Lal Chand Mehra was an Indian character actor and academic active in Hollywood from the 1920s through the 1960s.[1]

Lal Chand Mehra
Sepia portrait photograph of the actor wearing a smart suit and bowtie
Lal Chand Mehra in 1933
BornAugust 14, 1897
Amritsar, India
DiedOctober 21, 1980 (aged 83)
Los Angeles, California, USA
EducationUniversity of Punjab
University of California Berkeley
Occupation(s)Actor, academic
SpouseGeorgia Williams (m. 1933)

Biography edit

Mehra was born into a prominent Hindu family in Amritsar, India. He attended the University of Punjab as an undergraduate,[2] and got his postgraduate degrees in education and philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley.[3]

In Hollywood, he worked as an actor and also as a technical director on films that called for knowledge of Indian culture and customs.[4][5] He also gave lectures on Indian culture and current events throughout Southern California and on the radio. He told reporters he planned on eventually going back to India and directing films, but it does not appear that he returned to India.[4]

He married concert violinist Georgia Williams in 1933.

Selected filmography edit

References edit

  1. ^ Kear, Lynn; Rossman, John (2016-03-30). The Complete Kay Francis Career Record: All Film, Stage, Radio and Television Appearances. McFarland. ISBN 9781476602875.
  2. ^ Cline, John; Weiner, Robert G. (2010-07-17). From the Arthouse to the Grindhouse: Highbrow and Lowbrow Transgression in Cinema's First Century. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810876552.
  3. ^ "Radiography". The Los Angeles Times. 8 Sep 1935. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  4. ^ a b "In Hollywood". The Bristol Herald Courier. 24 Mar 1929. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  5. ^ "Madera Tribune 23 February 1934 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-11.