
The Thin Man (film)
The Thin Man is a 1934 American comic detective film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, a flirtatious married couple who banter wittily as they solve crimes with ease. Nick is a hard drinking retired detective and Nora a wealthy heiress...
(1934). He played many roles requiring him to assume different accents, like Ito Nakamura, a Japanese American in the 1942 film Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
Little Tokyo, U.S.A.
Little Tokyo, U.S.A. is an American film, produced during World War II, that was condemned by United States Office of War Information as an "invitation to the Witch Hunt", preaching hate for all people of Japanese descent.-Plot:...
. Among his many roles were appearances as a police officer in various Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan
Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers in 1919. Loosely based on Honolulu detective Chang Apana, Biggers conceived of the benevolent and heroic Chan as an alternative to Yellow Peril stereotypes, such as villains like Fu Manchu...
films, including an American in Charlie Chan on Broadway
Charlie Chan on Broadway
Charlie Chan On Broadway is a Charlie Chan film. This is the 15th film starring Oland as Chan and produced by Fox.- Synopsis :It starts out with Chan in this exotic locale . He's there on business, but before he can do anything about his business, someone shows up dead...
(1937), a French officer in Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo
Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo
Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo is a 1937 movie directed by Eugene Forde. The main character is Charlie Chan, a Chinese-Hawaiian detective. This was the sixteenth and final Charlie Chan film with Warner Oland portraying Chan...
(1937) and Charlie Chan in City in Darkness
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness, also titled City in Darkness, is a 1939 mystery film starring Sidney Toler in his fourth performance as detective Charlie Chan.-Cast:*Sidney Toler as Charlie Chan*Lynn Bari as Marie Dubon...
(1939), and a Brazilian in Charlie Chan in Rio
Charlie Chan in Rio
Charlie Chan in Rio is a 1941 film featuring the Asian detective Charlie Chan. It was the tenth film to feature Sidney Toler as the title character, who is called upon to investigate the death of a suspected murderer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- Plot :...
(1941). He also played roles in films featuring Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death...
and Charlie McCarthy.
Huber starred as Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot is a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Along with Miss Marple, Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-lived characters, appearing in 33 novels and 51 short stories published between 1920 and 1975 and set in the same era.Poirot has been portrayed on...
in The Adventures of M. Hercule Poirot in a weekly half-hour program from February to October, 1945 (the program is also cited as being titled simply Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie's Poirot). Agatha Christie
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha Christie DBE was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections , and her successful West End plays.According to...
introduced the initial broadcast of the series via shortwave radio. In October 1946, Huber began a year-long run on radio as Poirot in a daily fifteen-minute program on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, called Mystery of the Week, with scripts by Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester
Alfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books...
. Huber also portrayed Fu Manchu
Fu Manchu
Dr. Fu Manchu is a fictional character introduced in a series of novels by British author Sax Rohmer during the first half of the 20th century...
on radio in an eponymous program.
Huber's television debut came in 1950, as the star of a weekly half-hour drama, I Cover Times Square, on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
network. He played Johnny Warren, a nationally known newspaper and radio columnist. Huber also produced the New York-made show, which lasted only one season.
Later life
In September 1958, Huber co-starred with Eva GaborEva Gabor
Eva Gabor was a Hungarian-born socialite and actress. She was widely known for her role on Green Acres as Lisa Douglas, the wife of Eddie Albert's character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, Duchess in the 1970 Disney film The Aristocats, and Miss Bianca in Disney's The Rescuers and The Rescuers Down Under...
in a short-lived off-Broadway revival of Frank Wedekind's
Frank Wedekind
Benjamin Franklin Wedekind , usually known as Frank Wedekind, was a German playwright...
play Lulu, his last professional credit.
Huber died during surgery at Jewish Memorial Hospital on September 29, 1959, leaving behind his wife Ethel and daughter Margaret. He was buried at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
.
Selected filmography
- International SettlementInternational Settlement (film)International Settlement is a 1938 American drama film directed by Eugene Forde and starring Dolores del Rio, George Sanders and June Lang. It is set in the Shanghai International Settlement during the Sino-Japanese War...
(1938) - Going Places (1938)
Further reading
- Ken Hanke, Charlie Chan at the Movies Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1989. ISBN 0786419210.