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Don Douglas (actor)

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For other people named Donald Douglas, see Donald Douglas (disambiguation).

Donald Douglas[1] (born Douglas William Kinleyside, 24 August 1905 – 31 December 1945) was a Scottish-American actor who performed in films, on the stage and in radio.

Don Douglas
Douglas in The Zero Hour (1939)
Born
Douglas William Kinleyside

(1905-08-24)24 August 1905
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died31 December 1945(1945-12-31) (aged 40)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
OccupationActor
Years active1928–1945
Spouse(s)Charlotte Burnham Woodward (née Merriam; m. 1936)
Children1

Early life

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Douglas was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 24 August 1905, and was christened at a church in Twickenham, England. He was the son of William Young Kinleyside, a businessman and lawyer. Business brought his father to New York on several occasions, and eventually, five-year old Douglas, with his sister Hazel, were brought to America as second cabin class passengers, on board the British steamer Mauritania, which sailed from the Port of Liverpool on 29 October 1910, and arrived at the Port of New York, 4 November. He became an American citizen in 1939.

Career

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Stage

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Adopting the stage name "Don Douglas", he became a singer and actor in musical shows such as Footlites. In 1928, his big break came when he won glowing revues for his performance in The Desert Song in the Orpheum Theatre in Chicago. This would eventually lead to his career in talking pictures.

Film

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Douglas appeared in over 100 films from the late 1920s to the 1940s including The Great Gabbo (1929), Life Begins (1932), Men in White (1934), Madame X (1937), Cheers for Miss Bishop (1941), Now, Voyager (1942), Little Tokyo, U.S.A. (1942), Tall in the Saddle (1944), Murder, My Sweet (1944) and Show Business (1944). One of his more prominent roles was also one of his last: In Gilda (1946), he plays the man who pretends to marry Rita Hayworth but is really a henchman of Glenn Ford's character.

Radio

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Douglas was a one-man cast on The Black Castle. He played all roles in each episode and was the announcer.[2] A review of The Black Castle in the trade publication Billboard complimented Douglas's handling of multiple roles in the drama. Bob Francis wrote: "Except for the fact that he is inclined to ham the wizard, making the role often seem more silly than awesome, Douglas puts on a good 15 minutes. His vocal changes are sharp and clear, and his characterizations come over effectively."[3]

He also had the title role in John Steele, Adventurer[4] and played Chief Jake Workley in Scattergood Baines.[4]: 296  He was also a member of the cast of Kelly's Courthouse.[4]: 189 

Death

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Douglas died on 31 December 1945 in Los Angeles, California, aged 40, after emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. He is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.[5]

Partial filmography

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References

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  1. ^ Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed. McFarland. p. 151. ISBN 9780786457632. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  2. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  3. ^ Francis, Bob (9 October 1943). ""The Black Castle"" (PDF). Billboard. p. 11. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  4. ^ a b c Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-4513-4. pp. 177–178.
  5. ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. (2 volume set). McFarland. pp. 204–205. ISBN 9780786479924. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
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