- James Donald
Infobox Actor
name = James Donald
imagesize =
caption =
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
spouse =
domesticpartner =
website =
awards =James Donald (
18 May 1917 -3 August 1993 ) was a Scottishactor . 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 atRossall 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) withRalph Richardson ,Peggy Ashcroft andDonald 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 theUnited 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 SitePersondata
NAME= Donald, James
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= ScottishActor
DATE OF BIRTH= 1917-05-18
PLACE OF BIRTH=Aberdeen ,Scotland
DATE OF DEATH= 1993-08-03
PLACE OF DEATH=Wiltshire ,England
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