Ludwig Donath (6 March 1900 – 29 September 1967), was an Austrian actor who appeared in many American films.

Ludwig Donath
Donath in Jolson Sings Again (1949)
Born(1900-03-06)6 March 1900
Died29 September 1967(1967-09-29) (aged 67)
New York City, U.S.
NationalityAustrian
OccupationActor
Years active1921–1967

Life

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Born to a Jewish family,[1] Donath graduated from Vienna's Academy of Dramatic Art and became a prominent actor on the stage in Berlin. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he returned to Vienna and was active there in theater and film until the Anschluss in 1938. He began his American film career with Lady from Chungking (1942) and went on to appear in dozens of films, including Gilda (1946), The Jolson Story (1946), Jolson Sings Again (1949), The Great Caruso (1951), My Pal Gus (1952), Sirocco (1951), and Torn Curtain (1966).

Donath played the father of entertainer Al Jolson (Larry Parks) in the two biopics The Jolson Story (1946) and Jolson Sings Again (1949), although he was less than 15 years older than Parks as Jolson.

He also appeared frequently on television and on Broadway.

He died of leukemia in 1967.[2] His cremains are interred at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.[2]

Partial filmography

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Television appearances

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References

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  1. ^ Cones, John (1 April 2015). Motion Picture Biographies: The Hollywood Spin on Historical Figures. Algora. p. 33. ISBN 9781628941166.
  2. ^ a b Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. 19 August 2016. ISBN 9781476625997.
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