Robert Donat
Biography
Robert Donat, born Friedrich Robert Donat on 18 March 1905 in Withington, Manchester, England, was a British film and stage actor. He worked under the name “Frie” as an alternative credit. Over his career he accumulated twenty‑nine credited performances. Donat is especially remembered for his leading roles in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller The 39 Steps (1935) and the romantic drama Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), the latter earning him the Academy Award for Best Actor. He died on 9 June 1958 in London at the age of 53. His contributions to cinema and theatre are documented in several film databases and biographical sources.
Career overview
Robert Donat, born Friedrich Robert Donat on 18 March 1905 in Withington, Manchester, England, was an English actor who worked extensively on both stage and screen. He was sometimes credited as “Frie” and is recorded as having appeared in twenty‑nine credited productions.
Donat’s film career included leading roles in the Alfred Hitchcock thriller The 39 Steps (1935) and the romantic drama Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939). His performance in Goodbye, Mr. Chips, in which he starred opposite Greer Garson, earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1939. These films remain the most frequently cited examples of his work.
He died on 9 June 1958 in London at the age of 53. His legacy endures as that of a prominent English film and stage actor of the 1930s and 1940s.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
32 titles- 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year (2009) as Self (archive footage)
- A Profile of Hitchcock: The Early Years (2000) as Self (archive footage)
- Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage (1983) as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- That's Entertainment, Part II (1976) as (archive footage)
- The Men Who Made the Movies: King Vidor (1973) as Self (archive footage)
- Hollywood: The Dream Factory (1972) as Self (archive footage)
- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) as The Mandarin of Yang Cheng
- Lease of Life (1954) as Rev William Thorne
- The Magic Box (1952) as William Friese-Greene
- The Cure for Love (1949) as Sergeant Jack Hardacre
- The Cure for Love (1949) Director
- The Cure for Love (1949) Writer
- The Cure for Love (1949) Producer
- The Winslow Boy (1948) as Sir Robert Morton
- Captain Boycott (1947) as Charles Stewart Parnell
- Perfect Strangers (1945) as Robert Wilson
- Twenty Years After (1944) as (archive footage)
- The Adventures of Tartu (1943) as Captain Terence Stevenson, aka Jan Tartu
- The New Lot (1943) as Actor
- The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) as William Pitt / The Earl of Chatham
- A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound (1940) as Self
- Cavalcade of the Academy Awards (1940) as Self (archive footage)
- Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) as Charles Edward Chipping aka 'Mr. Chips'
- The Citadel (1938) as Dr. Andrew Manson
- Knight Without Armour (1937) as Ainsley J. Fothergill / Peter Ouronov
- The 39 Steps (1935) as Richard Hannay
- The Ghost Goes West (1935) as Murdoch Glourie / Donald Glourie
- The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) as Edmond Dantes
- Cash (1933) as Paul Martin
- The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) as Thomas Culpeper
- That Night in London (1932) as Dick Warren
- Men of Tomorrow (1932) as Julian Angell
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Robert Donat best known for?
Robert Donat is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including That's Entertainment, Part II (1976), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), The Magic Box (1952), The 39 Steps (1935).
When and where was Robert Donat born?
Robert Donat was born on March 18, 1905 in Withington, Manchester, England, UK. They passed away on June 9, 1958.
How many credits does Robert Donat have?
Robert Donat has accumulated over 32 film and television credits across a career spanning from 1932 to 2009.
What is Robert Donat's background in cinema and television?
Robert Donat, born Friedrich Robert Donat on 18 March 1905 in Withington, Manchester, England, was a British film and stage actor. He worked under the name “Frie” as an alternative credit. Over his career he accumulated twenty‑nine credited performances. Donat is especially remembered for his leading roles in Alfred Hi...
Robert Donat by the numbers
Age in their best-rated roles
- The 39 Steps (1935) as Richard Hannay — aged about 30
- That's Entertainment, Part II (1976) as (archive footage) — aged about 71
- The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958) as The Mandarin of Yang Cheng — aged about 53
- The Magic Box (1952) as William Friese-Greene — aged about 47
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