A new Blue Plaque was unveiled on Thursday 24th September by Martyn Brabbins, President of the Holst Birthplace Trust.
The plaque commemorates the life of Ernest Cossart (1876-1951), the talented Hollywood-actor brother of Gustav Holst.
The Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, Edward Gillespie, and the Mayor of Cheltenham, Martin Horwood, also attended the unveiling and expressed their support.
In contrast to his renowned brother Gustav Holst, Ernest Cossart (born Emil von Holst) acted in UK provincial repertory companies before moving to the USA. On Broadway, he got off to a flying start with a leading role in the musical comedy ‘The Girls of Gottenburg’.
He was signed by Paramount in 1935, moved to Hollywood and became America’s notion of the perfect English gentleman – playing butlers, valets and man-servants in films, including a butler in ‘The Great Ziegfield’, the highest grossing film of the 1930s in both the USA and the UK. He also played Roman Catholic priests such as Father McGee in ‘The Jolson Story’ (1946), and chimney sweeps such as Tom Clink in ‘Tower of London’ (1946).
One of his best roles was the irascible but kind-hearted father of Ginger Rogers in ‘Kitty Foyle’ (1940). During his 50-year career, he played alongside many other Hollywood stars, including: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, David Niven, Edward G Robinson, Gary Cooper, George Burns, Hedy Lamarr, Humphrey Bogart, Shelley Winters, Ronald Reagan and Marlene Dietrich.
Adam Jones, Marketing Trustee of the Holst Birthplace Trust, said “Ernest Cossart is a significant figure for both Cheltenham and the wider Holst story. That 4 Clarence Road produced two important cultural figures is remarkable and something which Holst Victorian House is extremely proud of. We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to our new double-plaque house and introducing them to Cossart’s dramatic life.”
A limited edition publication about Ernest Cossart’s fascinating life – written by museum curator Laura Kinnear – is on sale for £5 at the Holst Victorian House.
The museum also has an exhibition – ‘From Frankenstein to Pre-Raphaelites’ – opening in October celebrating the work of another of Gustav Holst’s relatives, his uncle, Theodor von Holst.
Cheltenham Civic Society Blue Plaques officer, Mike Rigby, said: “Ernest Cossart’s life has been somewhat overshadowed in Cheltenham by his older brother Gustav. But this Blue Plaque will go some way to recording his many achievements.”
Cheltenham Civic Society has created two Google maps that anyone can use to explore the town to find all of our plaques and learn about the people and events that helped to shape Cheltenham. Links to the maps – for both Blue (people) and Green (events) plaques – can be found on the Plaques page on the Society’s website.
