Juano Hernández

Juano G. Hernández (July 19, 1896 Hernández would acquire the nickname "Huano" during this time. The subsequent death of his father left him without any economic income. He was hired by a circus run by Arab street performers and became an entertainer, making his first appearance as an acrobat in Rio de Janeiro in 1922. Hernández would perform both in that city and at São Paulo.

Film career

Hernández appeared in 26 films throughout his career. He portrayed a revolutionary soldier in the silent film The Life of General Villa, and his first "talkie" films were small roles in films produced by Oscar Micheaux, who made race films for black audiences. His talking film debut was Micheaux's independent filmThe Girl from Chicago (1932), in which he was cast as a Cuban racketeer. He also has a speaking part, although uncredited, as a police officer in the 1932 crime drama and musical Harlem Is Heaven, which stars Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. This was followed by Lying Lips (1939) and The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940). The film was listed as one of the ten best of the year by the New York Times. Faulkner said of the film: "I'm not much of a moviegoer, but I did see that one. I thought it was a fine job. That Juano Hernández is a fine actor--and man, too." The racially mixed cast was rare for the time and during the filming at Oxford, Mississippi, he had to deal with segregation during the filming process. His role in this movie made him a target of the Ku Klux Klan. He is also memorable in Young Man With a Horn as Art Hazzard, a jazz trumpet player who mentors fellow musician Kirk Douglas.

He was singled out for praise for his performance in the 1950 film The Breaking Point with John Garfield. The New York Times called his performance "quietly magnificent."

He also received favorable notices for his performances in Trial (1955), about a politically charged court case, in which he played the judge, and Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker (1965). During this time he was reported to be the "best paid colored actor in Hollywood".

Television appearances Over the years, Hernández made guest appearances on a dozen U.S. network television programs, appearing three times in 1960 and 1961 on the ABC series, Adventures in Paradise, starring Gardner McKay. In 1959, he starred in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents production of the Ambrose Bierce short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. Hernández also appeared in The Dispossessed (1961), a CBS television film. There he taught to, among others, actor Henry Darrow. The institution also awarded him an honoris causa degree for his career.

Hernández returned to Puerto Rico late in his life, working as a drama instructor, theatre and radio producer. He bought terrains at Trujillo Alto, which were intended to be developed into Cinema studios also housed a small amusement park. Together with Julio Torregrosa he wrote a script for a movie about the life of Puerto Rico's first boxing champion, Sixto Escobar. After Steve McQueen died he was unable to get funding in Puerto Rico and therefore he translated the script into English. He sent it to several companies in Hollywood and had it almost sold at the time of his death. In the last two years of his life he appeared in three films, The Extraordinary Seaman (1969) with David Niven, The Reivers (1969) with Steve McQueen, and They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) with Sidney Poitier.

Death Hernández died in San Juan on July 17, 1970, of a cerebral hemorrhage suffered while his wife Carlota was away 2 days before his 74th birthday, and was interred at Cementerio Buxeda Memorial Park, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico. This was an era marked with racial clashes and his burial was attended by about 60 individuals. By the turn of the century, his grave had been abandoned. It was coincidentally found by a politician and later, a revival of his work was pursued by artist Orvil Miller.

Legacy Hernández is considered a pioneer of black cinema and Donald Bogle credited him with paving the way for figures like Sidney Poitier.

Filmography

The Life of General Villa (1914) ... Revolutionary Soldier (uncredited) The Girl from Chicago (1932) .... Gomez Harlem Is Heaven (1932) .... Cop (uncredited) Lying Lips (1939) .... Reverend Bryson The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940) ... John Arthur Intruder in the Dust (1949) .... Lucas Beauchamp Young Man with a Horn (1950) .... Art Hazzard Stars in My Crown (1950) .... Uncle Famous Prill The Breaking Point (1950) .... Wesley Park Kiss Me Deadly (1955) .... Eddie Yeager Trial (1955) .... Judge Theodore Motley Ransom! (1956) .... Jesse Chapman aka Uncle Jesse Something of Value (1957) .... Njogu, Oath Giver The Mark of the Hawk (1958) .... Amugu St. Louis Blues (1958) .... Reverend Charles Handy Machete (1958) .... Bernardo Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1959) (Season 5 Episode 13: "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge") .... Josh Sergeant Rutledge (1960) .... Sergeant Matthew Luke Skidmore The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961) .... Kalanumu Two Loves (1961) .... Chief Rauhuia Westinghouse Presents: The Dispossessed (1961) (TV) .... Standing Bear Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man (1962) .... Bugs The Pawnbroker (1964) .... Mr. Smith The Extraordinary Seaman (1969) .... Ali Shar The Reivers (1969) .... Uncle Possum They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970) .... Mealie Williamson (final film role)