Yet while Thorne might struggle with his rebellion (he becomes the centre of attention for newspaper reports and scandal), the film ultimately supports his belief. His role as the Mandarin in ‘Inn of 6th Happiness’ was actually a gift. Through her work she wins their respect and affection, and that of the Mandarin and Captain Lin (Curd Jürgens). His fragility was poignantly obvious on screen, and he died shortly after the film was finished. His portrayal of individualist Canadian Richard Hannay--which registered with North Americans both above and below the 49th parallel--in "Steps" was the first of such popular characters.

Lastly, links found in submitted comments will generally be deleted. Directed by King Vidor. We are asked to accept Bergman as an English woman, Robert Donat as a Chinese man, Curd Jürgens as a Eurasian who supposedly looks more Chinese than white, and Snowdonia as China. Robert Donat, Actor: The 39 Steps. Gladys Aylward believed God had called her to be a missionary in China, but her background as a domestic servant meant she was unqualified to go through the official channels. My late father was of that generation. Hello, Andrew, “The Magic Box” was shown on Turner Classic Movies here in the US just a few weeks ago. He suffered from chronic asthma, which affected his career and limited him to appearing in only 20 films..   His IMDb page shows 21 acting credits from 1932 to 1958. Yet the villagers also seem satisfied that Thorne has woken up in this way: we see several parishioners pleased to see energy and passion in their reverend, not the more standard cheerful resignation. (1933). We’ve been really encouraged by the all the lovely things you’ve said, and you’ll be delighted to hear we have many exciting plans for the New Year.

The Inn Of The Sixth Happiness I saw it a long time ago, but now I have it on DVD. And since he was never bad, and given the other bizarre casting, he did pretty damn well. Considering his current obscurity – “debonair” and “charming” are uncool qualities nowadays – and the fact that I’m always disagreeing with everybody, it should come as no surprise that Donat is one of my favorite actors of the 1930s and 1940s. I remember thinking that the best thing about the movie were the myriad cameos. Approved third parties also use these tools in connection with our display of ads. Or perhaps I lack stamina? His other handicap, acute asthma, did not deter him. 1935, The Count Of Monte Cristo Thanks for this page, Andre. 1932, The Cure For Love But there is something of a myth that since both pictures were from MGM and "Wind" had so many nominations (including best actor, actress, and picture), MGM head and strongman Louis B. Mayer used his weight to spread the wealth toward "Chips". With Robert Donat, Rosalind Russell, Ralph Richardson, Rex Harrison. Because it is the most real. Be aware. Sort Robert Donat movies by his co-stars 1943, The Young Mr. Pitt

He was broke and I believe Ingrid Bergman paid for his insurance to be on the set. I’ll have to see that one - I thought it might be a bit too Hollywood Studio.

1936, The 39 Steps All Movies of Robert Donat. Robert Donat's pleasant voice and somewhat neutral English accent were carefully honed as a boy ... Born: March 18, 1905 Died: June 9, 1958 (age 53) 1949, The Winslow Boy Sort Robert Donat movies by his co-stars Sort Robert Donat movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost. So, the film is a complex mess of morals and actions, not all of them coherent. For even more, visit our Guide to Horror ... if you dare. And at its heart lie committed performances from Donat, Walsh and Corri that struggle with the material, but provide the coherence that the film might otherwise lack. Abusive/bigoted, trollish/inflammatory, spammy/self-promotional, baseless (spreading mis- or disinformation), and/or just plain deranged comments will be zapped, and, if we deem appropriate, reported. Gotta check it out again. All Movies of Robert Donat. Donat was born in Withington, Manchester, the fourth and youngest son of Ernst Emil Donat, a civil engineer of German origin from Prussian Poland, and his wife, Rose Alice Green. I really like him in “The Winslow Boy,” but I have a soft spot for his Count of Monte Cristo. 70 Actors Who Haved Appeared in Marvel and DC Movies, October 2nd – Newest Page – Oliver Reed Movies, Career Adjusted Domestic Box Office Leaders, Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020). Donat's style of acting, whether comic or dramatic, was usually reserved, with the subtleties of face and voice being his talents to complement the role.

However, that was not the only battle he was fighting. 10 and favorite the inn of the 6th happiness. (1933).

He is obviously not well. At the age of 16 he began performing Shakespeare and other classic roles in a number of repertory and touring companies throughout Britain. He was that kind of actor (and, no doubt, that kind of man). So, she saved her wages and went at her own expense, arriving at Yang Cheng to work with experienced elderly missionary Jeannie Lawson (Athene Seyler) and her servant Yang (Peter Chong) at the Inn of the Sixth Happiness. – but there are no real suspects or tension here.

Thank you, Andre, for highlighting the work and career of the wonderful Robert Donat. 9 the private life of henry the eigth. The film counterpoints the performance with some comic moments of editing: one of the schoolboys in the audience is shown hiding a copy of Alias the Saint inside his hymnbook, before he becomes more interested in Thorne’s words; equally, the shocked expressions on the senior members of the Cathedral and school, and the resigned quality of Vera’s face, are a useful balance to Thorne’s eloquence. Not qualified to be sent there as a missionary, Gladys works as a domestic to earn the money to send herself to a poor, remote village. Actor . Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time. Usually we feel pretty good in our calculations. His new practice does badly. 1958, Lease Of Life

Withington, Manchester, England, UK, June 9, His fragility was poignantly obvious on screen, and he died shortly after the film was finished. Mandarin Ainsley Fothergill BIRTHDAY 1905-03-18 .

Andrew Manson (Robert Donat), a young, enthusiastic doctor takes his first job in a Welsh mining town, and begins to wonder at the persistent cough many of the miners have. If you continue browsing, that means you've accepted our Terms of Use/use of cookies. At the heart of Lease of Life is a simple story, and a simple man: Reverend William Thorne (Donat) is safe and predictable, a dull but loveable figure who bores the children in his small village church of Hinton St John and barely has money to support himself, his wife Vera (Kay Walsh) and daughter Susan (Adrienne Corri).

1947, Vacation From Marriage For modern viewers more used to the association of Ealing Studios with their succession of comedies from the late 1940s and early 1950s (the likes of The Lavender Hill Mob, 1949, or The Man in the White Suit, 1951), Lease of Life can be a challenging film: often slow-moving, episodic, and with a late narrative event that can feel out of keeping with the characters that have been built up throughout. William Pitt/Earl of Chatham Gladys Aylward seems to have had it, and so did Robert Donat. I too, enjoyed Donat and just had the pleasure of introducing my sister to the 39 Steps. That was the very first Robert Donat film I saw. 1945, Adventures Of Tartu

1937, The Ghost Goes West (With a nod to hindsight, it is hard to think of anyone but a fresh-faced Flynn doing the role.) Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information. 1939, The Citadel

I have some catching up to do. (One of the parts he declined was the title role in Captain Blood, which turned Errol Flynn into a major star.). The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), a Twentieth Century Fox production shot in the UK, was Donat's final film. It was a career for Robert Donat that should have gone on, yet it was filled with many notable screen memories just the same. © 2020 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. His other handicap, acute asthma, did not deter him. Jack mandarin in his last movie, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), but he was stiff-upper-lippedly flawless in the title role in Rowland V. Lee’s The Count of Monte Cristo (1934), as the hero running for his life in the absurd but fast-moving The 39 Steps, and especially as the effete barrister in Terence Rattigan’s excellent The Winslow Boy (1948). But we freely admit…we are standing on thin ice on this page. Stay here … for a little. There was a hint of whimsy in Donat's face that worked especially well with the sophisticated comedic elements that crept into several of his dramatic roles. Thorne is moral, abstemious and restrained, and Donat plays him with a world-weariness that is visible in his every action, but particularly in his lined and expressive face (while it is tempting to link Donat’s appearance here to his illness, as I did in an earlier blog post, Gill has pointed out that he was made-up for the role). Goodbye Mr Chips and 39 Steps are his best known roles but The Winslow boy is my favourite. Richard Hannay Hollywood would be treated in kind, for Donat was more dedicated to stage work. Hitchcock attempted to land Donat for three other roles, Sabotage (1936) and Secret Agent (1936) and Rebecca (1940), but illness, commitments, and more illness, respectively, supposedly kept Donat from accepting each. In 1924 he joined Sir Frank Benson's repertory company, and later he was with the Liverpool Repertory Theater.