- Born
- Died
- Birth namePierre Collingwood Donat
- The Canadian-American actor Peter Donat had a 50-year-long career in TV, motion pictures and theater. So respected was Donat, that Francis Ford Coppola considered casting him in the role of Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) that went to Robert Duvall.
The nephew of Oscar-winning actor Robert Donat, Peter was born Pierre Collingwood Donat on January 20, 1928 in Kentville, Nova Scotia. His father, landscape gardener Philip Donat, was Anglo-Canadian while his Marie (née Bardet) was French-Canadian.
In 1950, the 22-year-old Donat moved to the United States to study drama at Yale. A naturalized U.S. citizen, Donat frequently returned to Canada for acting work, appearing in the lead in a 1961 production of Donald Jack's play "The Canvas Barricade" at the Stratford Festival. He was also in the Canadian TV serial Moment of Truth (1964), which was broadcast on commercial TV in the States.
Peter Donat was married for 16 years to Emmy-winning actor Michael Learned. The couple, who divorced in 1972, had three children: Caleb, Christopher, and Lucas.
- IMDb mini biography by: v
- SpousesMarijke DeJong(February 9, 1983 - September 10, 2018) (his death)Michael Learned(September 8, 1956 - February 14, 1972) (divorced, 3 children)
- ChildrenCaleb DonatChristopher Donat
- ParentsMarie Bardet DonatPhilip Ernst Donat
- RelativesRobert Donat(Aunt or Uncle)John Donat(Cousin)Lily Donat(Grandchild)Richard Donat(Sibling)
- One of his sons, former actor Lucas Donat, born to him and then-wife Michael Learned, appeared as a teenager in Damien: Omen II (1978). He went on to become the co-founder and CEO of Donat/Wald Co., an advertising agency responsible for the highly-successful eHarmony commercials. In 1984 he married Traci Wald, the daughter of singer Helen Reddy and stepdaughter of Jeff Wald.
- Nephew of actor Robert Donat.
- Father of 3 sons: Chris, Caleb and Lucas Donat.
- He was considered for the role of Tom Hagen in The Godfather (1972) before Robert Duvall was cast. He was eventually cast as Questadt in The Godfather Part II (1974).
- Appeared in three films with Michael Douglas: The China Syndrome (1979), The War of the Roses (1989) and The Game (1997).
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