Peter Donat(1928-2018)
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
The Canadian-American actor Peter Donat had a 50-year-long career in TV,
motion pictures and theater. So respected was Donat, that
Francis Ford Coppola considered
casting him in the role of Tom Hagen in
The Godfather (1972) that went to
Robert Duvall.
The nephew of Oscar-winning actor
Robert Donat, Peter was born Pierre
Collingwood Donat on January 20, 1928 in Kentville, Nova Scotia. His
father, landscape gardener Philip Donat, was Anglo-Canadian while his
Marie (née Bardet) was French-Canadian.
In 1950, the 22-year-old Donat moved to the United States to study
drama at Yale. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Donat frequently
returned to Canada for acting work, appearing in the lead in a 1961
production of Donald Jack's play
"The Canvas Barricade" at the Stratford Festival. He was also in the
Canadian TV serial
Moment of Truth (1964), which
was broadcast on commercial TV in the States.
Peter Donat was married for 16 years to Emmy-winning actor
Michael Learned. The couple, who
divorced in 1972, had three children: Caleb, Christopher, and Lucas.
motion pictures and theater. So respected was Donat, that
Francis Ford Coppola considered
casting him in the role of Tom Hagen in
The Godfather (1972) that went to
Robert Duvall.
The nephew of Oscar-winning actor
Robert Donat, Peter was born Pierre
Collingwood Donat on January 20, 1928 in Kentville, Nova Scotia. His
father, landscape gardener Philip Donat, was Anglo-Canadian while his
Marie (née Bardet) was French-Canadian.
In 1950, the 22-year-old Donat moved to the United States to study
drama at Yale. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Donat frequently
returned to Canada for acting work, appearing in the lead in a 1961
production of Donald Jack's play
"The Canvas Barricade" at the Stratford Festival. He was also in the
Canadian TV serial
Moment of Truth (1964), which
was broadcast on commercial TV in the States.
Peter Donat was married for 16 years to Emmy-winning actor
Michael Learned. The couple, who
divorced in 1972, had three children: Caleb, Christopher, and Lucas.