David Hurst
| David Hurst | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Heinrich Theodor Hirsch 8 May 1926 Berlin, Germany |
| Occupation | actor, theatre producer |
| Years active | 1948–2000 |
David Hurst (born Heinrich Theodor Hirsch on 8 May 1926) is an Anglo-German actor. He is best known for Hello, Dolly as Rudolph the headwaiter.
Hurst grew up in a family of actors. As a Jewish child living in Nazi Germany, he faced persecution from the Nazi regime. After the pogroms of Kristallnacht, the British government allowed for the rescue of Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig. He was one of the nearly 10,000 children in 1938-1939 moved with the Kindertransport to the United Kingdom. At the time of leaving his mother, he was 12 years old. He never saw her again.
Moved to a manor in Northern Ireland, he lived with other young emigrants in the care of a family of an estate manager. His first stage experience was gained in Belfast at a repertory theatre, where he also changed his name from Heinrich Hirsch to David Hurst. During the Second World War he joined the army, but because of his German background he was assigned to ENSA where he performed as an actor and a comedian.
His first film role was as Wolfgang Winkel in The Perfect Woman (1949), a role Hurst had previously played in the West End to critical praise. He went on to appear in many British films of the 1950s.
In 1957, Hurst moved the United States. He spent most of his time in California, but often performed on Broadway. He created the role of Merlin in the original Broadway production of Camelot opposite Richard Burton .
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