Kid Herman

Biography

Will "Kid" Herman came out of Kansas City as a dancer and piano player; around the time of America's entry into World War I, he moved west to Los Angeles and soon became involved in the motion picture world; for a number of years he appeared in numerous bit parts in major motion pictures; as well as securing bit parts and small speaking roles for blacks; he also was a noted still photographer and cinematographer. He supplemented his work in movies by shooting "thousands of feet of film around local happenings and the like," and then traveling the country exhibiting the finished newsreels, short subjects and features in movie theaters, community halls, churches and schools, while attempting to raise funding for his next project. After years of ill health, Herman was found dead after a fall from the fourth floor of the Los Angeles General Hospital; he had recently discovered that the "arthritis" he had been suffering from was actually bone cancer.