Peter Donaldson (actor)
Encyclopedia
Peter Thomas Donaldson was a Canadian actor.
Donaldson was the son of Betty and Norman Donaldson, and was born and raised in Midland, Ontario
. While attending Midland Secondary School
, he performed in Brigadoon
and an abridged version of Romeo and Juliet
; his drama teacher did not spot Donaldson's acting potential at the time. He attended plays at the Stratford Festival during his youth, which fired his enthusiasm for acting.
Donaldson attended Trent University
and graduated from the University of Guelph
. He also later studied with Uta Hagen
, Stella Adler
and Olympia Dukakis
in New York. He began his acting career in 1975 with a summer stock company formed with fellow Guelph students that played Muskoka resorts. He subsequently worked as a stage carpenter and scene painter in Toronto.
Donaldson was known for his stage work in Shakespearean roles, particularly at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario
. He auditioned for the festival without success in 1975, but was hired years later by artistic director Robin Phillips
, making his debut in Romeo and Juliet
in 1977. He subsequently spent 24 seasons at the festival. Highlights of his career included his 2004 performance in Timon of Athens
, as well as roles in To Kill a Mockingbird
, The Seagull
, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. His performance of Jamie in Long Day's Journey Into Night
at Stratford in 1995 was widely praised. Toronto critic Richard Ouzounian
later noted that "Of all the fine actors I've ever seen in the part, only Donaldson gave us the charm as well as the pathos, the hope as well as the despair". He received a Genie award
for this performance when it was filmed in 1996.
He also worked at the Shaw Festival
, and in London as part of Robin Phillips' repertory company at the Grand Theatre
.
Donaldson appeared in two CBC television series based on L.M. Montgomery books. He played Ian Bowles in Emily of New Moon
and Reverend Leonard in Road to Avonlea
. He also appeared in the TV series Little Mosque on the Prairie
and The Murdoch Mysteries. His film work also included the Atom Egoyan
film, The Sweet Hereafter
.
He met actress Sheila McCarthy
in 1983 while working in theatre in London, Ontario
, and they were married in December 1986 in Stratford. The couple had two daughters.
Donaldson was diagnosed with lung cancer, and while undergoing treatment continued to rehearse and perform as an actor. He would often have chemotherapy in the morning and work in the evenings. According to the writer George F. Walker
"He had such great energy – he never made you feel like he needed special treatment". Roles during this period included acclaimed performances in Glengarry Glen Ross
at the Soulpepper Theatre, 'Art' at Canadian Stage
and Walker's And So It Goes at Factory Theatre
. Donaldson died of lung cancer at Princess Margaret Hospital
in Toronto
at the age of 57. The director of the Stratford Festival, Antoni Cimolino, as "the finest actor's actor. He was deeply admired for the conviction he brought to his work and the unsparing truth of his portrayals. He was versatile and able to give outstanding performances in modern plays, musicals and classics. But his home was Shakespeare."
Donaldson was the son of Betty and Norman Donaldson, and was born and raised in Midland, Ontario
Midland, Ontario
Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...
. While attending Midland Secondary School
Midland Secondary School
Midland Secondary School is located in the Midland community. Students attend from Midland and surrounding areas including Hillsdale, Port McNicoll, Waubashene, Victoria Harbour, Honey Harbour, and Christian Island...
, he performed in Brigadoon
Brigadoon
Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. Songs from the musical, such as "Almost Like Being in Love" have become standards....
and an abridged version of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
; his drama teacher did not spot Donaldson's acting potential at the time. He attended plays at the Stratford Festival during his youth, which fired his enthusiasm for acting.
Donaldson attended Trent University
Trent University
Trent University is a liberal arts and science-oriented institution located along the Otonabee River in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.The enabling legislation is the Trent University Act, 1962-63. The University was founded through the efforts of a citizens' committee interested in creating a...
and graduated from the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...
. He also later studied with Uta Hagen
Uta Hagen
Uta Thyra Hagen was a German-born American actress and drama teacher. She originated the role of Martha in the 1963 Broadway premiere of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee...
, Stella Adler
Stella Adler
Stella Adler was an American actress and an acclaimed acting teacher, who founded the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York City and the The Stella Adler Academy of Acting in Los Angeles with long-time protege Joanne Linville, who continues to teach and furthers Adler's legacy...
and Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
in New York. He began his acting career in 1975 with a summer stock company formed with fellow Guelph students that played Muskoka resorts. He subsequently worked as a stage carpenter and scene painter in Toronto.
Donaldson was known for his stage work in Shakespearean roles, particularly at the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
. He auditioned for the festival without success in 1975, but was hired years later by artistic director Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips
Robin Phillips is an English actor and director.Phillips was born in Haslemere, Surrey, the son of EllenAnne and James William Phillips. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic and worked as an actor and director for many years in the United Kingdom, finishing as Artistic Director at the Greenwich...
, making his debut in Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
in 1977. He subsequently spent 24 seasons at the festival. Highlights of his career included his 2004 performance in Timon of Athens
Timon of Athens
The Life of Timon of Athens is a play by William Shakespeare about the fortunes of an Athenian named Timon , generally regarded as one of his most obscure and difficult works...
, as well as roles in To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature...
, The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. His performance of Jamie in Long Day's Journey Into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night
Long Day's Journey Into Night is a 1956 drama in four acts written by American playwright Eugene O'Neill. The play is widely considered to be his masterwork...
at Stratford in 1995 was widely praised. Toronto critic Richard Ouzounian
Richard Ouzounian
Richard Ouzounian is a Canadian journalist and theatre artist. He is currently the chief theatre critic for the Toronto Star and the Canadian theatre correspondent for Variety.-Life and career:...
later noted that "Of all the fine actors I've ever seen in the part, only Donaldson gave us the charm as well as the pathos, the hope as well as the despair". He received a Genie award
Genie Award
Genie Awards are given out to recognize the best of Canadian cinema by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television. From 1949-1979, the awards were named the Canadian Film Awards...
for this performance when it was filmed in 1996.
He also worked at the Shaw Festival
Shaw Festival
The Shaw Festival is a major Canadian theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, the second largest repertory theatre company in North America...
, and in London as part of Robin Phillips' repertory company at the Grand Theatre
Grand Theatre
Grand Theatre, Grand Théâtre in French, Grand Theater or often The Grand is a common name for theatres throughout the world.It is also used in the title of The Grand Theatre, Volume One and The Grand Theatre, Volume Two albums by alt-country band Old 97's.-Canada:*The Grand *The Grand Theatre * The...
.
Donaldson appeared in two CBC television series based on L.M. Montgomery books. He played Ian Bowles in Emily of New Moon
Emily of New Moon (TV series)
Emily of New Moon was a Canadian television series, which aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2000. The series originally aired in the United States on the Cookie Jar Toons block on This TV and it's currently seen in Canada on the Viva, Bravo! and Vision TV cable channels...
and Reverend Leonard in Road to Avonlea
Road to Avonlea
Road to Avonlea was a television series which was first broadcast in Canada and the United States between 1990 and 1996. It was created by Kevin Sullivan and produced by Sullivan Films in association with CBC and the Disney Channel, with additional funding from Telefilm Canada.It was adapted from...
. He also appeared in the TV series Little Mosque on the Prairie
Little Mosque on the Prairie
Little Mosque on the Prairie is a Canadian sitcom on CBC, created by Zarqa Nawaz and produced by WestWind Pictures. It is filmed in Toronto, Ontario and Indian Head, Saskatchewan...
and The Murdoch Mysteries. His film work also included the Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
film, The Sweet Hereafter
The Sweet Hereafter
The Sweet Hereafter is a 1991 novel by American author Russell Banks. It is set in a small town in the aftermath of a deadly school bus accident that has killed most of the town's children...
.
He met actress Sheila McCarthy
Sheila McCarthy
Sheila McCarthy is a Canadian film, stage, television actress, and singer. She is one of the most honoured actors in Canada, having won two Genie Awards , two Gemini Awards , and two Dora Awards among multiple nominations. As of 2007, she can be seen on the Canadian television series Little...
in 1983 while working in theatre in London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, and they were married in December 1986 in Stratford. The couple had two daughters.
Donaldson was diagnosed with lung cancer, and while undergoing treatment continued to rehearse and perform as an actor. He would often have chemotherapy in the morning and work in the evenings. According to the writer George F. Walker
George F. Walker
George F. Walker, CM is a Canadian playwright and screenwriter. He is one of Canada's most prolific playwrights, and also one of the most widely produced Canadian dramatists both in Canada and internationally.-Early years:...
"He had such great energy – he never made you feel like he needed special treatment". Roles during this period included acclaimed performances in Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross
Glengarry Glen Ross is a 1984 play written by David Mamet. The play shows parts of two days in the lives of four desperate Chicago real estate agents who are prepared to engage in any number of unethical, illegal acts—from lies and flattery to bribery, threats, intimidation and burglary—to sell...
at the Soulpepper Theatre, 'Art' at Canadian Stage
Canadian Stage
Nationally and internationally acclaimed, The Canadian Stage Company is Canada's third largest not-for-profit contemporary theatre company. Founded in 1987 with the merger of CentreStage and Toronto Free Theatre, the Company is dedicated to programming international contemporary theatre and to...
and Walker's And So It Goes at Factory Theatre
Factory Theatre
Factory Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, founded as Factory Theatre Lab in 1970 by Ken Gass and Frank Trotz.Factory was the first theatre to announce that it would exclusively produce Canadian plays, but it soon became a widely emulated policy by other theatre companies...
. Donaldson died of lung cancer at Princess Margaret Hospital
Princess Margaret Hospital (Toronto)
Princess Margaret Hospital is located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on University Avenue at College Street. It is part of the University Health Network...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
at the age of 57. The director of the Stratford Festival, Antoni Cimolino, as "the finest actor's actor. He was deeply admired for the conviction he brought to his work and the unsparing truth of his portrayals. He was versatile and able to give outstanding performances in modern plays, musicals and classics. But his home was Shakespeare."