Robert Donat(1905-1958)
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Robert Donat's pleasant voice and somewhat neutral English accent were carefully honed as
a boy because he had a stammer and took elocution lessons starting at
age 11 to overcome the impediment. It was not too surprising that
freedom from such a vocal embarrassment was encouragement to act. His
other handicap, acute asthma, did not deter him. At the age of 16 he
began performing Shakespeare and other classic roles in a number of
repertory and touring companies throughout Britain. In 1924 he joined
Sir Frank Benson's repertory company, and later he was with the
Liverpool Repertory Theater.
His work was finally noticed by
Alexander Korda, who gave him a
three-year film contract. Three minor films were followed by his role
as Katherine Howard's lover, Thomas Culpepper, in the hit
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933).
Donat's style of acting, whether comic or dramatic, was usually
reserved, with the subtleties of face and voice being his talents to
complement the role. A top draw in Britain, he went to Hollywood for
The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), but he did not care for the Hollywood
scene--the fishbowl lifestyle of the movie star. "Cristo" gave him the
opportunity for Captain Blood (1935), but he eventually declined. (With
a nod to hindsight, it is hard to think of anyone but a fresh-faced
Flynn doing the role.) Although he would have contracts with MGM,
Warner Bros. and RKO through the remainder of the 1930s, he begged off
many a film role or broke commitments, ostensibly because of health
problems, though, along with being finicky about roles, he was also
such a conscientious actor that lack of confidence sometimes stymied
his forward progress.
Hollywood usually had to shoot in England if it wanted him badly
enough. And that was not a problem after the box office reception given
The 39 Steps (1935), the big hit for Alfred Hitchcock. There was a hint
of whimsy in Donat's face that worked especially well with the
sophisticated comedic elements that crept into several of his dramatic
roles. His portrayal of individualist Canadian Richard Hannay--which
registered with North Americans both above and below the 49th
parallel--in "Steps" was the first of such popular characters. Some of
Hitch's famous on-the-set practical jokes ensued on the first day of
shooting "Steps." The first scene was the escape on the moors from the
master spy's henchmen by Donat and
Madeleine Carroll handcuffed together.
Donat and Carroll had not met before this, and Hitchcock handcuffed
them together hours before filming so that they could get very well
acquainted. He insisted he had misplaced the key when in fact he had
slipped it to a studio security officer for safekeeping.
Hitchcock attempted to land Donat for three other roles, Sabotage (1936) and
Secret Agent (1936) and Rebecca (1940), but illness, commitments, and
more illness, respectively, supposedly kept Donat from accepting each.
Hollywood would be treated in kind, for Donat was more dedicated to
stage work. Hollywood did get him for
The Citadel (1938), for which he was
nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. He won the Oscar the next year for
perhaps his best known role in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) (MGM's with
Greer Garson). Since 1939 was one of the
most competitive film years in Hollywood history, Donat's reward for
his mild Mr. Chipping was something of a stunner. This was the year of
Gone with the Wind (1939), and
Clark Gable as Rhett Butler seemed a shoo-in
for best actor. But there is something of a myth that since both
pictures were from MGM and "Wind" had so many nominations (including
best actor, actress, and picture), MGM head and strongman Louis B.
Mayer used his weight to spread the wealth toward "Chips".
Unlike other British actors who came to work in America during World
War II, Donat stayed in Britain. He did mostly theater but also some
British films--only four--with one for Korda and one for Carol Reed.
Only six more films were allotted Donat after the war and into the
1950s, all but one British productions. He starred, directed and
co-wrote
The Cure for Love (1949) and
starred in The Magic Box (1951), a
well-crafted and delightful (if a bit fictionalized) salute to the
history of the British film industry. By 1955, all of Donat's acting
efforts required a bottle of oxygen kept off stage and at the ready as
his health continued to turn toward the worse.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958),
a Twentieth Century Fox production shot in the UK, was Donat's final
film. His fragility was poignantly obvious on screen, and he died
shortly after the film was finished. He received a posthumous Special
Citation from the USA National Board of Review and was nominated for a
Best Actor Golden Globe. It was a career for Robert Donat that should
have gone on, yet it was filled with many notable screen memories just
the same.
a boy because he had a stammer and took elocution lessons starting at
age 11 to overcome the impediment. It was not too surprising that
freedom from such a vocal embarrassment was encouragement to act. His
other handicap, acute asthma, did not deter him. At the age of 16 he
began performing Shakespeare and other classic roles in a number of
repertory and touring companies throughout Britain. In 1924 he joined
Sir Frank Benson's repertory company, and later he was with the
Liverpool Repertory Theater.
His work was finally noticed by
Alexander Korda, who gave him a
three-year film contract. Three minor films were followed by his role
as Katherine Howard's lover, Thomas Culpepper, in the hit
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933).
Donat's style of acting, whether comic or dramatic, was usually
reserved, with the subtleties of face and voice being his talents to
complement the role. A top draw in Britain, he went to Hollywood for
The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), but he did not care for the Hollywood
scene--the fishbowl lifestyle of the movie star. "Cristo" gave him the
opportunity for Captain Blood (1935), but he eventually declined. (With
a nod to hindsight, it is hard to think of anyone but a fresh-faced
Flynn doing the role.) Although he would have contracts with MGM,
Warner Bros. and RKO through the remainder of the 1930s, he begged off
many a film role or broke commitments, ostensibly because of health
problems, though, along with being finicky about roles, he was also
such a conscientious actor that lack of confidence sometimes stymied
his forward progress.
Hollywood usually had to shoot in England if it wanted him badly
enough. And that was not a problem after the box office reception given
The 39 Steps (1935), the big hit for Alfred Hitchcock. There was a hint
of whimsy in Donat's face that worked especially well with the
sophisticated comedic elements that crept into several of his dramatic
roles. His portrayal of individualist Canadian Richard Hannay--which
registered with North Americans both above and below the 49th
parallel--in "Steps" was the first of such popular characters. Some of
Hitch's famous on-the-set practical jokes ensued on the first day of
shooting "Steps." The first scene was the escape on the moors from the
master spy's henchmen by Donat and
Madeleine Carroll handcuffed together.
Donat and Carroll had not met before this, and Hitchcock handcuffed
them together hours before filming so that they could get very well
acquainted. He insisted he had misplaced the key when in fact he had
slipped it to a studio security officer for safekeeping.
Hitchcock attempted to land Donat for three other roles, Sabotage (1936) and
Secret Agent (1936) and Rebecca (1940), but illness, commitments, and
more illness, respectively, supposedly kept Donat from accepting each.
Hollywood would be treated in kind, for Donat was more dedicated to
stage work. Hollywood did get him for
The Citadel (1938), for which he was
nominated for a Best Actor Oscar. He won the Oscar the next year for
perhaps his best known role in Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) (MGM's with
Greer Garson). Since 1939 was one of the
most competitive film years in Hollywood history, Donat's reward for
his mild Mr. Chipping was something of a stunner. This was the year of
Gone with the Wind (1939), and
Clark Gable as Rhett Butler seemed a shoo-in
for best actor. But there is something of a myth that since both
pictures were from MGM and "Wind" had so many nominations (including
best actor, actress, and picture), MGM head and strongman Louis B.
Mayer used his weight to spread the wealth toward "Chips".
Unlike other British actors who came to work in America during World
War II, Donat stayed in Britain. He did mostly theater but also some
British films--only four--with one for Korda and one for Carol Reed.
Only six more films were allotted Donat after the war and into the
1950s, all but one British productions. He starred, directed and
co-wrote
The Cure for Love (1949) and
starred in The Magic Box (1951), a
well-crafted and delightful (if a bit fictionalized) salute to the
history of the British film industry. By 1955, all of Donat's acting
efforts required a bottle of oxygen kept off stage and at the ready as
his health continued to turn toward the worse.
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958),
a Twentieth Century Fox production shot in the UK, was Donat's final
film. His fragility was poignantly obvious on screen, and he died
shortly after the film was finished. He received a posthumous Special
Citation from the USA National Board of Review and was nominated for a
Best Actor Golden Globe. It was a career for Robert Donat that should
have gone on, yet it was filled with many notable screen memories just
the same.