Born in Withington, Manchester, England. The son of a Polish immigrant and a British mother, he began taking elocution lessons at 11 to overcome a stutter and developed an exceptionally fine and versatile voice that was to make him a leading actor of British stage and films. He made his stage debut at 16 and played a variety of Shakespearean and classical roles in repertory and with touring companies before appearing in his London debut in 1930. Tall, handsome, and romantically dashing, he was soon noticed by film producers. After turning down a Hollywood offer by Irving Thalberg, he accepted a contract with Alexander Korda and became internationally famous as the romantic lead in THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII (1933). He was rushed to Hollywood to star in THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO (1934) but didn't like the town or the prospect of becoming a conventional movie star. Returning to England, he established himself as a highly respected and popular actor of both stage and screen. He played the leads in some of Britain's finest films of the 30s and early 40s, ranging from Hitchcock's adventurous THE 39 STEPS (1935) to René Clair's comedy-fantasy THE GHOST GOES WEST (1936), in which he played the title role. He won an Academy Award for his performance in GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS (1939), in which he aged on the screen from 25 to 83. Other notable film credits include CASH (1933), KNIGHT WITHOUT ARMOUR (1937), THE CITADEL (1938), THE YOUNG MR. PITT (1942), SABOTAGE AGENT (1943), PERFECT STRANGERS (1945), CAPTAIN BOYCOTT (1947), THE WINSLOW BOY (1948), THE MAGIC BOX (1951) and LEASE OF LIFE (1954). He wrote, produced, directed and starred in CURE FOR LOVE (1950). But Donat's career was severely hampered by a lifelong bout with chronic asthma, as well as by nagging insecurities and self-doubts. He turned down more screen roles than he accepted and never fulfilled the magnificent promise of his early years. He was seriously ill during the production of his last film, THE INN OF THE SIXTH HAPPINESS (1958), and was barely able to complete his role with the aid of oxygen tanks. His last spoken words on the screen were prophetically: "We shall not see each other again, I think. Farewell." He died at 53 before the picture was released. In addition to his film performances, Donat left the imprint of his great voice in a memorable series of poetry recordings. His second wife (from 1953) was actress Renée Asherson.  Nominated for Actor 1938: THE CITADEL  Actor 1939: GOODBYE, MR. CHIPS 2 nominations, 1 Award