Robert Donat - ©Theda Bara

The name I bring to you in this post is that of the excellent British actor Robert Donat, who shone in theater and cinema. Robert won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1940, for his performance in the film: “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1939), playing the teacher “Arthur Chippings”.

Robert Donat, has his star on the Los Angeles Walk of Fame, at 6420 Hollywood Boulevard, in the Cinema category.

Frederick Robert Donat, born March 18, 1905, Withington, Manchester, United Kingdom, and died June 9, 1958, London, United Kingdom, still young, aged 53.

Robert Donat was married twice. In 1927, Robert proposed to Ella Annesley Voysey (1903-1994), a young 24-year-old actress he met while they were acting, and two years later they married, living together from 1929 to 1946; his second and last marriage was to Dorothy Renée Ascherson, known professionally as Renée Asherson (1915-2014), British actress, who specialized in theater in Shakespeare’s plays: from 1953 to 1958, when she became Robert’s widow.

Robert Donat had three children: Polish assistant director Joanna Donat (1932-2015); British screenwriter John Donat (1933-2004) and American jazz cellist Brian Donat (1939-2011). It is important to highlight that all of the actor’s children come from extramarital affairs.