Donald McClelland (September 29, 1903 – November 15, 1955), who was also known as Donald C. McClelland in certain stage performances, was an American actor, stage performer and a former child actor.

Career

Stage

McClelland began his career as a stage performer at the age of 12. His first

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

play was a stage adaptation of the classic tale of

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

in 1915. This was the start of an enduring career in Broadway and on stage. The next play McClelland appeared was the play ''A Night at Avignon''. The play was performed in 1919. Some of McClelland's other plays he performed in include ''Sylvia'', ''Back Here'', ''Scarlet Pages'', ''Lady Beyond the Moon'', ''The Mask and the Face'', ''

Ah, Wilderness! ''Ah, Wilderness!'' is a comedy play by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on October 2, 1933. It differs from a typical O'Neill play in its happy ending for the central character, and depiction o ...

'', ''To My Husband'', ''The Night Before Christmas'', ''Yankee Point'', ''Make Yourself at Home'', ''

State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a Joint session of the United States Congress, joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning ...

'', ''

Miss Liberty ''Miss Liberty'' is a 1949 Broadway musical with a book by Robert E. Sherwood and music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. It is based on the sculpting of the Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World'') in 1886. The score includes the son ...

'', ''Our West of Eighth'', and ''Mid-Summer''. McClelland made his last stage appearance with the play ''Anniversary Waltz''. The play opened on April 7, 1954, at the

Broadhurst Theatre The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...

and closed at the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the It ...

on September 24, 1955. The play gave a total of 611 performances.

Film

Two years later, McClelland, who was 14 at the time, appeared in his first film continuing his career as a child actor. The film was entitled ''Knights of the Square Table''. The film was a silent drama released on July 23, 1917. McClelland played the minor role of Billy in the film. McClelland also did a

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

entitled ''Mother Takes a Holiday'' in 1952. He played the role of Charlie Danning in the short.

Television

McClelland made his first television appearance in 1950 on the

anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...

Armstrong Circle Theatre ''Armstrong Circle Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series which ran from June 6, 1950, to June 25, 1957, on NBC, and from October 2, 1957, to August 28, 1963, on CBS. It alternated weekly with '' The United States Steel Ho ...

''. Some of his other television appearances include ''

Robert Montgomery Presents ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series which was produced by NBC from January 30, 1950, until June 24, 1957. The Live television, live show had several sponsors during its eight-year run ...

'', '' Studio One'', ''

Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...

'', and ''

The Philco Television Playhouse ''The Philco Television Playhouse'' is an American television anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC from 1948 to 1955. Produced by Fred Coe, the series was sponsored by Philco. It was one of the most respected dramatic shows of the ...

''. McClelland co-starred with

Darren McGavin Darren McGavin (born William Lyle Richardson; May 7, 1922 – February 25, 2006) was an American actor. McGavin began his career working as a set painter for Columbia Pictures. In 1954, he originated roles in Broadway productions of '' My Three ...

and Jan Miner on the television series ''

Casey, Crime Photographer ''Casey, Crime Photographer'' (also known as ''Crime photographer''; ''Flashgun Casey''; ''Casey, Press Photographer''; ''Stephen Bristol, Crime Photographer'') was an American media franchise that lasted from the 1930s until the 1960s. Created b ...

''. The series aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

from 1951 to 1952. McClelland played the role of Captain Logan on the show.

Personal life

McClelland was married once but was divorced in 1930.

Death

McClelland died on November 15, 1955, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Filmography

Stage work

* ''Peter Pan'' (1915) * ''A Night at Avignon'' (1919) * ''Sylvia'' (1923) * ''White Collars'' (1925) * ''Fast Life'' (1928) * ''Back Here'' (1928) * ''Scarlet Pages'' (1929) * ''Lady Beyond the Moon'' (1931) * ''The Mask and the Face'' (1933) * ''

'' (1933) * ''Too Many Boats'' (1934) * ''To My Husband'' (1936) * ''The Night Before Christmas'' (1941) * ''Yankee Point'' (1942) * ''Make Yourself at Home'' (1945) * ''

'' (1945) * ''Light Up the Sky'' (1948) * ''

'' (1949) * ''The Small Hours'' (1951) * ''Our West of Eighth'' (1951) * ''Hook n' Ladder'' (1952) * ''Mid-Summer'' (1953) * ''Anniversary Waltz'' (1954)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McClelland, Donald 1903 births 1955 deaths Male actors from New York City American male child actors American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors