Gerald Tannebaum

Gerald Tannebaum (1917 – 9 March 2001) was an American humanitarian and actor in China. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and died in Santa Barbara, California of Parkinson's disease.

After graduation from Northwestern University in 1939, Gerald Tannebaum worked in advertising until 1942, then entered the US Army. After the war he went to China as an army officer supervising UN relief supplies. He stayed on to work in Chinese Relief as secretary to Song Qingling (Madame Sun Yat-sen), and when she became head of the Chinese Welfare Association in 1949, Tannebaum was named its executive director. This got him involved with various theatrical projects of the Association, such as the Shanghai Children's Theater, and soon he was playing foreign roles in Chinese films, usually negative English characters. Although very popular with Chinese film audiences, his roles were limited by his refusal to portray negative American characters. His best-known film role was in 1964's biographical account of the great Canadian internationalist Dr. Norman Bethune, and his life in China. (Bethune was one of many westerners who came to China to resist the Japanese. The film, however, did not tell of Bethune's giving up his comfortable life as a wealthy doctor in Canada, and choosing to go to the front line.) Tannebaum remained an advisor with the Association until 1971, and held major roles in seven Chinese films, and taught English language and American literature at several of Shanghai's leading universities. After the US and China resumed official contacts in 1972, Tannebaum and his wife, a former actress, moved to the US, settling in California. He lectured at a number of colleges and universities across the United States from 1972 until his death.