Prominent Poles

Friedrich Robert Donat, Polish-German-French-English film and stage actor; Oscar winner.

Photo of Robert Donat, actor

Opinions. Charles Laughton: "The most graceful actor of our time." Peter Sellers "I think he was God." King Vidor "Bob Donat was the most helpful and co-operative star with whom I ever worked, as well as one of the finest actors." Graham Greene (1937) "Mr Donat is the best actor we possess: he is convincing, his voice has a pleasant roughness, and his range is far greater than his chief rival for film honours, Mr Laurence Olivier." "The British cinema's one undisputed romantic leading man in the 1930s was Robert Donat," Jeffrey Richards in his book The Age of the Dream Palace.

Born:  18 March 1905, Withington, England

Died:  9 June 1958, London, England

Early days. Donat was the fourth and youngest son of Ernst Emil Donat and his wife Rose Alice (née Green). He was educated at Manchester's Central High School for Boys. He took elocution lessons with James Bernard. Donat made his first stage appearance in 1921, at the age of 16, with Henry Baynton's company at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham, playing Lucius in Julius Caesar. His real break came in 1924 when he joined the company of Shakespearean actor Sir Frank Benson, where he stayed for four years.

Career. Initially, around 1930 and 1931, he was known as "screen test" Donat in the industry because of his many unsuccessful auditions for film producers. MGM's producer Irving Thalberg spotted him on the London stage in Precious Bane, and Donat was offered a part in the American studio's Smilin' Through (1932). He rejected this offer. Instead, Donat made his film debut in a quota quickie Men of Tomorrow (1932) forAlexander Korda's London Films. An abysmal screen test for Korda had ended with Donat's laughter. Reputedly, Korda in response exclaimed: "That's the most natural laugh I have ever heard in my life. What acting! Put him under contract immediately." Donat's first great screen success soon followed as Thomas Culpeper in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), For the same producer. Korda loaned him to Edward Small for the only film Donat made in Hollywood, The Count of Monte Cristo (1934). He did not care for the film colony and, despite being offered the lead role in Captain Blood (1935, with Errol Flynn instead), returned to Britain to begin work on Hitchcock's The 39 Steps (1935). Hitchcock wanted Donat for the role of the Detective in Sabotage (1936), but this time Korda refused to release him. In 1936 Donat took on the management of the Queen's Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue where he produced Red Night. He made two further films under his contract with Korda, The Ghost Goes West (1935), and Knight Without Armour (1937). Korda became committed to the latter project because of Donat's indecision. His eventual co-star, Marlene Dietrich, was the source of much attention when she arrived in Britain, in which Donat was involved, and this was enough for him to suffer a nervous collapse a few days into the shooting schedule. Donat entered a nursing home. The production delay caused by Donat's asthma led to talk of replacing him. Dietrich, contracted by Korda for $450,000, threatened to leave the project. At this point Donat was able to return to work. In 1938, Donat signed a contract with MGM British with a commitment to making 6 films. In The Citadel (1938), he played Andrew Manson, Donat is best remembered for his role as the school master in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). His rivals for the Best Actor Award were Clark Gable, Laurence Olivier, James Stewart and Mickey Rooney,. He was a major theatre star. His stage career included performances in Shaw's The Devil's Disciple (1938) and Captain Shotover in a new staging of Heartbreak House (1942). With The Cure for Love (1945), one of the stage productions he directed, he began his professional association with Renée Asherson, later his second wife. This continued with a production of Much Ado About Nothing (1946) with the couple playing Benedict and Beatrice. The MGM British contract ended with litigation, and he made only two more films for the company, The Adventures of Tartu (1943) and Perfect Strangers (1945). Donat suffered from chronic asthma, which affected his career and limited him to appearing in only twenty films. Donat and Asherson reprised their stage roles in the film version of The Cure for Love (1949). His only film as director, its production was affected by his ill health. Modestly received by a reviewer, it was a hit in the North. In this film, Donat used his natural Mancunian accent, which his early elocution lessons had attempted to completely suppress.Author David Shipman speculates that Donat's asthma may have been psychosomatic and Donat himself thought that his illness had a 90% basis in his psychology. In a 1980 interview, his first wife Ella Annesley Voysey , said that Donat's asthma was a psychosomatic response to the birth of their daughter. According to her: "Robert was full of fear." Donat's final role was the mandarin Yang Cheng in The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958). His last spoken words in this film were prophetic, "We shall not see each other again. I think. Farewell." His biographer writes "Perhaps the asthma had weakened him but, in fact, it was discovered he had a brain tumour the size of a duck egg and cerebral thrombosis was certified as the primary cause of death." Donat has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for motion pictures. A blue plaque commemorates Donat at 8 Meadway in Hampstead Garden Suburb. His place of birth at 42 Everett Road in Withington, Manchester is also commemorated by a similar plaque. The actors Peter Donat and Richard Donat are his nephews.

Private. Donat married Ella Annesley Voysey in 1929; the couple had three children together, but divorced in 1946. Donat married Asherson, his second wife, in 1953. They later separated, but might have reconciled.

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IMDb biography

Published on 7/13/2015

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