Peter Donat (actor)

Peter Donat (* 20th January 1928 in Kentville , Nova Scotia , Canada as Pierre Donat Collingwood , † 10. September 2018 in Point Reyes Station , California , USA) was an American actor of Canadian origin.

Life

Donat was born to Marie Bardet and the landscape gardener Philip Ernst Donat. He was a nephew of the British actor and Academy Award winner Robert Donat and brother of Richard Donat. In 1950 he immigrated to the United States , where he studied acting at Yale University .

On September 8, 1956, at the age of 28, he married the then 17-year-old actress Michael Learned . The couple, which were divorced on February 14, 1972, gave birth to the children Caleb, Christopher and Lucas. Since February 9, 1983 he was married to the author Marijke DeJong for the second time.

Career

At the age of 23, Donat gained his first experience on stage, including the title role in a production by Cyrano de Bergerac . He made his Broadway debut in 1953 in Highlights of the Empire .

Between 1958 and 1965 he performed several times at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. He made his first appearance in A Winter's Tale and was followed by roles in plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream , the comedy Lost Love Labor , the historical drama Henry VIII and The Taming of the Shrew . In 1961, he played the lead role of Misty Woodenbridge in Donald Jack's play The Canvas Barricade , the first Canadian play to be performed at the festival. Later he appeared again and again in Stratford, most recently in 1985 in The Auditor .

In 1968 he made his debut at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) in San Francisco and became a well-known member of the ensemble. In over 20 years he has worked in 26 productions of the theater, but has also played in numerous productions in local theaters. Noteworthy is his vocal role as Professor Higgins in the 1988 Cabrillo Stage production of My Fair Lady .

In addition to his theater career, Donat had leading and supporting roles in over 100 television series and numerous films. One of his first notable television roles was that of David Burnham in Lost Lagoon . In 1965, he starred as Vince Conway in the TV show Moment of Truth ( Engl. For moment of truth ) with, the first Canadian television series, American US on a cable network aired. Donat became known to a wide audience in the 1980s in the role of Elmo Tyson through the television series Flamingo Road . Other well-known television roles are that of William "Bill" Mulder , the father of the protagonist Agent Fox Mulder , in the television series The X-Files - The Scary Cases of the FBI and that of the brilliant but criminal scientist Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi in the science fiction television series Time Trax - Back to the Future .

Donat also acted in numerous films. These include well-known titles such as The Godfather - Part II , The Hindenburg , The China Syndrome , The Babe - An American Dream and The Game - The Gift of His Life .

His last appearance on television was in 2003 in Murder is Her Hobby: The Riddle of the Celts , a television film from the series of the same name . In recent years he has worked as a reader for school children in San Francisco and, together with his second wife, as a writer ( Dr. Chekhov ).

Awards

• 1957: Theater World Award for The First Gentleman as Prince Leopold
• 1985: Genie Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for The Bay Boy

Filmography (selection)

• 1954: Kraft Television Theater (TV series, episode)
• 1955–1957: Producers' Showcase (TV series, 2 episodes)
• 1958: Lost Lagoon
• 1958–1959: The Brighter Day (TV series, 5 episodes)
• 1959: The United States Steel Hour (TV series, episode)
• 1959: The DuPont Show of the Month (TV series, episode)
• 1959: Startime (TV series, an episode)
• 1961–1968: Festival (TV series, 10 episodes)
• 1964: The Last Voyage of Henry Hudson (short film)
• 1964: Moment of Truth (TV series)
• 1966: Julius Caesar (TV movie)
• 1966: Hawk (TV series, episode)
• 1968: Wojeck (TV series, 2 episodes)
• 1968: Cobra, Take Over ( Mission: Impossible , TV series, episode)
• 1968: Rackets and Cannons ( I Spy , TV series, an episode)
• 1968: The Race with Death ( Run for Your Life , television series, an episode)
• 1969: Adventures in Rainbow Country ( Adventures in Rainbow Country , TV series, one episode)
• 1969: Judd, for the Defense (TV series, episode)
• 1969: FBI (TV series, episode)
• 1969: Medical Center (TV series, episode)
• 1969: Bracken's World (TV series, episode)
• 1970: The Young Lawyers ( The Young Lawyers , television series, one episode)
• 1971: My Old Man's Place
• 1972: Banacek (TV series, an episode)
• 1973: Charlie Chan: A Well-Kept Secret ( The Return of Charlie Chan , Movie made for TV)
• 1973: The Waltons ( The Waltons , television series, an episode)
• 1969–1973: Mannix (TV series, 3 episodes)
• 1974: Great Performances: Cyrano de Bergerac (TV series)
• 1974: Great Performances: Enemies (TV series)
• 1974: Hawaii Five-Zero ( Hawaii Five-O , TV series, an episode)
• 1974: The Godfather - Part II (The Godfather Part II)
• 1974: The Missiles of October (TV movie)
• 1975: Last Hours Before Morning (TV movie)
• 1975: The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant (TV movie)
• 1975: Russian Roulette (Russian Roulette)
• 1975: Matt Helm - In the jungle of the big city ( Matt Helm , TV series, an episode)
• 1975: Harry-O (TV series, an episode)
• 1975: The Invisible Man ( The Invisible Man , TV series, one episode)
• 1975: The Hindenburg (The Hindenburg)
• 1976: The kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby ( The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case , TV movie)
• 1976: Pazifikgeschwader 214 ( Baa Baa Black Sheep , TV series, an episode)
• 1976: The Price of Power ( Captains and the Kings , miniseries, 2 episodes)
• 1977: Billy Jack Goes to Washington
• 1977: Future Cop (TV series, episode)
• 1977: McMillan & Wife (TV series, an episode)
• 1977: Delta County, USA (TV movie)
• 1977: Rafferty (TV series, an episode)
• 1977: NBC Special Treat (TV series, episode)
• 1977: The Godfather: The Saga ( The Godfather Saga , Miniseries)
• 1978: Deadly Mirrors
• 1978: FIST - A man goes his way (FIST)
• 1978: Or the other way around (A Different Story)
• 1978: Charlie's Angels ( Charlie's Angels , television series, one episode)
• 1953–1978: Hallmark Hall of Fame (TV series)
• 1978: The Eddie Capra Mysteries (TV series, episode)
• 1978: Lou Grant (TV series, an episode)
• 1979: The China Syndrome (The China Syndrome)
• 1979: Hanging by a Thread (TV movie)
• 1979: Salvage 1 (TV series, an episode)
• 1979: Meteor (speaking role)
• 1979: Kate Loves a Mystery (TV series, episode)
• 1979: The Suicide's Wife (TV movie)
• 1980: Fun and Games (TV movie)
• 1980: Dallas (TV series, 2 episodes)
• 1981: A Matter of Life and Death (TV movie)
• 1981: Golden Gate (TV movie)
• 1981: The Princess and the Cabbie (TV movie)
• 1981–1982: Flamingo Road (TV series, 32 episodes)
• 1982: The pack freaks out at Highpoint (Highpoint)
• 1982: Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains
• 1982: Hart but cordially ( Hart to Hart . TV series, an episode)
• 1982: The Time Travelers ( Voyagers ! , TV series, an episode)
• 1982: Labyrinth of the Monsters ( Mazes and Monsters , TV movie)
• 1983: Hill Street Police Station ( Hill Street Blues , TV series, an episode)
• 1984: Operation: Masquerade ( Masquerade , TV series, an episode)
• 1984: The Bay Boy
• 1984: Massive retaliation
• 1984: Simon & Simon (TV series, an episode)
• 1984: Hawaiian Heat (TV series, episode)
• 1985: Lune de miel
• 1987: Unfinished Business
• 1988: Disney Land: The Outlaw Galaxy ( Earth Star Voyager: Part 1 , TV series)
• 1988: The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd (TV series, episode)
• 1988: Tucker (Tucker: The Man and His Dream)
• 1989: Skin Deep - Men don't have it easy either (Skin Deep)
• 1989: Christine Cromwell (TV series, an episode)
• 1989: The War of the Roses (The War of the Roses)
• 1991: A Blessed Team ( Father Dowling Mysteries , TV series, an episode)
• 1992: The Babe (The Babe)
• 1992: The Outsider (School Ties)
• 1993: Dieppe (TV movie)
• 1989–1994: Murder is her hobby ( Murder, She Wrote , TV series, 3 episodes)
• 1993–1994: Time Trax - Back to the Future ( Time Trax , TV series, 9 episodes)
• 1995: An Immoral Seduction ( Seduced and Betrayed , TV movie)
• 1996: Outer Limits ( The Outer Limits , TV series, an episode)
• 1997: The Game
• 1997: Red Corner - Labyrinth with no way out (Red Corner)
• 1995–1999: The X Files - The Scary Cases of the FBI ( The X-Files , TV series, 6 episodes)
• 2001: Never Die Twice
• 2001: The Deep End (The Deep End)
• 2003: Murder is her Hobby: The Riddle of the Celts ( Murder, She Wrote: The Celtic Riddle , TV movie)

credentials

1. ↑ Biography of Peter Donat (English)

Web links

• Peter Donat in Internet Movie Database (English)
• Peter Donat in Internet Broadway Database (English)
• Peter Donat at Northernstars.ca (English)