Robert Donat
English actor, Oscar winner for Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
via Wikipedia: Lizabeth Scott · see source
Friedrich Robert Donat was an English actor born on 18 March 1905 in Withington, Manchester, and baptised there. He was the fourth and youngest son of Ernst Emil Donat, a civil engineer of German origin from Prussia, and Rose Alice Green. His ancestry included English, Polish, German, and French lines. He attended Manchester Central Grammar School for Boys. To overcome a stammer, he took elocution lessons with James Bernard, a leading teacher of dramatic interpretation, and left school at fifteen to work as Bernard’s secretary to fund further lessons. His older brother, Philip Donat, became the father of actors Richard and Peter Donat.
Donat made his stage debut in 1921 at age sixteen, playing Lucius in Shakespeare’s *Julius Caesar* with Henry Baynton’s company in Birmingham. In 1924 he joined Sir Frank Benson’s Shakespearean company for four years. In 1928 he spent a year at the Liverpool Playhouse, starring in works by John Galsworthy, George Bernard Shaw, and Harold Brighouse. The following year he performed and directed at the Festival Theatre in Cambridge under Tyrone Guthrie, sometimes with Flora Robson. In 1929 he married Ella Annesley Voysey; the couple had two sons and a daughter before divorcing in 1946.
Moving to London in 1930, Donat debuted in *Knave and Quean* at the Ambassadors Theatre and earned acclaim in a revival of *Saint Joan*. In 1931 he gained notice as Gideon Sarn in a dramatisation of Mary Webb’s *Precious Bane* and performed at the Malvern Festival. He became known in the industry as “screen test Donat” due to many failed film auditions. MGM’s Irving Thalberg spotted him in *Precious Bane* and offered a part in *Smilin’ Through* (1932), which Donat declined.
His film debut came in Alexander Korda’s *Men of Tomorrow* (1932). After a disastrous screen test ended with Donat laughing, Korda reportedly declared it the most natural laugh he had ever heard and put him under contract. Donat then starred in *That Night in London* (1932) and appeared in *Cash* (1933). His breakthrough was playing Thomas Culpeper in *The Private Life of Henry VIII* (1933), a worldwide success. In 1934 he made his only Hollywood film, *The Count of Monte Cristo*, loaned by Korda in exchange for Leslie Howard. He disliked America and returned to Britain. Donat starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s *The 39 Steps* (1935), with critic C. A. Lejeune praising him as a rom
- field
- Actor
- nationality
- English
- known_for
- The 39 Steps, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Count of Monte Cristo
Lore & Background
Chronic asthma severely restricted his film output, resulting in only 19 screen appearances. He was born Friedrich Robert Donat in Withington, Manchester, the youngest of four sons to a German-born civil engineer and his English wife, and was educated at Manchester Central Grammar School. To overcome a pronounced stammer, he took elocution lessons with a leading teacher of dramatic interpretation, later working as his secretary to fund further study. On stage from age sixteen, he played Lucius in *Julius Caesar* and spent four years with Sir Frank Benson’s Shakespearean company. A year at the Liverpool Playhouse saw him star in works by Galsworthy, Shaw, and Brighouse. In London he gained acclaim in *Saint Joan* and as Gideon Sarn in *Precious Bane*. His film breakthrough came as Thomas Culpeper in *The Private Life of Henry VIII*. He made only one Hollywood film, *The Count of Monte Cristo*, disliking America and returning to Britain. His defining role was the gentle schoolmaster Mr. Chips, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Critic Jeffrey Richards called him “British cinema’s one undisputed romantic leading man in the 1930s,” projecting a romantic idealist with a dash of gentleman adventurer. He also managed the West End’s Queen’s Theatre in 1936.
Reader's Guide
His image was that of the romantic idealist, often with a dash of the gentleman adventurer, a persona that made him British cinema’s one undisputed romantic leading man of the 1930s. This reputation was cemented by his breakthrough film role in *The Private Life of Henry VIII* and his celebrated performance in Alfred Hitchcock’s *The 39 Steps*, which helped establish the British thriller genre. His Oscar-winning portrayal of the gentle schoolmaster Mr. Chips in *Goodbye, Mr. Chips* remains his most iconic work. Despite chronic asthma that limited him to only nineteen films, Donat’s influence extended beyond the screen. He began his career on stage in 1921, playing Lucius in *Julius Caesar*, and later starred in productions at the Liverpool Playhouse and in the West End. In 1936, he took on the management of the West End’s Queen’s Theatre, demonstrating a deep commitment to live performance. His career was marked by a blend of romantic idealism and gentlemanly adventure, leaving a lasting mark on both British film and theatre.
Did You Know?
- Donat suffered from chronic asthma, which limited him to appearing in only 19 films.
- He was known in the early 1930s as 'screen test Donat' because of many unsuccessful film auditions.
- His first stage appearance was at age 16, playing Lucius in Julius Caesar.
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