Ted Donaldson
Ted Donaldson | |
|---|---|
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| Born | August 20, 1933 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | March 1, 2023 (aged 89) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1937–1976 |
Ted Donaldson (August 20, 1933 – March 1, 2023) was an American actor.
Early years
[edit]Born in Brooklyn, New York, Donaldson was the son of singer-composer Will Donaldson and Josephine M. Donaldson née Plant. His mother died when he was 4+1⁄2 months old.[1] His stepmother was radio organist and composer Muriel Pollock.[2] He attended the Professional Children's School in New York City.[3]
Career
[edit]Donaldson began his acting career in December 1937 when he appeared in an NBC radio show.[3] In 1941, he played Tiny Tim in a week-long serialized version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol that was presented on Wheatena Playhouse.[4]
As an 8-year-old, Donaldson portrayed Harlan in the Broadway stage production of Life With Father.[5] In 1943, he performed alongside Gregory Peck in the play Sons and Soldiers.[2]
The performance led to a starring role as Arthur "Pinky" Thompson in his first movie, Once Upon a Time (1944), opposite Cary Grant and Janet Blair. Columbia Pictures put him under contract after the film was finished. In 1945, Donaldson was cast in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which marked the directorial debut of Elia Kazan.[2]
Donaldson also starred as Danny Mitchell in the 1940s Rusty series of eight films about a German Shepherd dog.[2]
From 1949 to 1954, he played Bud, the son of Robert Young's character in the radio version of Father Knows Best.[6] He was offered the same role on the television version of the series, but turned it down, saying, "I didn't want to be typed. I didn't want to be a 21-year-old playing a 15- or 16-year-old kid. I wanted to do other things."[2] As an adult, he recalled that "one of the two or three most stupid things I have not done because not only would the salary have been very nice for five years, but the residuals would have also."[2]
He retired from acting in 1976.
As an adult, Donaldson worked as an acting teacher and as a bookseller.[7] In his later years, Donaldson gave a number of interviews about his film career.[8]
In January 2023, Donaldson suffered a fall in his Echo Park apartment. He died of complications from the fall on March 1, 2023, at the age of 89.[7]
Filmography
[edit]- Once Upon a Time (1944) as Arthur "Pinky" Thompson
- Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944) as Barry
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) as Neeley Nolan
- A Guy, a Gal and a Pal (1945)
- Adventures of Rusty (1945) as Danny Mitchell
- The Return of Rusty (1946)
- Personality Kid (1946)
- For the Love of Rusty (1947) as Danny Mitchell
- The Son of Rusty (1947)
- The Red Stallion (1947) as Joel Curtis
- My Pal (1947)
- Pal's Adventure (1948)
- My Dog Rusty (1948)
- Rusty Leads the Way (1948)
- The Decision of Christopher Blake (1948)
- Rusty Saves a Life (1949)
- The Green Promise (1949) as Phineas Matthews
- Rusty's Birthday (1949)
- Phone Call from a Stranger (1952)
- Flight Nurse (1953) (uncredited)
- Wiggle Your Ears (1956) (uncredited)
References
[edit]- ^ "Josephine M. Donaldson (nee Plant) obituary". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1933-12-28. p. 11. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
- ^ a b c d e f Goldrup, Tom; Goldrup, Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television. McFarland. pp. 57–66. ISBN 9780786412549. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
- ^ a b Collura, Joe (September 2016). "Ted Donaldson: A Natural". Classic Images (495): 76–81.
- ^ "Holiday Serial". Broadcasting. December 15, 1941. p. 28. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
- ^ "Pop's New Boys". Daily News. New York. March 29, 1941. p. 21 B. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 243–244. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (2023-03-03). "Ted Donaldson, Young Actor in 'Father Knows Best' and 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,' Dies at 89". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-10.
- ^ Interview with Ted Donaldson from 2019 at YouTube
Sources
[edit]- Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, pp. 184–185.
- Best, Marc (1971). Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen. South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co. pp. 74–79.
External links
[edit]- Ted Donaldson at IMDb
- ‹The template AllMovie name is being considered for deletion.› Ted Donaldson at AllMovie
- Ted Donaldson discography at Discogs
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