Acting PresidentialPortraying Jefferson on film
Nick Nolte in Jefferson in Paris
Photo by Seth Rubin.
© 1995 Merchant Ivory Productions. All Rights Reserved. |
Before Merchant Ivory Productions gave us the lavishly produced film, Jefferson in Paris, with Nick Nolte in the title role, there was a long line of actors who stepped into the breeches and buckled shoes.
Sometimes Jefferson was cast as the lead; in other films, he was a minor character brought in for comic relief. Actors ranging from Charlton Heston to Ken Howard (of The White Shadow fame) have impersonated this Founding Father with mixed results. Nolte, for his part, hired an expert who was always with him as a historical adviser. Still, Jefferson in Paris was memorably panned by Rolling Stone as a "prigs in wigs" movie.
The late actor Lionel Adams, a leading man of the silent film era, had perhaps the earliest screen role of Jefferson in the 1924 silent film Janice Meredith. Burly British actor Montagu Love, usually cast in the role of villain, played Jefferson in the 1931 film Alexander Hamilton.
Jefferson in Paris trailer
© 1995 Merchant Ivory Productions. All Rights Reserved. |
The 1940 historical epic, The Howards of Virginia, starring Cary Grant and shot in Colonial Williamsburg, featured Richard Carlson as Jefferson (with Buster Phelps portraying him as a lad of 11). Carlson’s later film credits included Creature from the Black Lagoon.
The 1942 comedy The Remarkable Andrew, starring William Holden as a small-town accountant visited by the ghosts of various presidents, featured character actor Gilbert Emery in the role of Jefferson. The Far Horizons, a 1955 production billed as a romance/adventure that retold the Lewis and Clark expedition, had Herbert Heyes in the role of President Jefferson. A character actor known for his dignified demeanor, Heyes’ film credits included department store magnate Mr. Gimbel in Miracle on 34th Street and Ronald Reagan’s prospective father-in-law in Bedtime for Bonzo.
Arguably the biggest name to play Jefferson was Heston, in the 1963 Hallmark Hall of Fame TV drama The Patriots. But even Heston, who made a career of historical and Biblical roles, couldn’t prevent this series from slipping into permanent obscurity.
In 1972, Ken Howard sung his way through the role of Jefferson in the film 1776, an adaptation of the Broadway musical comedy of the same name.
A later miniseries made an even bigger splash: Sally Hemings: An American Scandal, which aired on CBS in 2000. New Zealander Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) had the starring role opposite Carmen Ejogo as Sally.
The most recent Jefferson portrayal can be seen in the 2007 independent film Mercedes Ray, a sci-fi ensemble comedy involving a time machine and a house party with many U.S. presidents in attendance. Stage actor Scott Edward Haugen, in his film debut, played Jefferson.
And coming soon: A new miniseries on HBO based on David McCullough’s book, 1776. Stay tuned to find out who will suit up as Jefferson.
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The Voice of Jefferson
In the 1953 Disney animated movie, Ben and Me, about a mouse who becomes pals with Ben Franklin, Hans Conried was the voice of Jefferson. Since then, other voices have become associated with the nation’s third president.
Ken Burns, for instance, chose Sam Waterston (Law & Order) as the voice of Jefferson for two of his documentaries, the 1996 Thomas Jefferson and the 1997 TV production, Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery.
But the most prolific voice-overs have been by Bill Barker, whose credits include Reflections on Liberty, Gospel of Liberty, Let America Speak, Jefferson’s West, and The Cultivated Life: Jefferson and Wine. Barker, who is of the same height, weight, coloring and general appearance of Jefferson, has portrayed the statesman as a "character interpreter" in Colonial Williamsburg since 1993.
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The Faces of Jefferson
The Story of a Patriot: Thomas Jefferson (second from the right) is portrayed by Frederic Warriner.
Photo courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
1776: The Movie: Ken Howard as Jefferson taking a break from writing the Declaration of Independence.
All Rights Reserved. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures. 
George Washington: The Forging of a Nation: Jeffrey Jones as Jefferson in a scene debating national policy. David Gerber Productions.
The Patriots: Robert Murch as Jefferson in a 1976 television production. Courtesy of Asolo State Theatre.
Sally Hemings: An American Scandal: Sam Neill as Jefferson opposite Carmen Ejogo as Sally Hemings in the 2000 production. CBS Television.
The Howards of Virginia: Richard Carlson as Jefferson in the 1940 production that starred Cary Grant.
All Rights Reserved. Courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
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