Donald Crisp is an actor, director, screenwriter, singer and producer from the UK. In the 1950s, he was one of the most influential people in Hollywood. He began his career as an artist in 1908, starring in a short film. He made his directorial debut in 1914. For his work in the film "How Green Was My Valley" he won an Oscar in 1942 in the category "Best Supporting Actor."
Donald Crisp began his brilliant career in the entertainment industry in 1906 as a singer. He toured with John Fischer, and for some time performed at the Grand Opera, located in New York, USA. Then, seriously interested in cinema, Crisp began working as an assistant director, and a little later began filming his own films.
He began to fully develop his acting career in the 1930s. Donald quickly achieved recognition, success and fame in Hollywood, gradually becoming one of the most influential people in the American film industry.
During the period of his work as a director, Crisp managed to shoot more than 70 films. As an actor, he has appeared in a wide variety of feature, documentary and short films. His filmography includes over 200 roles in various projects.
In 1917, Crisp worked on The Cook of Canyon Camp as a screenwriter, completely inventing the plot for the film. And in 1949 he acted as the executive producer of the film "Africa Calls". However, his name does not appear in the credits.
For the contribution that Donald made to the development of the US film industry, he was awarded a personalized star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at number 1628. In February 1960, she appeared on Vine Street.
Biography facts
The future famous artist was born in the town of Bow, located in the suburbs of London, Great Britain. At birth, he was named George William Crisp. The artist changed his name to Donald in the early 1990s. Throughout his life, for some unknown reason, he tried to hide his true origin, claiming that he was born in Scotland. Crisp even purposely spoke with a Scottish accent.
The boy was born on July 27 in 1882. The family, including Donald himself, had 7 more children: John, Mark, Elizabeth, Alice (Louise), James, Ann and Eliza. The parents' names were James and Elizabeth. Donald's family did not live well, belonged to the working class and had no connections with cinema or theater. However, this did not prevent the boy from being interested in creativity and art from an early age. He sang beautifully, and also willingly went on stage, studying in the school drama circle.
The artist received his basic education in a regular school. And then, despite his origin, he managed to enter the University of Oxford and successfully graduate from it.
During the Boer War, which lasted from 1899 to 1902, Crispus served in the army. He was a soldier in the hussar regiment, took part in the battles that took place in Kimberley and Ladysmith. During the period of hostilities, he met the novice politician Winston Churchill.
Despite the fact that Donald did not plan to build a military career, he later fought in World War I and World War II. When the First World War began, Crisp, who had previously lived in the states, returned to his native England and went to the front. He served in intelligence. During the Second World War, the artist was among the soldiers of the American reserve army, eventually managing to rise to the honorary rank of colonel.
Donald Crisp moved from England to the United States in the mid-1900s. While on the ship, he performed several songs and was spotted by singer John S. Fisher. He offered the young man a job, to which Donald willingly agreed. We can say that it was from this moment that his creative path began.
After working with Fischer for some time, Crisp became interested in directing. He began collaborating with George M. Cohen, initially focusing on theater productions. And with the advent of the 1920s, he took up a serious development of a director's career in cinema, although his first short film entitled "Her Father's Silent Partner" Crisp shot back in 1914. In 1924, the film The Navigator was released, which became Donald's most successful as a director. The last two works in this role for the artist were the tapes "Policeman" (1928) and "Runaway Bride" (1930).
Having started his acting career in the late 1910s, Donald Crisp began to actively conquer cinema in the 1930s. He quickly achieved success, became a very popular actor. The artist has collaborated with such studios as Warner Brothers and MGM.
In the 1950s, the actor became a spokesman for a large financial agency called Bank of America, which allocated money for filming.
The actor appeared on the big screen for the last time in the film "Spencer's Mountain", which was released in 1963.
Selected filmography: 20 best films by Donald Crisp
- "The Heart of a Curmudgeon" (1911).
- The Birth of a Nation (1915).
- Broken Shoots (1919).
- Red Dust (1932).
- "Mutiny on the Bounty" (1935).
- The Great O'Malley (1937).
- Jezebel (1938).
- Morning Patrol (1938).
- The Old Maid (1939).
- "Thunder Pass" (1939).
- The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939).
- "Conquer the City" (1940).
- “How Green Was My Valley” (1941).
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941).
- Lassie Returns Home (1943).
- National Velvet (1944).
- Valley of Resolve (1945).
- "The Man from Laramie" (1955).
- "The Dog from Flanders" (1959).
- Pollyanna (1960).
Personal life and death
The successful artist married three times during his life. However, in no union did he ever have children.
Crisp's first choice was actress Helen Pease. They became husband and wife in 1912. However, family happiness did not last long. A year later, Helen died, leaving Donald a widower.
For the second time, the artist went down the aisle with the little-known actress Hazel Marie Stark, who after marriage took the name of Donald and became known as Marie Crisp. The wedding took place in 1917, but after 3 years the couple separated, having filed a divorce.
The last wife of the actor was Jane Macklem (Murphin). Jane was a playwright, screenwriter, and in the film industry tried herself as a director and producer. The couple got married in 1932. And in 1944, Jane and Donald filed for divorce.
In the last years of his life, the artist's health and well-being deteriorated markedly. In the early 1970s, Crisp suffered several strokes, which eventually caused serious complications that led to the death of the famous actor. He passed away in Los Angeles in mid-May 1974. At that time he was 91 years old.
Donald Crisp was buried in Glendale, California. Burial site: Forest Lawn Cemetery.
