Highly gifted, handsome British lead who worked in theater from 1921 and continued appearing on the stage throughout most of his film career. Donat gained instant, international fame for his role in Alexander Korda's "The Private Life of Henry VIII" (1933), moving Charles Laughton to dub him "the most graceful actor of our time." He made only one US film, "The Count of Monte Cristo" (1934); thereafter he shunned Hollywood, restricting his film roles to prestigious British productions which took advantage of his beautiful, highly expressive voice.
Donat gave superb performances in Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" (1935), Vidor's "The Citadel" (1938) and Carol Reed's "The Young Mr. Pitt" (1942) and "The Winslow Boy" (1948). For a time his popularity and prestige exceeded that of Olivier and Leslie Howard; his early promise was never fulfilled, however, partly due to his depressive character and chronic asthma. (Illness sometimes lent his performances an ethereal edge, as in 1939's "Goodbye, Mr. Chips", which enabled Donat to beat Clark Gable--"Gone With the Wind"--out of an Oscar.) His death at the age of 53 was hastened by the illness.
Family
NEPHEW: Peter Donat. Actor.
Companion
WIFE: Ella Annesley. First wife; married in 1929; divorced in 1946.
WIFE: Renee Asherson. Actor. Married in 1953; separated c. 1956.
Milestone
1921: Stage acting debut
1930: London stage debut
1932: Screen acting debut in "Men of Tomorrow"
1937: Almost replaced in film "Knight Without Armor" due to severe bout of asthma but co-star Marlene Dietrich insisted that production be held up until Donat recovered
1939: Signed to non-exclusive contract by MGM after success of "The Citadel" and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" which gave him script approval (date approximate)
1943: Made first film on this MGM contract, "The Adventures of Tartu"
1950: Sole film as director, producer and co-screenwriter, "The Cure for Love"
1958: Last film "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness"
dianne
my favorite actor
Robert Donat's exceptional talent is unsurpassable. Love him in everything he has done. So sorry he was taken from us ...
More>>
Jehanne
Robert Donat and Paul Muni...great actors
Robert Donat is one of my all time favorite actors. I agree with all the previous comments about how sad ...
More>>
Tcm.com is part of the Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network.