| Birth name | Thomas Donald Meek |
|---|---|
| Birth date | 14 July 1878 |
| Birth place | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Death date | 18 November 1946 (aged 68) |
| Death place | Los Angeles, California, US |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1886–1946 |
| Spouse | Belle Walken (m. 1909) |
Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946)[1] was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903.
Meek appeared in the films You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Stagecoach (1939). He posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Early years
Meek was born in Glasgow to Matthew and Annie Meek.[2] In the 1890s, the Meek family emigrated to Canada and then to the United States. By 1900, they were living in Philadelphia, where Meek was employed as a dry goods salesman, according to the United States census of that year.[3]
Career
Meek's Broadway credits include The Minister's Daughters (1903), Going Up (1917), Nothing But Love (1919), The Hottentot (1920), Little Old New York (1920), Six-Cylinder Love (1921), Tweedles (1923), The Potters (1923), Easy Terms (1925), Fool's Bells (1925), Love 'em and Leave 'em (1926), The Shelf (1926), Spread Eagle (1927), My Princess (1927), The Ivory Door (1927), Mr. Moneypenny (1928), and Jonesy (1929). In Broken Dishes (1929), he starred with a young Bette Davis.[4]
After years on the stage, Meek became a film actor. His movies include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Miss Broadway, and State Fair.
Meek, who had lost his hair due to yellow fever, was cast as timid, worried characters in many of his films. Notable roles include Mr. Poppins in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It With You and whiskey salesman Samuel Peacock in John Ford's Stagecoach.[5]
From 1931 through 1932, Meek was featured as criminologist Dr. Crabtree in a series of 12 Warner Bros. two-reel short subjects written by S.S. Van Dine.
Personal life
Meek and Isabella "Belle" Walken married in Boston in a Methodist church on 3 January 1909. By this marriage, the American-born Belle Meek lost her United States citizenship by taking her husband's British nationality.[citation needed]
Death
Donald Meek died of leukaemia on 18 November 1946, in Los Angeles,[6] while filming the role of Mr. Twiddle in Magic Town.[7] A prolific film actor in over 100 Hollywood movies during its Golden Age, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[8]
Selected filmography
References
- ^ Bochenek, Annette (1 October 2021). "Donald Meek". Hometowns to Hollywood. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ Bochenek, Annette (1 October 2021). "Donald Meek". Hometowns to Hollywood. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ "Donald Meek". Hollywood Walk of Fame. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ "Donald Meek". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived 17 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ "On Donald Meek, Whose Characters Matched His Screen Name". Travalanche. 14 July 2017. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ "St. Petersburg Times – Donald Meek Dies In Hollywood". news.google.com
- ^ "Donald Meek: Meek by Name, Meek (Mostly) on the Screen". Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ "Donald Meek". Hollywood Walk of Fame. 25 October 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
External links
- Donald Meek at IMDb
- Portraits of Donald Meek from Stagecoach Archived 16 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine by Ned Scott