Arthur Donaldson (5 April 186928 September 1955), was a Swedish-American actor and opera singer. He appeared in 71 films between 1910 and 1934.

Biography

Donaldson was born in

Norsholm Norsholm () is a locality situated in Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 615 inhabitants in 2010. It lies around 15 kilometres southwest of Norrköping. Norsholm lies on the E4 and Göta kanal. There are not man ...

, Sweden. His father was a sea captain, and his mother was an actress. He was educated at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Stockholm. He moved to the United States at the age of fourteen and quickly became a prolific actor on stage. He made his film debut in 1910. Donaldson debuted on stage when he was 7 years old, performing in ''Uncle Brown's Leather Couch'' at the Stora Theatre in Norr Koping, Swededn. He first performed on stage in the United States in 1890 as part of a Swedish company. Donaldson moved from theatrical productions to singing, first with the Duff Opera Company and then performing in a concert tour with Emma Cecilia Thursby. He returned to acting in 1893, organizing a Swedish stock company in Brooklyn, New York. The troupe moved to Chicago in 1894. In 1903, Donaldson created the title role in ''The Prince of Pilsen'' with the Tivoli Opera Company in San Francisco. Donaldson sang the role for four consecutive seasons, a total of 1,345 performances. He worked for

Kalem Company The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to ...

under the direction of

Sidney Olcott Sidney Olcott (born John Sidney Allcott, September 20, 1872 – December 16, 1949) was a Canadian-born film producer, director, actor and screenwriter. Biography Born John Sidney Allcott in Toronto, he became one of the first great direc ...

. During the summer of 1911, he went to Ireland with the O'Kalems, a stage company, to shoot films. They settled in Beaufort, Co Kerry, where they made 13 films, directed by Olcott. Among them: '' Rory O'More'', ''

The Colleen Bawn ''The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen'' is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Laura Keene's Theatre, New York, on 27 March 1860 with Laura Keene playing Anne Chute and Boucicaul ...

'' in which he played a priest, '' The Fishermaid of Ballydavid'', and '' Arrah-na-Pogue''. After Ireland, he returned briefly to Sweden, appearing in operettas at

Oscarsteatern Oscarsteatern ( English: Oscar Theatre), also known simply as Oscars, is one of Stockholm's private theatres and is the best-known musical theatre in Sweden. It is located at Kungsgatan 63 in central Stockholm. History The theater was designed i ...

and making two Swedish films (one as director) before going back to America. He also directed ''Domen'' (1924), a Swedish-language

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, a version of ''Retribution'', in the DeForest

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process ...

process. Upon his return to the U.S., he worked again with

in films such as ''

A Mother of Men ''A Mother of Men'' is a 1914 American silent film produced by Sid Films and distributed by Warner's Features. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Valentine Grant and Arthur Donaldson in the leading roles. Cast * Valentine Grant - * Arthur ...

'' (1914), '' The Irish in America'' (1915), shot in 1914 in Ireland, '' The Moth and the Flame'' (1915), and '' The Ghost of Twisted Oaks'' (1915). In the 1920s, Robert G. Vignola, became director for

Cosmopolitan Productions Cosmopolitan Productions, also often referred to as Cosmopolitan Pictures, was an American film company based in New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United State ...

. Donaldson played in '' When Knighthood Was in Flower'' (1922) and '' Yolanda'', both with

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

. He also acted in ''

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territor ...

'', directed by

D.W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...

. Donaldson was married to Florence Walcott, a prima donna with the Metropolitan Opera and with the Aborn Grand Opera Company. He died in a hospital in

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

on 28 September 1955. He is buried at

Kensico Cemetery Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city. Initially , it was ...

Partial filmography

*'' The Conspiracy of Pontiac'' – The Indian Chief *''

A Lad from Old Ireland ''The Lad from Old Ireland'', also called ''A Lad from Old Ireland'', is a one-reel 1910 United States, American motion picture directed by and starring Sidney Olcott and written by and co-starring Gene Gauntier. It was the first film appearance ...

'' (1910) – The Priest *'' Rory O'More'' (1911) – Father O'Brien *''

'' (1911) – Father Tom *'' The Fishermaid of Ballydavid'' (1911) – Kathleen's father *'' Arrah-na-Pogue'' (1911) – O'Grady *'' The Atheist'' (1913) – A Clergyman *'' The Day of Days'' (1914) *''

'' (1914) *'' The Idle Rich'' (1914) *''

Tricking the Government ''Tricking the Government'' is a 1914 American silent film produced by Sid Films and distributed by Warner's Features. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Valentine Grant and Arthur Donaldson in the leading roles. Cast * Valentine Grant - ...

'' (1914) *'' The Moth and the Flame'' (1915) – Mr Walton *'' The Irish in America'' (1915) – Kerry Bay *'' The Ghost of Twisted Oaks'' (1915) – The Snake charmer *'' Enlighten Thy Daughter'' (1917) * ''

The Danger Trail ''The Danger Trail'' is a 1917 American silent adventure film directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring H.B. Warner, Violet Heming and Lawson Butt. It is based on the 1910 novel of the same title by James Oliver Curwood. It is a Northern ...

'' (1917) *''

His Own People ''His Own People'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by William P. S. Earle and starring Harry T. Morey, Gladys Leslie, Arthur Donaldson, William R. Dunn, and Betty Blythe. The film was released by Vitagraph Company of America on D ...

'' (1917) – Shamus Reilly * '' The Green God'' (1918) * '' Over the Top'' (1918) *''

The Golden Goal ''The Golden Goal'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Paul Scardon, written by Garfield Thompson and Lawrence McCloskey. The film stars Harry T. Morey, Florence Deshon, and Jean Paige Jean Paige (born Lucille Beatrice O'H ...

'' (1918) * '' The A.B.C. of Love'' (1919) * ''

Atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ...

'' (1919) *'' The Undercurrent'' (1919) *''

A Modern Salome ''A Modern Salome'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film directed by Leonce Perret and starring Hope Hampton. It was produced and distributed by Metro Pictures. The film is based on the 1891 Oscar Wilde play ''Salome''. A display adve ...

'' (1920) * ''

Is Life Worth Living? ''Is Life Worth Living?'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Alan Crosland and starring Eugene O'Brien, Winifred Westover and Arthur Housman.Monaco p.139 Cast * Eugene O'Brien as Melville Marley * Winifred Westover as Lois Mas ...

'' (1921) * '' Gilded Lies'' (1921) * '' The Rider of the King Log'' (1921) *'' The Silver Lining'' (1921) *''

The Passionate Pilgrim ''The Passionate Pilgrim'' (1599) is an anthology of 20 poems collected and published by William Jaggard that were attributed to "W. Shakespeare" on the title page, only five of which are considered authentically Shakespearean. These are two ...

'' (1921) *'' Find the Woman'' (1922) *'' When Knighthood Was in Flower'' (1922) *'' Yolanda'' (1924) *''

'' (1924) *''

For Woman's Favor ''For Woman's Favor'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by O. A. C. Lund and starring Seena Owen and Henry Hull. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Howard Fiske finds himself penniless and disillusioned and deserted by ...

'' (1924) *'' The Bandolero'' (1924) *'' The Swan'' (1925) *'' Fifty-Fifty'' (1925) * ''

Down Upon the Suwanee River ''Down Upon the Suwanee River'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Lem F. Kennedy and starring Charles Emmett Mack, Mary Thurman and Arthur Donaldson.Hunter p.252 The spelling of the film's titled varied with uses of both ''Swanee'' ...

'' (1925) *'' Love 'Em and Leave 'Em'' (1926) * ''

Wives at Auction ''Wives at Auction'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Elmer Clifton and starring Edna Murphy, Gaston Glass and Arthur Donaldson.Munden p.913 It was shot at the Tec-Art Studio. Synopsis Violet Kingston is rescued from an att ...

'' (1926) * '' The Winning Oar'' (1927) * '' The Broadway Drifter'' (1927)

References

Sources

* ''Hvar 8 dag'' (Swedish illustrated weekly magazine) no. 52 1911 * Svensk filmdatabas (Swedish film database) at the website of the

Swedish Film Institute The Swedish Film Institute ( sv, Svenska Filminstitutet) was founded in 1963 to support and develop the Swedish film industry. The institute is housed in the ''Filmhuset'' building located in Gärdet, Östermalm in Stockholm. The building, c ...

External links

* 1869 births 1955 deaths Swedish emigrants to the United States American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Norrköping Municipality Burials at Kensico Cemetery {{US-film-actor-1860s-stub