His full name was Herbert Vigran, and he was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, although his family moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, when he was 16. He got his Bachelor of Laws degree from Indiana University, but later chose to pursue acting.
Herb Vigran (Cincinnati, United States; June 5, 1910 - Los Angeles, United States, November 29, 1986) was an American character actor, active in Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1980s. Throughout a career of more than 50 years, he acted in more than 350 television and film productions.
Under the name Herbert Vigran, he was a Broadway stage actor in three plays between 1935 and 1938.
After starting out on Broadway, Vigran soon moved to Hollywood with no money and only the Broadway acting experience.
In 1939, Vigran's agent secured him a lead role in the radio drama Silver Theatre. The actor had a $5 recording made of the radio show and used it as a demo to get other jobs with his unique voice. He later appeared in similar radio shows with Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, and Jimmy Durante.
He later made several hundred appearances on television shows such as The Adventures of Superman (six episodes), Dragnet 1951(eleven episodes), I Love Lucy (four episodes), The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (seven), The Dick Van Dyke Show (three), Perry Mason (two episodes), Dragnet 1967 (seven), Petticoat Junction (one episode in 1969), and The Brady Bunch (two episodes). One of Vigran's recurring roles was as Judge Brooker in Gunsmoke between 1970 and 1975. Among Vigran's many roles were police officers, judges, jurors, waiters, neighbors, shopkeepers and others.
Vigran had a small but significant role in Charlie Chaplin's film Monsieur Verdoux (1947), as a reporter interviewing Chaplin as the main character awaits execution. The 1954 film White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, featured Vigran in the role of Novello, a nightclub owner.
In the rock and roll film Go, Johnny, Go (1959), Vigran played promoter Alan Freed's assistant, engaging in dialogue with rock legend Chuck Berry.
In 1952, Vigran married Belle Pasternack, with whom he had two children.
Active until his death, Herb Vigran died of complications from cancer on November 29, 1986, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. His remains were cremated.
Such an insightful piece on Herb Vigran — I’ve always found it fascinating how some of the most recognizable faces in classic Hollywood were never household names. His transition from law to acting, and eventually to over 350 film and TV appearances, shows how diverse and enduring his talent was. I especially loved his radio era contributions — they don’t get nearly enough credit!
ReplyDeleteI explore intentional living and digital productivity at www.dariesblog.com would love to connect with others who appreciate stories of resilience and reinvention like Vigran’s.