Ted Donaldson

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Ted Donaldson
Adventures-of-Rusty.jpg
Donaldson (center) with Conrad Nagel and Margaret Lindsay in Adventures of Rusty (1945)
Born (1933-08-20) August 20, 1933 (age 88)
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active1937–1953

Ted Donaldson (born August 20, 1933 in New York City) is an American former child actor.

Early years[]

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Donaldson was the son of singer-composer Will Donaldson and Will's wife, Jo. His mother died when he was 4+1⁄2 years old. His stepmother was radio organist and composer Muriel Pollock.[1] He attended the Professional Children's School in New York City.[2]

Peggy Ann Garner and Ted Donaldson in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

Career[]

Donaldson began his acting career in December 1937 when he appeared in an NBC radio show.[2] In 1941, he played Tiny Tim in a week-long serialized version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol that was presented on Wheatena Playhouse.[3]

From 1949 to 1954, he played Bud, the son of Robert Young's character in the radio version of Father Knows Best.[4] He was offered the same role on the television version of the series, but turned it down, saying, "I didn't want to be typed. I didn't want to be a 21-year-old playing a 15- or 16-year-old kid. I wanted to do other things."[1] As an adult, he called that "one of the two or three most stupid things I have not done because not only would the salary have been very nice for five years, but the residuals would have also."[1]

As an 8-year-old, Ted portrayed Harlan in the Broadway stage production of Life With Father.[5] In 1943, he performed alongside Gregory Peck in the play Sons and Soldiers.[1]

The performance led to a starring role as Arthur "Pinky" Thompson in his first movie, Once Upon a Time (1944), opposite Cary Grant and Janet Blair. Columbia Pictures put him under contract after the film was finished. In 1945, Donaldson was cast in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which marked the directorial debut of Elia Kazan.[6]

Donaldson also starred as Danny Mitchell in the 1940s Rusty series of eight films about a German shepherd dog.[1] At age 19, he had his last credited feature film role as Jerry Fortness in Phone Call from a Stranger (1952).

In recent years, Donaldson has given a number of interviews about his film career.[7]

Filmography[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Goldrup, Tom; Goldrup, Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television. McFarland. pp. 57–66. ISBN 9780786412549. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Collura, Joe (September 2016). "Ted Donaldson: A Natural". Classic Images (495): 76–81.
  3. ^ "Holiday Serial". Broadcasting. December 15, 1941. p. 28. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  4. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 243-244. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-07. Father Knows Best, situation comedy Ted Donaldson as their son Bud.
  5. ^ "Pop's New Boys". Daily News. New York, New York City. March 29, 1941. p. 21 B. Retrieved August 2, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. ^ Ted Donaldson. Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television. 6 May 2002. ISBN 9780786412549. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  7. ^ Interview with Ted Donaldson from 2019 at YouTube

Bibliography[]

  • Goldrup, Tom and Jim (2002). Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Film and Television. McFarland & Co. pp. 57–66. ISBN 1476613702.
  • Holmstrom, John (1996). The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995. Norwich: Michael Russell, p. 184-185.
  • Best, Marc (1971). Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen. South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co. p. 74-79.

External links[]

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