Donald Cook (actor)
Donald Cook (September 26, 1901 – October 1, 1961) was an American stage and film actor who had a prolific career in pre-Code Hollywood films and on Broadway. Cook is perhaps best known for his film roles in The Public Enemy (1931), Safe in Hell (1931), Baby Face (1933), and Viva Villa! (1934), as well as for his stage role as David Naughton in Claudia, which ran for a total of 722 performances on Broadway between 1941 and 1943.[3] He was the first actor to play Ellery Queen.
Donald Cook | |
|---|---|
Cook in a 1936 publicity photo | |
| Born | September 26, 1901 Portland, Oregon, U.S.[1] |
| Died | October 1, 1961 (aged 60) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Resting place | River View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon, U.S. 45°27′54″N 122°40′23″W / 45.465°N 122.673°W |
| Alma mater | University of Oregon[1] |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1926–1959 |
| Spouse | Frances Beranger (m. 1930–1931)Princess Gioia Tasca di Cuto (m. 1937) |
| Relatives | Ransom M. Cook (brother)[2] |
Biography
Cook was born and raised in Portland, Oregon,[1] and originally studied farming but later worked for a lumber company. Cook attended the University of Oregon.[1] One of his elder brothers was Ransom M. Cook, president of Wells Fargo Bank.[2][4] He joined the Kansas Community Players and through this received an offer of stage work. He started screen work in "shorts" before going on to feature films.
Cook was known for his portrayal of Mike Powers in the film The Public Enemy. In 1935, Cook's starring role in the film The Spanish Cape Mystery made him the first actor in any medium to play fictional sleuth Ellery Queen. He played the role of Steve opposite Helen Morgan's Julie in the 1936 film adaptation of Show Boat, was one of the suspects in the Philo Vance mystery The Casino Murder Case, and starred as an heroic U.S. Immigrant Inspector of the Deporting Squad in the 1936 movie Ellis Island.
Cook made his Broadway debut in 1926 as Donn Cook in Seed of the Brute, and his New York theatrical career continued over the following three decades. His credits included a 1948 revival of Private Lives and the original 1951 Broadway run of The Moon Is Blue.
Personal life
During his 1930 summer stock engagement at Elitch Theatre, Cook met and fell in love with Frances Beranger, another member of the company. “We were in love, and she urged me to go to Hollywood,” Cook said. “I did, and we were married when she returned to the coast from Denver.” The marriage lasted six months. However, “the prestige of my Elitch engagement helped me get my first Hollywood contract – with Warner Brothers.”[5]
Cook was married to Princess Gioia Tasca di Cuto,[6] from 1937 until his death in 1961 (although they were legally separated at the time)[4] from a heart attack in New Haven, Connecticut, five days after his 60th birthday, in the midst of rehearsals for Cook's new play, A Shot in the Dark, an adaptation of L'Idiote.[7] Walter Matthau took over Cook's leading role in the play following his death.[7]
Cook is buried at River View Cemetery in Portland, Oregon.[8]
For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Cook was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star located at 1718 Vine Street.[9][10]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Unfaithful | Terry Houston | |
| 1931 | The Public Enemy | Mike Powers | |
| 1931 | Party Husband | Horace Purcell | |
| 1931 | Smart Money | Nick's Second Accomplice | Uncredited |
| 1931 | Side Show | Joe Palmer | |
| 1931 | The Mad Genius | Fedor Ivanoff | |
| 1931 | Safe in Hell | Carl Bergen | |
| 1932 | Taxi! | Ferdinand | Uncredited |
| 1932 | The Man Who Played God | Harold Van Adam | |
| 1932 | The Heart of New York | Milton | |
| 1932 | The Trial of Vivienne Ware | John Sutherland | |
| 1932 | The Conquerors | Warren Lennox | |
| 1932 | Penguin Pool Murder | Philip Seymour | |
| 1932 | Frisco Jenny | Dan Reynolds | |
| 1933 | Private Jones | Lt. John Gregg | |
| 1933 | The Circus Queen Murder | The Great Sebastian | |
| 1933 | The Kiss Before the Mirror | Maria's Lover | |
| 1933 | Jennie Gerhardt | Lester Kane | |
| 1933 | The Woman I Stole | Corew | |
| 1933 | Baby Face | Stevens | |
| 1933 | Brief Moment | Franklin Deane | |
| 1933 | Fury of the Jungle | "Lucky" Allen | |
| 1933 | Fog | Wentworth Brown | |
| 1933 | The World Changes | Richard Nordholm | |
| 1934 | Long Lost Father | Bill Strong | |
| 1934 | The Ninth Guest | Jim Daley | |
| 1934 | Viva Villa! | Don Felipe de Castillo | |
| 1934 | Whirlpool | Bob Andrews | |
| 1934 | The Most Precious Thing in Life | Bob Kelsey | |
| 1934 | Jealousy | Mark Lambert | |
| 1934 | Fugitive Lady | Jack Howard | |
| 1935 | Behind the Evidence | Ward Cameron | |
| 1935 | The Night Is Young | Toni Berngruber | |
| 1935 | Gigolette | Gregg Emerson | |
| 1935 | The Casino Murder Case | Lynn Llewellyn | |
| 1935 | Motive for Revenge | Barry Webster | |
| 1935 | Murder in the Fleet | Lt. Cmdr. David Tucker | |
| 1935 | Here Comes the Band | Don Trevor | |
| 1935 | Ladies Love Danger | Tom Lennox | |
| 1935 | The Spanish Cape Mystery | Ellery Queen | |
| 1935 | Confidential | FBI Agent Dave Elliott | |
| 1935 | The Calling of Dan Matthews | Frank Blair | |
| 1936 | The Leavenworth Case | Dr. Truman Harwell | |
| 1936 | Ring Around the Moon | Ross Graham | |
| 1936 | The Girl from Mandalay | Kenneth Grainger | |
| 1936 | Show Boat | Steve Baker | |
| 1936 | Ellis Island | Gary Curtis | |
| 1936 | Can This Be Dixie? | Longstreet Butler | |
| 1936 | Beware of Ladies | George Martin | |
| 1937 | Two Wise Maids | Bruce Arnold | |
| 1937 | Circus Girl | Charles Jerome | |
| 1944 | Freedom Comes High | The Captain | Short film |
| 1944 | Murder in the Blue Room | Steve | |
| 1944 | Bowery to Broadway | Dennis Dugan | |
| 1945 | Here Come the Co-Eds | Dean Larry Benson | |
| 1945 | Patrick the Great | Pat Donahue, Sr. | |
| 1945 | Blonde Ransom | Duke Randall | |
| 1950 | Our Very Own | Fred Macaulay |
- Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Prudential Family Playhouse | Tony Kenyon | 1 episode |
| 1952 | Lux Video Theatre | Tad Bryson / Bruce Wallace / Roger | 1 episode |
| 1959 | Too Young to Go Steady | Tom Blake | 7 episodes, (final appearance) |
Stage credits
- Broadway[11]
- Seed of the Brute (1926)
- New York Exchange (1927)
- Spellbound (1927)
- Paris Bound (1927)
- Half Gods (1929)
- Rebound (1930)
- Wine of Choice (1938)
- American Landscape (1938)
- Skylark (1939)
- Claudia (1941)
- Foolish Notion (1945)
- Made in Heaven (1946)
- Portrait in Black (1947)
- Private Lives (1948)
- The Moon Is Blue (1951)
- King of Hearts (1954)
- Champagne Complex (1955)
- Goodbye Again (1956)
- Love Me Little (1958)
- Masquerade (1959)
References
- ^ a b c d "Veteran actor dies". Reading Eagle. New Haven, Connecticut. October 2, 1961. p. 3. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ a b "Farewell Reunion Being Held at R. Cook Home". Santa Rosa Republican. 26 April 1934. p. 9. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ "Claudia". The Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
- ^ a b "Donald Cook, Stage Roue, Dies of Heart Attack". The Sacramento Bee. 2 October 1961. p. 8. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ Borrillo, Theodore A. (2012). Denver's historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times). p. 162. ISBN 978-0-9744331-4-1. OCLC 823177622.
- ^ Kelling, Vesta (July 6, 1941). "'Leading Man of Our Time' Has 5 Wives, Stage Role and 3 Air Shows". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 32. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ a b Edelman, Rob; Kupferberg, Audrey. Matthau: A Life. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 131.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3 ed. McFarland. p. 154.
- ^ "Hollywood Walk of Fame - Donald Cook". walkoffame.com. Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
- ^ "Donald Cook". Los Angeles Times. Hollywood Star Walk. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
- ^ "Donald Cook". The Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
External links
- Donald Cook at the Internet Broadway Database
- Donald Cook at IMDb
- Donald Cook at Find a Grave