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{{short description|American actor}}

{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Donald Woods
| name = Donald Woods
| image = Donald Woods in Sea Devils trailer 2.jpg
| image = Donald Woods in Sea Devils trailer 2.jpg
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| caption = in ''Sea Devils'' (1937)
| caption = in ''Sea Devils'' (1937)
| birth_date = {{birth date|1906|12|02|mf=y}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1906|12|02|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[Brandon, Manitoba]], Canada
| birth_place = [[Brandon, Manitoba]], Canada
| death_date = {{death date and age|1998|03|05|1906|12|02|mf=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1998|03|05|1906|12|02|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City)]]
| resting_place = [[Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City)]]
| birth_name = Ralph L. Zink
| birth_name = Ralph Lewis Zink
| occupation = Actor
| occupation = Actor
| spouse = {{marriage|Josephine Van der Horck|1933|1998}} (his death) 2 children
| spouse = {{marriage|Josephine Van der Horck|1933}}
| years_active = 1928–84}}
| children = 2
| relatives = [[Russ Conway (actor)|Russ Conway]] (brother)
}}


'''Donald Woods''' (December 2, 1906 – March 5, 1998) was a [[Canada|Canadian]]-born American film and television actor whose career spanned six decades.
'''Donald Woods''' (born '''Ralph Lewis Zink'''; December 2, 1906 – March 5, 1998) was a Canadian-American film and television actor whose career in Hollywood spanned six decades.


==Life and career==
Born Ralph L. Zink in [[Brandon, Manitoba]], Woods moved with his family to [[California]] and was raised in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]]. He graduated from the [[University of California, Berkeley]] and made his film debut in 1928. His screen career was spent mostly in [[B movie]]s, although he occasionally scored a role in a prestige [[feature film]] like ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1935), ''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936), ''[[Watch on the Rhine]]'' (1943), ''[[The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944 film)|The Bridge of San Luis Rey]]'' (1944), and ''[[Roughly Speaking]]'' (1945).
Woods was born in [[Brandon, Manitoba]], and moved with his family to [[California]], where he was raised in [[Burbank, California|Burbank]]. His parents were William and Margaret Zink, Presbyterians of German descent. His younger brother, Clarence Russell Zink, also became an actor ([[Russ Conway (actor)|Russ Conway]]).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Scott|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. (2 volume set)|date=2016|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476625997|page=153|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&q=%22Donald+Woods%22+actor&pg=PA153|access-date=22 April 2017|language=en}}</ref>


Woods also portrayed lawyer [[Perry Mason]] in the 1947 film, ''[[The Case of the Stuttering Bishop]]''.
Woods graduated from the [[University of California, Berkeley]], and made his film debut in 1928. His screen career was spent mostly in [[B movie]]s, for example as lawyer [[Perry Mason]] in the 1937 film ''[[The Case of the Stuttering Bishop]]''. He also played romantic leads in B comedies, notably the popular ''[[Mexican Spitfire]]'' series opposite [[Lupe Velez]].


He also occasionally played major roles in bigger [[feature film]]s like ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1935), ''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936), ''[[If I Had My Way (film)|If I Had My Way]]'' (1940, as a doomed bridge worker), ''[[Watch on the Rhine]]'' (1943), ''[[The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944 film)|The Bridge of San Luis Rey]]'' (1944), and ''[[Roughly Speaking (film)|Roughly Speaking]]'' (1945). In 1945 he co-starred in the Christmas-themed parable ''[[Star in the Night]]'', as a hitchhiker who awakens a stone-hearted innkeeper to the true spirit of Christmas. Woods's sensitive performance attracted attention, and the film won the "Best Short Subject" [[Academy Award]].
Of considerable importance to his acting career were several seasons as leading man with the [[Elitch Theatre|Elitch Gardens Theatre Company]] in [[Denver, Colorado]]. He performed at the Elitch Theatre in 1933, 1932, 1939, 1941, 1947, and 1948.


Of considerable importance to Donald Woods's acting career were several seasons as leading man with the [[Elitch Theatre|Elitch Gardens Theatre Company]] in [[Denver, Colorado]], where he performed in 1932, 1933, 1939, 1941, 1947, and 1948.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Historic Elitch Theatre Website |url=https://historicelitchtheatre.org/donald-woods/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Borrillo |first=Theodore A. |title=Denver’s historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times) |date=2021 |pages=198}}</ref>
In the early days of television, Woods appeared as the title character in the 1951 TV series ''[[Craig Kennedy|Craig Kennedy, Criminologist]]'', and such [[anthology series]] as ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse]]'', ''[[Armstrong Circle Theatre]]'', ''[[Robert Montgomery Presents]]'', ''[[The United States Steel Hour]]'', ''[[Crossroads (1955 TV series)|Crossroads]]'', and ''[[General Electric Theater]]''.


In the early days of television, Woods starred in "It's Only a Game", the October 17, 1950, episode of ''[[Armstrong Circle Theatre]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Television Highlights |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76766518/the-central-new-jersey-home-news/ |access-date=April 30, 2021 |work=The Central New Jersey Home News |date=October 17, 1950 |location=New Jersey, New Brunswick |page=17|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref> He starred as the title character in the 1951 syndicated TV series ''[[Craig Kennedy|Craig Kennedy, Criminologist]]'',<ref name="etvs">{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010|date=2011|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers|location=Jefferson, N.C.|isbn=978-0-7864-6477-7|page=217|edition=2nd}}</ref> and he was the host of ''[[Damon Runyon Theater]]'' on CBS-TV.{{r|etvs|page1=230}} He played himself on the dramatic series ''Hotel Cosmopolitan'', also on CBS{{r|etvs|page1=479}}, and he was one of three hosts of ''The Orchid Award'' on ABC-TV.{{r|etvs|page1=795}} He portrayed Walter Manning on ''[[Portia Faces Life#Television|Portia Faces Life]]'' on CBS.{{r|etvs|page1=847}}
On April 11, 1961, Woods appeared as "Profesor Landfield" in the episode "Two for the Gallows" on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'' [[Western (genre)|western]] series. Series character Slim Sherman ([[John Smith (actor)|John Smith]]) is hired under false pretenses to take Landfield into the [[Badlands]] to seek gold. Landfield, however, is really Morgan Bennett, a member of the former [[Henry Plummer]] gang who has escaped from prison. Slim has no idea that Lanfield is seeking the loot that his gang had hidden away. Series character Jess Harper ([[Robert Fuller (actor)|Robert Fuller]]), Pete Dixon, played by [[Warren Oates]], and Pete's younger brother soon come to Slim's aid. The title stems from the talk that the undisciplined Dixon brothers might eventually wind up on a hangman's noose.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0624822/|title=Laramie: Two for the Gallows|publisher=Internet Movie Data Base|accessdate=September 21, 2012}}</ref>


He also appeared in such [[anthology series]] as ''[[The Philco Television Playhouse]]'', ''[[Armstrong Circle Theatre]]'', ''[[Robert Montgomery Presents]]'', ''[[The United States Steel Hour]]'', ''[[Crossroads (1955 TV series)|Crossroads]]'', and ''[[General Electric Theater]]''. On April 11, 1961, Woods appeared as "Professor Landfield" in the episode "Two for the Gallows" on [[NBC]]'s ''[[Laramie (TV series)|Laramie]]'' [[Western (genre)|western]] series. Series character Slim Sherman ([[John Smith (actor)|John Smith]]) is hired under false pretenses to take Landfield into the [[Badlands]] to seek gold. Landfield, however, is really Morgan Bennett, a member of the former [[Henry Plummer]] gang who has escaped from prison. Slim has no idea that Landfield is seeking the loot that his gang had hidden away. Series character Jess Harper ([[Robert Fuller (actor)|Robert Fuller]]), Pete Dixon, played by [[Warren Oates]], and Pete's younger brother soon come to Slim's aid. The title stems from the talk that the undisciplined Dixon brothers might eventually wind up in a hangman's noose.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0624822/|title=Laramie: Two for the Gallows|publisher=Internet Movie Data Base|access-date=September 21, 2012}}</ref>
Woods later was a regular on the short-lived series ''[[Tammy (TV series)|Tammy]]'' and made guest appearances on ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]'', ''[[Wagon Train]]'', ''[[Ben Casey]]'', ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'', ''[[Hawaiian Eye]]'', ''[[Stoney Burke]]'', ''[[Bourbon Street Beat]]'', ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[Coronet Blue]]'', ''[[Ironside (TV series)|Ironside]]'', ''[[Alias Smith and Jones]]'' and ''[[Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law]]'', among many others.


Woods later was a regular in the role of John Brent on the short-lived series ''[[Tammy (TV series)|Tammy]]''{{r|etvs|page1=1052-1053}} and made guest appearances on ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]'', ''[[Wagon Train]]'', ''[[Ben Casey]]'', ''[[77 Sunset Strip]]'', ''[[Hawaiian Eye]]'', ''[[Stoney Burke (TV series)|Stoney Burke]]'', ''[[Bourbon Street Beat]]'', ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[Coronet Blue]]'', ''[[Ironside (TV series)|Ironside]]'', ''[[Alias Smith and Jones]]'', ''[[The Wild Wild West]]'' and ''[[Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law]]'', among many others before retiring from acting in 1976.{{citation needed|date=March 2018}}
Woods retired from acting in 1976 and became a successful [[real estate]] broker in [[Palm Springs]] where he lived with his wife, childhood sweetheart Josephine Van der Horck. They were married from 1933 until his death and had two children, Linda and Conrad. He was interred at the [[Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City)|Forest Lawn Cemetery]] in [[Cathedral City, California]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brooks|first1=Patricia|title=Laid to Rest in California: a guide to the cemeteries and grave sites of the rich and famous |chapter=Chapter 8: East L.A. and the Desert |page=245 |year=2006|publisher=Globe Pequot Press|location=Guilford, CT|isbn=978-0762741014|last2=Brooks |first2=Jonathan |oclc= 70284362}}</ref>

Besides his film career, he also worked as a successful [[real estate]] broker in [[Palm Springs]], California, where he lived with his wife, childhood sweetheart Josephine Van der Horck. They were married from 1933 until his death and had two children, Linda and Conrad. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-25-mn-42852-story.html | title=Donald Woods; Prolific Actor in Movies and TV Shows | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=25 April 1998 }}</ref> He was interred at the [[Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City)|Forest Lawn Cemetery]] in [[Cathedral City, California]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brooks|first1=Patricia|title=Laid to Rest in California: a guide to the cemeteries and grave sites of the rich and famous |chapter=Chapter 8: East L.A. and the Desert|page=245|year=2006|publisher=Globe Pequot Press|location=Guilford, CT|isbn=978-0762741014|last2=Brooks|first2=Jonathan|oclc= 70284362}}</ref>


==Partial filmography==
==Partial filmography==
[[File:Donald Woods in Anthony Adverse trailer.jpg|thumb|Woods in ''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936)]]
*''[[Charlie Chan's Courage]]'' (1934)
[[File:Donald Woods in The White Angel trailer.jpg|thumb|Woods in ''[[The White Angel (1936 film)|The White Angel]]'' (1936)]]
*''[[Fog Over Frisco]]'' (1934)
{{div col}}
*''[[Frisco Kid]]'' (1935)
*''[[As the Earth Turns (1934 film)|As the Earth Turns]]'' (1934) - Stan
*''[[The Florentine Dagger]]'' (1935)
*''[[The Case of the Curious Bride]]'' (1935)
*''[[Merry Wives of Reno]]'' (1934) - Frank
*''[[The Story of Louis Pasteur]]'' (1935)
*''[[Fog Over Frisco]]'' (1934) - Tony
*''[[Charlie Chan's Courage]]'' (1934) - Bob Crawford
*''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1935)
*''[[She Was a Lady (film)|She Was a Lady]]'' (1934) - Tommy Traill
*''[[Road Gang]]'' (1936)
*''[[Sweet Adeline (1934 film)|Sweet Adeline]]'' (1934) - Sid Barnett
*''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936)
* ''[[A Son Comes Home]]'' (1936)
*''[[The Florentine Dagger]]'' (1935) - Juan Cesare
* ''[[The White Angel (1936 film)|The White Angel]]'' (1936)
*''[[The Case of the Curious Bride]]'' (1935) - Carl
*''[[Sea Devils (1937 film)|Sea Devils]]'' (1937)
*''[[Stranded (1935 film)|Stranded]]'' (1935) - John Wesley
*''[[Frisco Kid]]'' (1935) - Charles Ford
*''[[The Case of the Stuttering Bishop]]'' (1937)
*''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1935) - Charles Darnay
*''[[The Black Doll]]'' (1938)
*''[[Beauty for the Asking]]'' (1939)
*''[[The Story of Louis Pasteur]]'' (1936) - Dr. Jean Martel
*''[[The Girl from Mexico]]'' (1939)
*''[[Road Gang]]'' (1936) - James 'Jim' Larrabie
*''[[Mexican Spitfire (film)|Mexican Spitfire]]'' (1940)
*''[[The White Angel (1936 film)|The White Angel]]'' (1936) - Charles Cooper
*''[[The Gay Sisters]]'' (1942)
*''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936) - Vincent Nolte
*''[[Corregidor (1943 film)|Corregidor]]'' (1943)
*''[[A Son Comes Home]]'' (1936) - Denny
*''[[Watch on the Rhine]]'' (1943)
*''[[Isle of Fury]]'' (1936) - Eric Blake
*''[[Once a Doctor]]'' (1937) - Dr.Steven Brace
*''[[The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944 film)|The Bridge of San Luis Rey]]'' (1944)
*''[[Roughly Speaking (film)|Roughly Speaking]]'' (1945)
*''[[Sea Devils (1937 film)|Sea Devils]]'' (1937) - Steve Webb
*''[[The Case of the Stuttering Bishop]]'' (1937) - Perry Mason
*''[[Wonder Man (film)|Wonder Man]]'' (1945)
*''[[Star in the Night]]'' (1945)
*''[[Talent Scout (film)|Talent Scout]]'' (1937) - Steve Stewart
*''[[Night and Day (1946 film)|Night and Day]]'' (1946)
*''[[Charlie Chan on Broadway]]'' (1937) - Speed Patten
*''[[Big Town Girl]]'' (1937) - Mark Tracey
*''[[Never Say Goodbye (1946 film)|Never Say Goodbye]]'' (1946)
*''[[The Black Doll]]'' (1938) - Nick Halstead
*''[[Scene of the Crime (1949 film)|Scene of the Crime]]'' (1949)
*''[[Johnny One-Eye]]'' (1950)
*''[[Romance on the Run]]'' (1938) - Barry Drake
*''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' (1953)
*''[[Danger on the Air]]'' (1938) - Benjamin Franklin Butts
*''[[13 Ghosts]]'' (1960)
*''[[Beauty for the Asking]]'' (1939) - Jeffrey Martin
*''[[The Girl from Mexico]]'' (1939) - Dennis 'Denny' Lindsay
*''[[Kissin' Cousins]]'' (1964)
*''[[True Grit (1969 film)|True Grit]]'' (1969)
*''[[Heritage of the Desert (1939 film)|Heritage of the Desert]]'' (1939) - John Abbott
*''[[Mexican Spitfire (film)|Mexican Spitfire]]'' (1940) - Dennis Lindsay
*''[[City of Chance]]'' (1940) - Steve Walker
*''[[Forgotten Girls]]'' (1940) - Dan Donahue
*''[[If I Had My Way (film)|If I Had My Way]]'' (1940) - Fred Johnson
*''[[Love, Honor and Oh-Baby!]]'' (1940) - Brian McGrath
*''[[Mexican Spitfire Out West]]'' (1940) - Dennis 'Denny' Lindsay
*''[[Sky Raiders]]'' (1941) - Captain Bob Dayton / John Kane
*''[[Bachelor Daddy]]'' (1941) - Edward Smith
*''[[I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island]]'' (1941) - Joel Grant / Joseph Elmer
*''[[Thru Different Eyes]]'' (1942) - Ted Farnsworth
*''[[The Gay Sisters]]'' (1942) - Penn Sutherland Gaylord
*''[[Corregidor (1943 film)|Corregidor]]'' (1943) - Dr. Michael
*''[[Watch on the Rhine]]'' (1943) - David Farrelly
*''[[So's Your Uncle]]'' (1943) - Steve Curtis aka Uncle John
*''[[Hi'ya, Sailor]]'' (1943) - Bob Jackson
*''[[The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944 film)|The Bridge of San Luis Rey]]'' (1944) - Brother Juniper
*''[[Enemy of Women]]'' (1944) - Dr. Hans Traeger, MD
*''[[Hollywood Canteen (film)|Hollywood Canteen]]'' (1944) - Donald Woods
*''[[Roughly Speaking (film)|Roughly Speaking]]'' (1945) - Rodney Crane
*''[[God Is My Co-Pilot (film)|God Is My Co-Pilot]]'' (1945) - (uncredited)
*''[[Wonder Man (film)|Wonder Man]]'' (1945) - Monte Rossen
*''[[Star in the Night]]'' (1945) - Hitchhiker
*''[[Night and Day (1946 film)|Night and Day]]'' (1946) - Ward Blackburn
*''[[Never Say Goodbye (1946 film)|Never Say Goodbye]]'' (1946) - Rex DeVallon
*''[[The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946 film)|The Time, the Place and the Girl]]'' (1946) - Martin Drew
*''[[Bells of San Fernando]]'' (1947) - Michael 'Gringo' O'Brien
*''[[Stepchild (film)|Stepchild]]'' (1947) - Ken Bullock
*''[[The Return of Rin Tin Tin]]'' (1947) - Father Matthew
*''[[Daughter of the West]]'' (1949) - Commissioner Ralph C. Connors
*''[[Barbary Pirate (film)|Barbary Pirate]]'' (1949) - Maj. Tom Blake
*''[[Scene of the Crime (1949 film)|Scene of the Crime]]'' (1949) - Bob Herkimer
*''[[Free for All (film)|Free for All]]'' (1949) - Roger Abernathy
*''[[Johnny One-Eye]]'' (1950) - Vet
*''[[The Lost Volcano]]'' (1950) - Paul Gordon
*''[[Mr. Music]]'' (1950) - Tippy Carpenter
*''[[The Du Pont Story]]'' (1950) - Irénée du Pont
*''All That I Have'' (1951) - Pastor William Goodwin
*''[[Born to the Saddle]]'' (1953) - Matt Daggett
*''[[The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms]]'' (1953) - Capt. Phil Jackson
*''[[I'll Give My Life]]'' (1960) - Pastor Goodwin
*''[[13 Ghosts]]'' (1960)<ref name="Jordan2014">{{cite book|first=Joe|last=Jordan|title=Showmanship: The Cinema of William Castle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lBhHCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT231|date=30 June 2014|publisher=BearManor Media|pages=231–|id=GGKEY:7X0U2FR3T69}}</ref> - Cyrus Zorba
*''[[Five Minutes to Live]]'' (1961) - Ken Wilson
*''[[Kissin' Cousins]]'' (1964) - General Alvin Donford
*''[[Moment to Moment]]'' (1965) - Mr. Singer
*''[[Dimension 5 (film)|Dimension 5]]'' (1966) - Kane
*''Tammy and the Millionaire'' (1967) - John Brent
*''[[A Time to Sing (film)|A Time to Sing]]'' (1968) - Vernon Carter
*''[[True Grit (1969 film)|True Grit]]'' (1969) - 'Barlow'
*''[[Sweet Revenge (1976 film)|Sweet Revenge]]'' (1976) - Car Salesman (uncredited)
{{div col end}}


{{Portal|Canada|California|Film|Television}}
{{Portal|Canada|California|Film|Television}}

==Television==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1972|| ''[[Alias Smith and Jones (TV series)|Alias Smith and Jones]]'' || Halberstam || S2:E19, "[[List of Alias Smith and Jones episodes|The Biggest Game in the West]]"
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|2}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Donald Woods}}
{{Commons category|Donald Woods}}
*{{findagrave|84011899}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0940579}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0940579|name=Donald Woods}}
*{{IBDB name|65588}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=60338868}}
{{Authority control}}


<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] -->
{{Persondata
|NAME= Woods, Donald
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Zink, Ralph L.
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= Actor
|DATE OF BIRTH= December 2, 1906
|PLACE OF BIRTH= [[Brandon, Manitoba]], Canada
|DATE OF DEATH= March 5, 1998
|PLACE OF DEATH= [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S.
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Donald}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Donald}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:1906 births]]
Line 99: Line 157:
[[Category:Male actors from Palm Springs, California]]
[[Category:Male actors from Palm Springs, California]]
[[Category:People from Brandon, Manitoba]]
[[Category:People from Brandon, Manitoba]]
[[Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area]]
[[Category:Male actors from Greater Los Angeles]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]]
[[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male actors]]
[[Category:Canadian people of German descent]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]

Latest revision as of 00:29, 28 April 2024

Donald Woods
in Sea Devils (1937)
Born
Ralph Lewis Zink

(1906-12-02)December 2, 1906
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
DiedMarch 5, 1998(1998-03-05) (aged 91)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City)
OccupationActor
Spouse
Josephine Van der Horck
​
​
(m. 1933)​
Children2
RelativesRuss Conway (brother)

Donald Woods (born Ralph Lewis Zink; December 2, 1906 – March 5, 1998) was a Canadian-American film and television actor whose career in Hollywood spanned six decades.

Life and career

[edit]

Woods was born in Brandon, Manitoba, and moved with his family to California, where he was raised in Burbank. His parents were William and Margaret Zink, Presbyterians of German descent. His younger brother, Clarence Russell Zink, also became an actor (Russ Conway).[1]

Woods graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and made his film debut in 1928. His screen career was spent mostly in B movies, for example as lawyer Perry Mason in the 1937 film The Case of the Stuttering Bishop. He also played romantic leads in B comedies, notably the popular Mexican Spitfire series opposite Lupe Velez.

He also occasionally played major roles in bigger feature films like A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Anthony Adverse (1936), If I Had My Way (1940, as a doomed bridge worker), Watch on the Rhine (1943), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944), and Roughly Speaking (1945). In 1945 he co-starred in the Christmas-themed parable Star in the Night, as a hitchhiker who awakens a stone-hearted innkeeper to the true spirit of Christmas. Woods's sensitive performance attracted attention, and the film won the "Best Short Subject" Academy Award.

Of considerable importance to Donald Woods's acting career were several seasons as leading man with the Elitch Gardens Theatre Company in Denver, Colorado, where he performed in 1932, 1933, 1939, 1941, 1947, and 1948.[2][3]

In the early days of television, Woods starred in "It's Only a Game", the October 17, 1950, episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre.[4] He starred as the title character in the 1951 syndicated TV series Craig Kennedy, Criminologist,[5] and he was the host of Damon Runyon Theater on CBS-TV.[5]: 230  He played himself on the dramatic series Hotel Cosmopolitan, also on CBS[5]: 479 , and he was one of three hosts of The Orchid Award on ABC-TV.[5]: 795  He portrayed Walter Manning on Portia Faces Life on CBS.[5]: 847 

He also appeared in such anthology series as The Philco Television Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, The United States Steel Hour, Crossroads, and General Electric Theater. On April 11, 1961, Woods appeared as "Professor Landfield" in the episode "Two for the Gallows" on NBC's Laramie western series. Series character Slim Sherman (John Smith) is hired under false pretenses to take Landfield into the Badlands to seek gold. Landfield, however, is really Morgan Bennett, a member of the former Henry Plummer gang who has escaped from prison. Slim has no idea that Landfield is seeking the loot that his gang had hidden away. Series character Jess Harper (Robert Fuller), Pete Dixon, played by Warren Oates, and Pete's younger brother soon come to Slim's aid. The title stems from the talk that the undisciplined Dixon brothers might eventually wind up in a hangman's noose.[6]

Woods later was a regular in the role of John Brent on the short-lived series Tammy[5]: 1052-1053  and made guest appearances on Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, Ben Casey, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Stoney Burke, Bourbon Street Beat, Bonanza, Coronet Blue, Ironside, Alias Smith and Jones, The Wild Wild West and Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, among many others before retiring from acting in 1976.[citation needed]

Besides his film career, he also worked as a successful real estate broker in Palm Springs, California, where he lived with his wife, childhood sweetheart Josephine Van der Horck. They were married from 1933 until his death and had two children, Linda and Conrad. [7] He was interred at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, California.[8]

Partial filmography

[edit]
Woods in Anthony Adverse (1936)
Woods in The White Angel (1936)

Television

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1972 Alias Smith and Jones Halberstam S2:E19, "The Biggest Game in the West"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. (2 volume set). McFarland. p. 153. ISBN 9781476625997. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  2. ^ "Historic Elitch Theatre Website".
  3. ^ Borrillo, Theodore A. (2021). Denver’s historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times). p. 198.
  4. ^ "Television Highlights". The Central New Jersey Home News. New Jersey, New Brunswick. October 17, 1950. p. 17. Retrieved April 30, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 217. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
  6. ^ "Laramie: Two for the Gallows". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved September 21, 2012.
  7. ^ "Donald Woods; Prolific Actor in Movies and TV Shows". Los Angeles Times. 25 April 1998.
  8. ^ Brooks, Patricia; Brooks, Jonathan (2006). "Chapter 8: East L.A. and the Desert". Laid to Rest in California: a guide to the cemeteries and grave sites of the rich and famous. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. p. 245. ISBN 978-0762741014. OCLC 70284362.
  9. ^ Jordan, Joe (30 June 2014). Showmanship: The Cinema of William Castle. BearManor Media. pp. 231–. GGKEY:7X0U2FR3T69.
[edit]
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