Born March 18, 1905 in Manchester, England, Robert Donat‘s carefully honed speaking voice was a result of the elocution lessons he took as a boy to overcome a terrible stammer. Unfortunately, he never outgrew his other childhood affliction, an asthmatic condition that caused him to turn down more film roles than he accepted.
On stage from the age of 16, was playing Shakespeare from 1924 and made his screen debut in 1932, having married first wife Ella Hall in 1929 with whom he had three children.
Donat gained prominence with his portrayal of the doomed Thomas Culpepper in Alexander Korda’s 1933 hit, The Private Life of Henry VIII. Brought to Hollywood to star in the acclaimed 1934 film version of The Count of Monte Cristo, he was offered the lead in Captain Blood but turned it down as he was unhappy with the Hollywood lifestyle and wanted to return to England where he then made Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, one of his most celebrated films.
If Hollywood wanted him, and they did, they would have to come to England where he made The Ghost Goes West opposite Jean Parker; Knight Without Armor opposite Marlene Dietrich and The Citadel opposite Rosalind Russell, all of which were great successes, the latter earning him his first Oscar nomination.
Donat then starred in the film version of James Hilton’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips which introduced Greer Garson to American audiences. It brought him a second Oscar nomination and the Oscar itself. He sent his wife and three children to America at the outbreak of World War II while he stayed in England, making just two films during the duration: 1939’s Young Mr. Pitt and 1943’s The Adventures of Tartu. His son John played a key role as one of the students in Jean Renoir’s 1943 classic, This Land Is Mine.
He starred in one of the first, and best, post-war British films, 1945’s Vacation from Marriage opposite rising star Deborah Kerr. Still in England, while his wife and children were still in the States, he and Hall were divorced in 1946, after which he made several more British films, most notably 1948’s The Winslow Boy and 1951’s The Magic Box.
Married to British actress Renée Asherson 1953, he was back in the U.S. for a couple of live TV appearances in 1956 but returned to England for his final screen appearance in support of Ingrid Bergman in 1958’s The Inn of the Sixth Happiness for which he posthumously received a National Board of Review award and a Golden Globe nomination.
Donat died June 9, 1958 at 53 shortly after completing his role as the Chinese mandarin in The Inn of the Sixth Happiness. His last line in the film was the prophetic “We shall not see each other again, I think. Farewell, Jean-Ai (the one who loves people).” Although his death was at first attributed to chronic asthma, his autopsy revealed an undiagnosed brain tumor.
Donat’s nephew, the Canadian born Peter Donat, carries on the acting tradition. Peter’s son Lucas, by first wife Michael Learned, is remembered as William Holden’s son in 1978’s Damien: Omen II. Married to Helen Reddy’s daughter since 1983, their daughter, Reddy’s granddaughter, was featured in I Am Woman, the 2019 biography of the singer of the singer who died in 2020.
Renée Asherson, Donat’s widow, died in 2024 at 99. Her last film was 2001’s The Others.
ESSENTIAL FILMS
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (1934), directed by Rowland V. Lee
One of the first and best literary adaptations of the early talkie era, Donat stars as Edmund Dantes in this powerful version of Alexandre Dumas’ classic. No version has ever been as effective as this one thanks mainly to Donat’s uncompromising performance as the wronged man doling out revenge to the men who framed him for a crime he didn’t commit. Judy Garland’s fan letter to Donat for this performance was the basis of her classic star making “You Made Me Love You” short in which she sings the song to a photograph of Clark Gable, MGM having over-ruled her wish to sing the song to Donat.
THE 39 STEPS (1935), directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock’s best- and best-known British film owes as much to Donat’s performance as it does to Hitchcock’s crafty direction. The film contains many unforgettable scenes as Donat plays Hitchcock’s quintessential innocent caught in a web of intrigue. Standout players include Lucie Mannheim and Peggy Ashcroft, but it’s Donat’s scenes with co-star Madeleine Carroll that really sizzle. Legend has it that Hitchcock introduced the stars to one another by handcuffing them for the first scene to be filmed and then pretending to lose the key so the two would have to stay shackled to each other for hours.
THE CITADEL (1938), directed by King Vidor
A.J. Cronin’s novel about a crusading doctor was a literary sensation and MGM’s British studios pulled out all the stops to make it one the year’s best films, earning top honors form the New York Film Critics and receiving four Oscar nominations including one for Donat. Playing a Scottish doctor who loses his way when he becomes caught up in the London high life, Donat received strong support from Rosalind Russell as his wife and Ralph Richardson as an old friend, both of whom urge him to return to his humble beginnings, something he does only after one of them is tragically killed.
GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (1939), directed by Sam Wood
Donat’s best remembered role as the shy, awkward schoolteacher who becomes a beloved institution late in life, was tailor-made for the actor. Donat’s lovely co-star Greer Garson became an immediate sensation but it’s Donat’s film from start to finish. Its universal appeal goes beyond that of the standard tribute to a beloved schoolteacher. It also delivers a “never give up” message to its audience as Donat’s Mr. Chipping (“Chips” for short), doesn’t attain his greatest acknowledgment until long after the death of his wife and the emergence of war making him the only plausible headmaster, after which he officially retires but remains active.
VACATION FROM MARRIAGE (1945), directed by Alexander Korda
Donat is back in Mr. Chips mode as a shy banker and Deborah Kerr, still not yet a full-fledged star, is equally compelling as his mousy wife. The two go about their daily routines in a hum-drum manner until the outbreak of World War II when both are called to duty. Both are changed by the war. He has an affair with the lovely Ann Todd. She undergoes a transformation expedited by perky Glynis Johns. Assuming the other is as stodgy as he/she was when they last saw each other, both are determined to divorce until they meet and fall in love all over again.
ROBERT DONAT AND OSCAR
The Citadel (1938) – nominated Best Actor
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) – Oscar – Best Actor
