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

Life

Born to a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family, Donath graduated from Vienna's Academy of Dramatic Art and became a prominent actor on the stage in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. When

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

came to power in 1933, he returned to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

and was active there in theater and film until the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, ), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into Nazi Germany on 12 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a "German Question, Greater Germany") arose after t ...

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 ''My Pal Gus'' is a 1952 American comedy drama film directed by Robert Parrish Robert Reese Parrish (January 4, 1916December 4, 1995) was an American film director, editor and former child actor. He won an Academy Award for Best Film Editin ...

'' (1952), ''

Sirocco Sirocco ( ) or scirocco is a Mediterranean wind that comes from the Sahara and can reach hurricane speeds in North Africa and Southern Europe, especially during the summer season. Names ''Sirocco'' derives from '' šurūq'' (), verbal noun o ...

'' (1951), and '' Torn Curtain'' (1966). Donath played the father of entertainer

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

( Larry Parks) in the two

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

s '' 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 Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

in 1967. His cremains are interred at Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York.

Partial filmography

* ''

Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian Jewish journalist and lawyer who was the father of Types of Zionism, modern political Zionism. Herzl formed the World Zionist Organization, Zionist Organizat ...

'' (1921) – Prinz Eugen * '' Girls to Marry'' (1932) * '' Füsilier Wipf'' (1938) – Kriegsgefangener (uncredited) * '' Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen'' (UK title: ''The Lido Mystery'') (1942) – Reece * '' The Secret Code'' (1942) – Nazi Prof. Metzger * ''

The Falcon's Brother ''The Falcon's Brother'' is a 1942 American crime drama film in which George Sanders, who had been portraying " The Falcon" in a series of films, appears with his real-life brother Tom Conway; with Sanders handing off the series to Conway, who ...

'' (1942) – Stranger in Telephone Booth (uncredited) * '' Lady from Chungking'' (1942) – Hans Gruber * '' Reunion in France'' (1942) – Desk Clerk in Hotel (uncredited) * '' Margin for Error'' (1943) – Hitler's Voice * '' The Moon Is Down'' (1943) – Hitler's Voice * '' Hangmen Also Die!'' (1943) – Schirmer (as Louis Donath) * '' Tonight We Raid Calais'' (1943) – German Sentry * '' Above Suspicion'' (1943) – Gestapo Officer in Schultz's Laboratory (uncredited) * '' This Land Is Mine'' (1943) – German Captain (uncredited) * '' Hostages'' (1943) – Karel Klima * '' The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler'' (1943) –

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

/ Franz Huber * '' Gangway for Tomorrow'' (1943) – Polish Worker (uncredited) * ''

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...

'' (1944) – Commander (uncredited) * '' The Hitler Gang'' (1944) – Gustav von Kahr * '' The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1944) – Dutch Doctor on Train (uncredited) * '' The Seventh Cross'' (1944) – Wilhelm Reinhardt (uncredited) * '' The Master Race'' (1944) – Schmidt * ''

Counter-Attack A counterattack is a tactic employed in response to an attack, with the term originating in " war games". The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy during attack, while the specific objectives typically seek ...

'' (1945) – Prof. Müller * ''

Prison Ship A prison ship, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoner of war, prisoners of war or civilian internees. Some prison ships were hulk (ship type), hulked. W ...

'' (1945) – Professor * '' Gilda'' (1946) – German Cartel Member * '' The Devil's Mask'' (1946) – Dr. Karger * '' Renegades'' (1946) – Jackorski * '' The Jolson Story'' (1946) – Cantor Yoelson * '' Blondie Knows Best'' (1946) – Dr. Titus * '' The Return of Monte Cristo'' (1946) – Judge Lafitte * '' Cigarette Girl'' (1947) – Otto * '' To the Ends of the Earth'' (1948) – Nicholas Sokim * '' Sealed Verdict'' (1948) – Jakob Meyersohn * '' The Fighting O'Flynn'' (1949) – Hendrigg * '' The Lovable Cheat'' (1949) – Violette * '' The Great Sinner'' (1949) – Doctor * '' Jolson Sings Again'' (1949) – Cantor Yoelson * '' There's a Girl in My Heart'' (1949) – Professor Joseph Kroner * '' The Killer That Stalked New York'' (1950) – Dr. Cooper * '' Mystery Submarine'' (1950) – Dr. Adolph Guernitz * '' The Great Caruso'' (1951) – Alfredo Brazzi * ''

'' (1951) – Flophouse Proprietor * '' Journey Into Light'' (1951) – 'Doc' Thorssen * ''

'' (1952) – Karl * '' Sins of Jezebel'' (1953) – Naboth * '' The Veils of Bagdad'' (1953) – Kaffar * '' Torn Curtain'' (1966) – Professor Gustav Lindt * '' The Spy in the Green Hat'' (1967) – Dr. Heinrich von Kronen * '' Too Many Thieves'' (1967) – Bulanerti

Television appearances

* '' Decoy'': "The Gentle Gun-Man" (1958) - "Knish" (Dave Levine) * ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...

'': "The Way of Aaron" (1963) – Aaron Kaufman * ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

'': " He's Alive" (1963) – Ernst Ganz * '' Branded'': "A Proud Town" (1965) - Julius Perrin * '' The Fugitive'': "Blessings of Liberty" (1966) – Dr. Josef Karac

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Donath, Ludwig 1900 births 1967 deaths Austrian male film actors Austrian male stage actors Deaths from leukemia in New York (state) Austrian male television actors Jewish Austrian male actors 20th-century Austrian male actors Austrian expatriate male actors in the United States Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery Male actors from Vienna