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Donald Crisp

Donald Crisp was a film actor and director.

Born George William Crisp in London, England, he began his film acting career in 1908, and appeared in D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation in 1915. During the silent film era, he also directed comedy films, and dramas such as the 1916 version of Ramona. Although he directed his last film in 1930, the Directors Guild of America voted him a Life Member Award in 1957.

With the advent of talking pictures, Crisp established a career as a versatile character actor, and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Welsh father in How Green Was My Valley (1941).

His more than 150 films include Broken Blossoms (1919), The Black Pirate (1926), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Life of Emile Zola (1937), Jezebel (1938), Wuthering Heights (1939), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), Knute Rockne, All American (1940), Lassie Come Home (1943), The Uninvited (1944), National Velvet (1944)The Valley of Decision (1945) Pollyanna (1960) and Greyfriars Bobby (1961).

He was married to the screenwriter Jane Murfin from 1932 until 1944.

Donald Crisp has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to Motion Pictures, at 1620 Vine St.

He died from a cerebral haemorrhage in Van Nuys, California.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2004.

Donald Crisp Facts

OccupationActor
BirthdayJuly 27, 1880
SignLeo
BirthplaceLondon, England, United Kingdom
Date of deathMay 25, 1974 (age 93)
Awards1942 Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (for How Green Was My Valley)

Selected Filmography

Pollyanna
The Man From Laramie
TCM Greatest Classic Film Collection: Legends
Classic Westerns, 10-Movie Collection: When Daltons Rode / The Virginian / Whispering Smith / The Spoilers / Comanche Territory / Sierra / Kansas Raiders / Tomahawk / Albuquerque / Texas Rangers Ride Again
Svengali
The Uninvited
Spencer's Mountain
Jezebel
National Velvet
The Sea Hawk
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