Peter Donat (born Pierre Collingwood Donat; January 20, 1928 – September 10, 2018) was a Canadian-American actor.
Early life
Pierre Collingwood Donat was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Marie (née Bardet) and Philip Ernst Donat, a landscape gardener.[1]Richard Donat, who starred on the television show Haven, is Peter's younger brother.[2] His uncle was Oscar winning British actor Robert Donat.[2] Peter Donat emigrated to the United States in 1950, studied drama at Yale University, and first came to attention as a stage actor in the lead of a production of Cyrano de Bergerac. In 1961, he played a leading role in Donald Jack's stage play The Canvas Barricade, the first Canadian play performed at the Stratford Festival.[3]
Career
In 1965, he was featured in the cast as Vince Conway on Moment of Truth. That series was the only Canadian serial ever broadcast on a commercial television network in the United States.[4]
He also narrated the biographical film chronicling the life and work of famed mythologist Joseph Campbell, The Hero's Journey: A Biographical Portrait (1987) and moderated the multi-volume video series, The World of Joseph Campbell: Transformation of Myths Through Time (1989), giving insightful commentary and celebrating Campbell's brilliance as a scholar and storyteller.[11][12]
Personal life
Donat was married to actress Michael Learned from 1956 until 1972, when they divorced.[13] They had three children — Caleb, Christopher and Lucas.[2] From 1983 until his death, he was married to his second wife, Marijke. He was a naturalized United States citizen. [citation needed]