James Donald

Infobox Actor
name = James Donald


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birthname =
birthdate = 18 May 1917
birthplace = Aberdeen, Scotland
deathdate = death date and age|1993|08|3|1917|5|18|df=y
deathplace = Wiltshire, England
othername =
occupation = Actor
yearsactive = 1930s-1978
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James Donald (18 May 1917 - 3 August 1993) was a Scottish actor. Tall and gaunt, he specialized in playing authority figures; military officers, doctors or scientists.

Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance sometime in the late-30s, having been educated at Rossall School. During World War II he appeared in minor roles in such propaganda classics as "In Which We Serve" (1942), "Went the Day Well?" (1942) and "The Way Ahead" (1944). However, leading roles eluded him until "Lust for Life" (1956), in which he played Theo Van Gogh.

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 in the film "The Bridge on the River Kwai" (1957). The final words are his: "Madness. Madness!" He also played Group Captain Ramsey, the senior British officer in "The Great Escape" (1963), as well as supporting 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 USA, as well as on stage.

External links

*imdb name|id=0232019|name=James Donald
* [http://home.jamesdonald.net Tribute to James Donald] Fan Site

Persondata
NAME= Donald, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Scottish Actor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1917-05-18
PLACE OF BIRTH= Aberdeen, Scotland
DATE OF DEATH= 1993-08-03
PLACE OF DEATH= Wiltshire, England