Peter Donat Biography (1928-)

Born Pierre Collingwood Donat, January 20, 1928, in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada; immigrated to the United States, 1950; son of Philip Ernst (a landscape gardener) and Marie (maiden name, Bardet) Donat; nephew of Robert Donat (anactor); married Michael Learned (an actress), September 8, 1956 (divorced, January, 1972); married Maria C. DeJong (a writer), February 9, 1983; children: (first marriage) Caleb, Christopher, Lucas.

Nationality: Canadian
Gender: Male
Occupation: Actor, writer
Birth Details: January 20, 1928; Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Appearances
Valentine, You Never Can Tell, Provincetown Playhouse, Provincetown, MA, 1951
Byron, An Innocent in Time, Provincetown Playhouse, 1951
Randall, Heartbreak House, Provincetown Playhouse, 1951
Faukland, The Rivals, Provincetown Playhouse, 1951
Doctor, The Straw, Provincetown Playhouse, 1951
Lysander, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Margo Jones Theatre, Dallas, TX, 1951
Pastor, The Father, Margo Jones Theatre, 1952
Poet, A Gift for Cathy, Margo Jones Theatre, 1952
Tony, You Can't Take It with You, Pocono Playhouse, Mountainhome, PA, 1952
Gaston, Gigi, Pocono Playhouse, 1952
Dangerous Corner, Falmouth Playhouse, Falmouth, MA, 1952
(Broadway debut) Arthur Fenwick, Highlights of the Empire, EmpireTheatre, New York City, 1953
Dr. Nicholas Agi, The Swan, Pocono Playhouse, then Falmouth Playhouse, 1953
Metellus Cimber, Julius Caesar, American Shakespeare Festival, Stratford, CT, 1955
(Off-Broadway debut) Amphitryon, A God Slept Here, Provincetown Playhouse, New York City, 1957
Prince Leopold, The First Gentleman, Belasco Theatre, New York City, 1957
Dorilant, The Country Wife, Adelphi Theatre, New York City, 1957
Le bourgeois gentilhomme, Wellesley, MA, 1957
Edward II, Wellesley, MA, 1957
Florizel, The Winter's Tale, Stratford Shakespearean Festival,Stratford, ON, Canada, 1958
Sir Richard Vernon, Henry IV, Part One, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1958
Graham, The Entertainer, Royale Theatre, New York City, 1958
The President's son, The Goodwill Ambassador, Olympia Theatre,Dublin, Ireland, 1959
Tusenbach, The Three Sisters, Fourth Street Theatre, New York City, 1959
Demetrius, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Stratford ShakespeareanFestival, 1960
Chatillon, King John, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1960
Longaville, Love's Labour's Lost, Stratford ShakespeareanFestival, 1961
Earl of Surrey, Henry VIII, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1961
Morris Townsend, The Heiress, Crest Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada,1961
Christian, Cyrano de Bergerac, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1962
Hortensio, The Taming of the Shrew, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1962
Ferdinand, The Tempest, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1962
Troilus, Troilus and Cressida, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1963
Christian, Cyrano de Bergerac, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1963
Antipholus of Syracuse, The Comedy of Errors, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1963
Oliver, The Chinese Prime Minister, Royale Theatre, New York City,1964
Frank O'Keefe, Return to the Mountain, Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto, 1964
Pistol, Falstaff (Henry IV, Part Two), Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1965
Cassius, Julius Caesar, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1965
An Evening's Frost, American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, CA, 1968
Under Milk Wood, American Conservatory Theatre, 1968
My Son God, American Conservatory Theatre, 1968
Deedle, Deedle Dumpling, American Conservatory Theatre, 1968
Staircase, American Conservatory Theatre, 1969
The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria, American Conservatory Theatre, 1969
Hadrian VII, American Conservatory Theatre, 1970
The Importance of Being Earnest, American Conservatory Theatre, 1970
Six Characters in Search of an Author, American Conservatory Theatre, 1970
The Merchant of Venice, American Conservatory Theatre, 1970
Caesar, Caesar and Cleopatra, American Conservatory Theatre, 1971
George Mason, The Selling of the President, American ConservatoryTheatre, 1971
An Enemy of the People, American Conservatory Theatre, 1971
The Way of the World, Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven, CT, 1972
Sleuth, American Conservatory Theatre, 1972
Pontagnac, There's One in Every Marriage, Avon Theatre, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, then Royale Theatre, 1972
Title role, Cyrano de Bergerac, American Conservatory Theatre, 1972
Torvald Helmer, A Doll's House, American Conservatory Theatre,1973
The Crucible, American Conservatory Theatre, 1973
The Cherry Orchard, American Conservatory Theatre, 1974
Title role, Cyrano de Bergerac, American Conservatory Theatre, 1974
(London debut) Alexander Ben Claiborne, A Touch of Spring, ComedyTheatre, 1975
Equus, American Conservatory Theatre, 1975-76
Man and Superman, American Conservatory Theatre, 1976
The Master Builder, American Conservatory Theatre, 1977
A Month in the Country, American Conservatory Theatre, 1978
Piet, A Lesson from Aloes, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1980
The Holdup, American Conservatory Theatre, 1982
Duke, As You Like It, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA, 1982-83
The Government Inspector, Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1985
Gus Jordan, Diamond Lil, American Conservatory Theatre, Geary Theatre, San Francisco, 1988
Zeus, Feathers, American Conservatory Theatre, Geary Theatre, 1988

Major Tours
(Stage debut) Oswald, Ghosts, and Manningham, Angel Street, Nova Scotia Players, tour of Canadian cities, 1950
Peter Crewe, Jane, U.S. and Canadian cities, 1952
Paul, My Three Angels, U.S. cities, 1953
Stage Work
Director, The Winter's Tale, National Shakespeare Festival, Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA, 1978
Film Appearances
David Burnham, Lost Lagoon, United Artists, 1958
Car salesman, Glory Boy (also known as My Old Man's Place and The Old Man's Place), Cinerama, 1971
Questadt, The Godfather, Part II (also known as Mario Puzo's The Godfather: Part II), Paramount, 1974
Reed Channing, The Hindenburg, Universal, 1975
Inspector McDermott, Russian Roulette, AVCO-Embassy, 1975
Sills, A Different Story, AVCO-Embassy, 1978
Arthur St. Claire, F.I.S.T., United Artists, 1978
Don Jacovich, The China Syndrome, Columbia, 1979
Voice of opening sequence narrator, Meteor, 1979
Dr. Philip Godard, Mirrors (also known as Marianne), FirstAmerican, 1982
Harley Dennis, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (also known as All Washed Up), Paramount, 1982
Will Campbell, The Bay Boy, Orion, 1984
Don Maranzella, High Point (also known as Highpoint), New World, 1984
Lee Briscoe, Massive Retaliation, One Pass-Hammermark, 1984
Novak, Lune de miel (also known as Honeymoon), AAA-Revcom,1985
Ferenzy, Unfinished Business, American Film Institute, 1987
Host, The Hero's Journey: The World of Joseph Campbell (also known as The Hero's Journey), 1987
Kerner, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Paramount, 1988
Sparky, Skin Deep, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1989
Larrabee, The War of the Roses, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1989
Headmaster Dr. Bartram, School Ties, 1992
Frazee, The Babe, 1992
Samuel Sutherland, The Game, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, 1997
David McAndrews, Red Corner, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1997
Jack Hall, The Deep End, 2001
Never Die Twice, 2001
Television Appearances
Series
Stephen Markley, The Brighter Day, CBS, 1958
Bert Stanton, As the World Turns, CBS, 1959
Vince Conway, Moment of Truth, NBC, 1965
Arthur Raymond, Rich Man, Poor Man--Book II, ABC, 1976-77
Elmo Tyson, Flamingo Road, NBC, 1981-82
Mordecai (Mo) Sahmbi, Time Trax, 1993
William Mulder, The X-Files, Fox, 1999-96
Movies
Noel Adamson, Happiness Is a Warm Clue (also known as The Return of Charlie Chan), NBC, 1973
David Ormsby-Gore, The Missiles of October, ABC, 1974
Peter Helms, Last Hours Before Morning, NBC, 1975
Dr. Bryce, The First 36 Hours of Dr. Durant, ABC, 1975
Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf, The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case, NBC,1976
John McCain, Jr., Delta County U.S.A., ABC, 1977
Wayne Harrington, The Suicide's Wife (also known as A New Life), CBS, 1979
Ted, Fun and Games, ABC, 1980
Richard Byrne, Golden Gate, ABC, 1981
Dr. Whedon, A Matter of Life and Death, CBS, 1981
Edward James, The Princess and the Cabbie, CBS, 1981
Harold, Rona Jaffe's "Mazes and Monsters" (also known as Mazes and Monsters), CBS, 1982
Walker Garretson, Things That Go Bump in the Night (also known asChristine Cromwell: Things That Go Bump in the Night), 1989
McNaughton, Dieppe, 1993
Judge Van Owen, Seduced and Betrayed, 1995
Miniseries
Clair Montrose, Captains and the Kings, NBC, 1976
Mr. Durant, Hanging by a Thread, NBC, 1979
Admiral Beasley, Earth Star Voyager, ABC, 1988
Specials
(Television debut) Playboy, "There Once Was a Diamond Ring," Robert Montgomery Presents, NBC, 1953
I, Don Quixote, 1959
Tusenbach, The Three Sisters, CBS, 1960
Hjalmar, The Wild Duck, CBS, 1962
Painter, The Doctor's Dilemma, CBS, 1962
Scoundrel, The Diary of a Scoundrel, CBS, 1962
Heartbreak House, WNET, 1966
Title role, Cyrano de Bergerac, 1972
Zakhar Bardin, Enemies, 1974
David, Five-Finger Discount, NBC, 1977
George, "Return Engagement," The Hallmark Hall of Fame, NBC, 1978
Himself, The Making of "The China Syndrome," 1979
Narrator, The Creation of Omo, 1987
Narrator, Alpine Adventure, 1995
Episodic
Camera Three, CBS, 1957
Title role, "Hamlet," Look Up and Live, CBS, 1964
"Turnabout for Traitors," I Spy, 1968
"The Swindler," The F.B.I., 1969
"The Legacy of Miles Turner," The Young Lawyers, 1970
Robert Morgan, "No Sign of the Cross," Banacek, 1972
Oscar Cockrell, "The Prize," The Waltons, CBS, 1973
Zakhar Bardin, "Enemies," Theatre in America, PBS, 1974
Title role, "Cyrano de Bergerac," Theatre in America, PBS, 1974
"Dead Men Talk," Matt Helm, 1975
"The Klae Dynasty," The Invisible Man, 1975
"Flying Misfits: Parts 1 & 2," Baa Baa Black Sheep, 1976
Peter Russell, "Haunted Angels," Charlie's Angels, 1978
Michael Barton, "Singles," Lou Grant, 1978
Dr. Miles Pearson, Dallas, CBS, 1978
Michael Eichler, "A Little Wine with Murder?," Simon & Simon,1984
Dexter, Fortune Dane, ABC, 1986
Maurice Goodman, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, NBC, 1988
Arthur Warner, "The Condemned," Mission: Impossible, 1988
Sergei Chaloff, "From Russia ... with Blood," Murder, She Wrote, CBS, 1989
David North, "Final Curtain," Murder, She Wrote, CBS, 1993
Floyd Larkin, "The Dying Game," Murder, She Wrote, CBS, 1994
Principal Kern, "Straight and Narrow," The Outer Limits, 1995
Radio Appearances
Stephen Markley, The Brighter Day, CBS, 1955
WRITINGS
Television Writing
"Emma,"Kraft Television Theatre, NBC, 1953
The Master Builder, CBC-TV, 1963
Traveller without Luggage, CBC-TV, 1981
Also wrote (with Maria DeJong) Dr. Chekhov.

User Contributions:

David J. Grahek

⚠

If I remember correctly, Mr. Donat was in an educational series of films for the classroom as Hamlet in the mid to late 1960's. I remember using the films in my teaching college prep English literature. I don't know if the films used the 1964 CBS Look UP and Live performance. Maynard Mack may have narrated the series.

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