Heber Jentzsch was born in 1935 in Salt Lake City and grew up in a Mormon family and named after Latter-day Saint apostle Heber C. Kimball. Though he was never baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he identified himself as a "believing Mormon", He is the son of polygamist Carl Jentzsch and Carl's third wife Pauline; Heber has 42 siblings. In 1955 Carl was arrested, and excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Heber Jentzsch was educated at Weber College in Ogden, Utah and the University of Utah, where he graduated in 1959 with a degree in communications. He also studied Eastern religions. Before 1967, Jentzsch worked as a journalist for the Los Angeles Free Press and an actor, having a bit part in the film Paint Your Wagon. He played a small part in an episode of the 1960s television series Combat!, and an uncredited role in the film 1776.
Scientology
Jentzsch joined the Church of Scientology in 1967 after allegedly being cured by the Scientology Purification Rundown of radiation burns he had suffered since he was 15. During the 1970s, Jentzsch became the public relations director of the later-notorious Guardian's Office, serving as the Church of Scientology's chief press spokesman. He has continued in this role since his promotion to the post of President of the Church of Scientology International in 1982. In January 1986, Jentzsch faced the press on behalf of the Church to announce the death of L. Ron Hubbard. He has often appeared in newspaper interviews, aggressively defending the church on several occasions. Despite his media prominence, Jentzsch has been called a titular president. He is sometimes described as "the leading spokesperson for the Church of Scientology International" in church publications.
In 1988 Heber Jentzsch was arrested in Spain along with 69 other members of Scientology. Jentzsch was incarcerated in a Spanish jail for about three weeks. He was released and fled to the United States after Scientology paid a bail bond of approximately $1 million. Sixteen people, including Jentzsch, were charged with "illegal association" and various other crimes including tax fraud and endangering public health. The trial of the indictees began in February 2001, but Jentzsch himself did not appear; the prosecution called for him to be given a 56-year prison sentence. However, the Madrid Provincial Court dismissed all but the conspiracy charge and eventually ruled that the prosecution had presented insufficient evidence to prove this charge as well, and in April 2002, the last charge was formally dropped. The court ordered the bail bond be returned to Scientology with interest, nearly doubling the original 1988 bond amount.
Marriage and children
Heber Jentzsch was married to Australian Scientologist Yvonne Gillham from 1972 until her death in 1978. From 1978 to 1988 he was married to then-Scientologist Karen de la Carriere ; in September 2010 she left the church and began a crusade against it, claiming that Jentzsch had not been seen publicly since 2004. As of 2018, Jentzsch's whereabouts are still publicly unknown.
