fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903.

Donald Meek
Trailer for A Woman's Face (1941)
Born	Thomas Donald Meek (1878-07-14)14 July 1878 Glasgow, Scotland
Died	18 November 1946(1946-11-18) (aged 68) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Fairmount Cemetery
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1886–1946
Spouse	Belle Walken ​ (m. 1909)​
Children	1

Meek is perhaps best known for his roles in the films You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Stagecoach (1939). He posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

Early years

Meek was born in Glasgow to Matthew and Annie Meek.[1] In the 1890s, the Meek family emigrated to Canada and then to the United States. By 1900, they were living in Philadelphia where Meek was employed as a dry goods salesman, according to the United States census of that year with Meek later working on stage.[2]

Career

Meek's Broadway credits include Take My Tip (1932), After Tomorrow (1931), Oh, Promise Me (1930), Broken Dishes (1929), in which he starred with a young Bette Davis, Jonesy (1929), Mr. Moneypenny (1928), The Ivory Door (1927), My Princess (1927), Spread Eagle (1927), The Shelf (1926), Love 'em and Leave 'em (1926), Fool's Bells (1925), Easy Terms (1925), The Potters (1923), Tweedles (1923), Six-Cylinder Love (1921), Little Old New York (1920), The Hottentot (1920), Nothing But Love (1919), Going Up (1917), and The Minister's Daughters (1903).[3]

After years on the stage, Meek became a film actor, appearing memorably in several movies including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Miss Broadway, and State Fair. Before becoming an actor, he fought in the Spanish–American War in the United States Army and contracted yellow fever which caused him to lose his hair. He was cast as timid, worried characters in many of his films, and is perhaps best known for his roles as Mr. Poppins in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It With You and as whiskey salesman Samuel Peacock in John Ford's Stagecoach.[4]

From 1931 through 1932, Meek was featured as criminologist Dr. Crabtree in a series of 12 Warner Brothers two-reel short subjects written by S.S. Van Dine.

Personal life

Meek and Isabella "Belle" Walken married in Boston in a Methodist church on January 3, 1909. By this marriage, the American-born Belle Meek lost her United States citizenship by taking her husband's British nationality.

Death

Donald Meek died of leukaemia on 18 November 1946 in Los Angeles,[5] while filming the role of Mr. Twiddle in Magic Town.[6] A prolific film actor in over 100 Hollywood movies during its Golden Age, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was entombed in the Fairmount Mausoleum at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.^{[citation needed]}

Selected filmography

References

External links

• Donald Meek at IMDb
• Donald Meek at the Internet Broadway Database
• Donald Meek at Find a Grave
• Portraits of Donald Meek from Stagecoach by Ned Scott

На других языках

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- [en] Donald Meek

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[es] Donald Meek

Donald Meek (Glasgow, Escocia, 14 de julio de 1878 - Los Ángeles, California, EUA, 18 de noviembre de 1946) fue un actor británico. Participó desde niño en escenarios teatrales de su tierra natal y en Australia. Arribó a los Estados Unidos acompañando a un grupo de acróbatas y a los dieciocho años ingresó en el Ejército de la nación, llegando a participar en la guerra Hispano-Estadounidense. En el conflicto contrajo la fiebre amarilla, lo que hizo que se le cayera el pelo. En el cine interpretó una variedad de personajes, desde aduladores y pusilánimes hasta maestros de escuela y hombres de negocios.

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