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James Donald is a Actor British born on 18 may 1917 at Aberdeen (United-kingdom)

James Donald

James Donald
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Birth name James Robert MacGeorge Donald
Nationality United-kingdom
Birth 18 may 1917 at Aberdeen (United-kingdom)
Death 3 august 1993 (at 76 years) at Wiltshire (United-kingdom)

James Donald (18 May 1917 – 3 August 1993) was a Scottish actor. Tall and thin, he specialised in playing authority figures.

Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire's Fylde coast. During World War II he had minor roles in war films including, In Which We Serve (1942), Went the Day Well? (1942), and The Way Ahead (1944). He played Mr. Winkle in the 1952 film version of The Pickwick Papers. However, leading roles eluded him until he played Theo Van Gogh in Lust for Life (1956).

His work in the theatre included Noël Coward's Present Laughter (1943) which starred Coward himself, and The Eagle with Two Heads (1947), You Never Can Tell (1948), and The Heiress (1949) with Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and Donald Sinden.

He memorably portrayed Major Clipton, the doctor who expresses grave doubts about the sanity of Col. Nicholson's (Alec Guinness) efforts to build the bridge in order to show up his Japanese captors, in the blockbuster classic film The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). He had the honour of speaking the film's iconic final words: "Madness!, Madness!" He also played another memorable military character, Group Captain Ramsey, the Senior British Officer in The Great Escape (1963), as well as roles in other notable films both in Britain and the United States, including The Vikings (1958), King Rat (1965), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), and Quatermass and the Pit (1967).

Donald starred in a 1960 television adaptation of A. J. Cronin's The Citadel and appeared regularly in many other television dramas in the UK and US, as well as on stage. In 1961, he played Prince Albert opposite Julie Harris's Queen Victoria, in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Laurence Housman's play Victoria Regina, for which he received an Emmy nomination.

Best films

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
(Actor)
The Great Escape (1963)
(Actor)
Lust for Life (1956)
(Actor)
The Vikings (1958)
(Actor)

Usually with

Source : Wikidata

Filmography of James Donald (32 films)

Display filmography as detailed form
YearNameJobRoles
1978The Big SleepActorInspector Gregory
1975Conduct UnbecomingActorThe Doctor
1975Conduct UnbecomingActorThe Doctor
1969David CopperfieldActorMr. Murdstone
1969Hannibal BrooksActorPadre
1969The Royal Hunt of the SunActorKing Carlos
1967Quatermass and the PitActorDr. Mathew Roney
1967The JokersActorCol. Gurney-Simms
1966Cast a Giant ShadowActorMaj. Safir
1965King RatActorDr. Kennedy
1963The Great EscapeActorRamsey 'The SBO'
1959Third Man on the MountainActorFranz Lerner
1958The VikingsActorLord Egbert
1957The Bridge on the River KwaiActorMaj. Clipton
1956Lust for LifeActorTheo van Gogh
1954Beau BrummellActorLord Edwin Mercer
1953The NetActorMichael Heathley
1953The NetActorMichael Heathley
1952Gift HorseActorLt. Richard Jennings, No. 1
1952The Pickwick PapersActorNathaniel Winkle
1952Brandy for the ParsonActorBill Harper
1951White CorridorsActorNeil Marriner
1950Cage of GoldActorAlan
1949Edward, My SonActorBronton
1949Trottie TrueActorLord Digby Langdon
1948Broken JourneyActorBill Haverton
1948The Small VoiceActorMurray Byrne
1944The Way AheadActorPvt. Evans Lloyd
1943San Demetrio LondonActorGunnery Officer - H.M.S. Jervis Bay
1942In Which We ServeActorDoc
1942Went the Day Well?ActorGerman corporal
1942One of Our Aircraft Is MissingActor(uncredited)