February brings us Valentines day (have you made your Valentines card box yet?). So for all the heroines and femme fatales out there, we’re looking at Chan film favorite Actor Harold Huber. With that telltale scar on his right cheek Harold Huber was not only a Charlie Chan favorite, but worked with many of Hollywood’s brightest stars and appeared in four “Best Picture” Oscar nominated films!
If you’re familiar with the Charlie Chan films, then you know Mr. Huber appeared in four Chan films in these roles (courtesy of Rush Glick’s Charlie Chan Family Home, Cast List):
Charlie Chan on Broadway: Inspector James Nelson
Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo: Inspector Jules Etienne Joubert
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness: Marcel Spivak
Charlie Chan in Rio: Captain of Police Souto
Another way you may remember him is by that scar on the right cheek! Huber was an accomplished amateur fencing sportsman and got the scar during competition.
Harold Huber lived a relatively short life by today’s standards and died at age 49, but he had a great run. He played in films along with actors: Clark Gable, James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Jeanette MacDonald, Gary Cooper, William Powell, and Frank Sinatra. And he had a successful career in radio, playing Fu Manchu and Hercule Poirot in the 1930s and 1940s. You can actually order or download the radio programs at Old Time Radio Catalog.
As to those four films he acted in nominated for “Best Picture” they are: The Thin Man (1934,) Naughty Marietta (1935,) San Francisco (1936,) and The Good Earth (1937.)
Here’s a great video covering the actor’s life, by VIS Film, 3:31 min. (Note: the artificial voice is pretty annoying but the content is good. Listen to the way it pronounces Charlie Chan :):
Finally, of note for Charlie Chan fans Huber starred with Peter Lorre in the 1938 film, Mysterious Mr. Moto (originally know as Mysterious Mr. Moto of Devil’s Island and not surprisingly produced by Chan film producer Sal M. Wurtzel.)
“A gem is not polished without rubbing nor a man perfected without trials”
(The Black Camel, 1929, Chapter 24)
The Postman on Holiday 
So glad I stumbled on this site. Just last night, as I was revisiting 20,000 Years In Sing Sing, I spotted a very familiar face in a very small role. A quick online search turned up a young Harold Huber. Curious to learn a bit more about this “up-and-coming actor” (circa 1932) I jumped in and did an internet deep dive which led me here. Very nice. Thank you for posting and maintaining this interesting and informative site. Well done!
Pete V.
Pasadena CA
p.s. Charlie “Chon”? that gave me a good chuckle.
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Pete, 2000 years in Sing Sing, I’ll have to check that one out. Old Harold H. had a good run for the money in his short lifetime. And yes, that pronunciation “Charlie “Chon” was a good laugh. TXS, Lou
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