Robert Donat
Biography
Robert Donat was an English actor who began on the stage. Born in Withington, Manchester, he made his debut in 1921 as Lucius in Julius Caesar and later appeared at the Liverpool Playhouse and in London's West End. His breakthrough came in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), as Thomas Culpeper, and he went on to star in The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps (1935), and The Ghost Goes West (1935). He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for The Citadel (1938) and won the Academy Award for Best Actor for Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), as the schoolmaster Mr. Chips. Later films included Perfect Strangers (1945), The Winslow Boy (1948), The Magic Box (1952), Lease of Life (1954), and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958). He also managed London theaters and directed the film The Cure for Love.
53years old at death
- Born Withington
- Died London
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Friedrich Robert Donath (birth name)Also credited as Friedrich Robert Donat and Frederick Robert Donat
Movie Career
- Films
- 12
- Career span
- 25 years1933 to 1958
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A role that slipped away
Irving Thalberg, an MGM producer, spotted Donat in the London stage production Precious Bane and offered him a role in the 1932 film Smilin' Through, but Donat declined the part.
A role that slipped away
Hitchcock wanted Donat to play Edgar Brodie in Secret Agent and Detective Ted Spencer in Sabotage, but Korda would not release him. John Gielgud took the Secret Agent role and John Loder the Sabotage one.
A role that slipped away
Donat auditioned for Bill Sikes in David Lean's Oliver Twist, but Lean judged him wrong for the part and gave it to Robert Newton instead.
Robert Donat movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips1939 Drama, Romanceas Charles Edward Chipping aka 'Mr. Chips'
IMDb rating 7.912K votes
Most often with
Alexander Korda directed two of these films. Nine actors appear in two of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Elsa Lanchester's page
Richard Wattis's page
Glynis Johns's page
Roland Culver's page
Edward Chapman's page
Walter Fitzgerald's page
Alexander KordaDirector, 2 films, 1933 to 1945
All films by Alexander Korda
Also two films together3 more actors
- Athene SeylerThe Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) and The Citadel (1938)
- Frederick PiperLease of Life (1954) and The 39 Steps (1935)
- Everley GreggThe Ghost Goes West (1935) and The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Box office
What Robert Donat's films earned in cinemas worldwide.
Combined worldwide box office
$17.9 million
8 of the 12 films have a worldwide figure.
Of the 12 films: 8 worldwide figure; 4 figure not found.
- 8Worldwide figure
- 4Figure not found
Highest grossing
The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.
- 1$9.0M50.3% of the total
- 2$3.3M18.2% of the total
- 3$2.6M14.5% of the total
- 4$1.5M8.4% of the total
- 5$1.0M5.6% of the total
- 6$250K1.4% of the total
- 7$175K1.0% of the total
- 8$110K0.6% of the total
Awards
Two awards and honors, one of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | |||
| 1940 | Best Actor | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | Won |
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.