Herbert Mundin

Herbert Mundin
File:Herbert Mundin in Tarzan Escapes trailer.jpg in Tarzan Escapes
Born	Herbert Thomas Mundin (1898-08-21)21 August 1898 St Helens, England, UK
Died	Van Nuys, California, U.S.
Cause of death	car crash
Years active	1930-1939
Spouse(s)	Hilda Frances Hoyes (1921-?) Kathleen Ann Reed (1925-1934)

Herbert Mundin (21 August 1898 – 5 March 1939) was an English character actor. He was frequently typecast in films like The Adventures of Robin Hood as an older cheeky eccentric, a type helped by his jowled features and cheerful disposition. Mundin died from a car crash.

Life and career

Herbert Mundin was born as Herbert Thomas Mundin in St Helens, then in Lancashire (now part of Merseyside). His father was a nomadic, Primitive Methodist home missionary. His family moved within a short time of his birth to St Albans in Hertfordshire (the 1901 census data reveal that the family lived at St Helens Villa, Paxton Road, St Albans; his parents William and Jane apparently naming their house after the town where they first met and where Herbert was born). Mundin was educated at St Albans School, and joined the Royal Navy during World War I. He began his acting career on the London stage during the 1920s. Mundin first travelled to America on 18 December 1923 for a series of theatrical engagements in New York. He sailed from Southampton on the RMS Aquitania and described himself in ship’s passenger manifest as 5'7" tall with a fair complexion, brown hair, blue eyes and a scar over his left eye. His big break as an actor was arguably with Gertrude Lawrence and Beatrice Lillie in Charlot's Revue when it appeared on Broadway in 1925.

In 1931, after working in Australia and London, he permanently moved to the US, where he received a contract with Twentieth Century Fox Studios and enjoyed a successful career as a character actor in over 50 films. Perhaps his most celebrated role was as Much, the miller's son, in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), alongside Errol Flynn. Other film appearances included Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) with Charles Laughton and Clark Gable, and MGM's David Copperfield (1935) as Barkis.

According to his nephew in 2012, "he was the only man who could drink Errol Flynn under the table".

Herbert Mundin died in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California following a car crash. He was killed instantly when the car in which he was riding collided with another car at a street intersection. The force of the impact threw open the door and hurled Mundin to the street. Mundin received a fractured skull and crushed chest. He was 40 years old. The other occupants of the car were not injured.

Filmography

File:Charlie Chan's Secret (1936) - Herbert Mundin.jpg

Herbert Mundin in Charlie Chan's Secret

Film

Year	Title	Role
1931	East Lynne on the Western Front	Bob Cox/ Lady Isobel
1932	Chandu the Magician	Albert Miggles
1932	Sherlock Holmes	George
1933	Cavalcade	Alfred Bridges
1933	Adorable	The Detective, Pipac
1933	It's Great to Be Alive	Brooks
1933	Shanghai Madness	Larsen
1933	Hoop-La	Hap Spissel
1933	Pleasure Cruise	Henry
1934	Bottoms Up	Limey Brook/ Lord Brocklehurst
1934	Springtime for Henry	Trivers
1935	David Copperfield	Barkis
1935	The Imperfect Lady	Frederick Hitch
1935	Mutiny on the Bounty	Smith
1935	Black Sheep	Oscar
1935	The Widow from Monte Carlo	John Torrent
1936	Charlie Chan's Secret	Baxter the butler
1936	A Message to Garcia	Henry Piper
1936	Under Two Flags	Rake
1936	Tarzan Escapes	Rawlins
1936	King of Burlesque	English Impresario
1937	Another Dawn	Wilkins
1937	Angel	Mr Greenwood
1938	The Adventures of Robin Hood	Much
1938	Lord Jeff	Bosun 'Crusty' Jelks
1939	Society Lawyer	Layton

Theatre

Herbert Mundin, Freddie Bartholomew and Jessie Ralph in MGM's David Copperfield (1935)

Year	Title	Theatre	Notes
1921-22	A to Z	Prince of Wales's Theatre	His London debut
1921-22	Pot Luck	Vaudeville Theatre, London
1922-23	Snap	Vaudeville Theatre, London
1923	Rats	Vaudeville Theatre, London
1923	Yes!	Vaudeville Theatre, London
1925	Charlot's Revue	Prince of Wales Theatre

Bibliography

• Wearing, J. P. (2014). The London Stage 1920-1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers and Personnel. Rowman and Littlefield
• Hischak, Thomas S. (2009). Broadway Plays and Musicals: Descriptions and Essential Facts of More Than 14,000 Shows through 2007. McFarland

External links

• Herbert Mundin at the Internet Movie Database
• Herbert Mundin at the Internet Broadway Database
• Herbert Mundin the Hollywood Scene Stealer - Herbert Mundin Website
• Herbert Mundin at Find a Grave