Robert donat biography book
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A ‘northern comedy’ set in Lancashire and written by a Mancunian, it greatly appealed to RD who was himself a son of Manchester. I'm left wondering what he would have said about this book! If you don't know about the life of Robert Donat and don't wish to, don't read on ...
Robert Donat was one of England's finest stage and screen actors, and was tremendously admired during his lifetime.
RD revives his original Withington accent, and if you listen carefully you can hear hints of the stammer his more polished accent cured.
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Please visit https://waltergreenwoodnotjustloveonthedole.com/walter-greenwoods-creative-partnerships/ for more on Walter Greenwood and RD.
Tags: comedy, Dora Bryan, Lancashire, Manchester, Renee Asherson, Renown Films, Robert Donat, Talking Pictures TV, The Cure for Love, Thora Hird, Walter Greenwood, WW2
An engaging journey through the life of one of Britain’s most beloved actors
From a delicate boy in Withington, Manchester—more drawn to books and art than boisterous games—to the commanding presence of Mr.
Chips on the silver screen, Robert Donat’s life was a quiet triumph of talent, sincerity, and resilience. It is, as I commented whilst reading it, like stepping back in time. To bring the film to fruition, RD funded it himself with his fee from The Winslow Boy, and in 1949 it was completed and screened. She also describes how his personality drew people to love his performances.
RD chose to take on the play as part of his tenure as actor-manager at the Westminster. Though the run of the play at the Westminster was not financially successful, RD began to think of it as a film venture in which he could achieve an ambition: to be director, producer, writer and star. Though not a huge critical success, it was very popular with filmgoers, and, if comments on this website are indicative, it is very fondly remembered by those who saw it.
For many years, it has not been possible to watch it, aside from a screening of a damaged nitrate print by the BFI in 2005. We are left with just 20 films (though he also left sublime recordings of poetry), and he didn't manage to undertake all the stage roles he coveted.
The film work he did stands the test of time marvellously well, and he is best remembered today for his wonderful Oscar-winning performance in 'Goodbye Mr Chips' (1939).
This short biography traces his remarkable path from his first stage role as Lucius in Julius Caesar at the Prince of Wales
Theatre in 1921, to his West End breakthrough in George Bernard Shaw’s St. Joan, and onward to cinematic immortality.
With a voice that introduced King George VI in BBC’s Christmas broadcasts and a face that lit up classics like The Count of Monte Cristo, The Ghost Goes West, and The 39 Steps, Donat became a symbol of British grace and emotional depth.
His Oscar-winning performance in Goodbye, Mr.
Chips remains one of the most tender portrayals in film history.
Yet behind the acclaim lay a man often interrupted by illness—his lifelong struggle with asthma shadowed his career, forcing him into retreat just as he reached new heights.
His widow, Renee Asherson, contributes a very touching piece to the book where she describes how 'the crust of worldliness' never grew on Donat.
Also in the cast was Renee Asherson, who later became RD’s second wife. Yet Donat was a highly sensitive man (the double edged sword: what made him such a fine actor also made his life very difficult) and was given to doubting his abilities, and taking to heart criticism from others (though he was always his own worst critic). I'd love to see it back in print, to honour this wonderful actor.
And yet, I feel privileged to have had this insight into the life and personality of this wonderfully talented, charismatic, complex man. He worried about his health affecting his work, and the worry made his health decline ...