Donald Woods (actor)

{{Infobox person | name = Donald Woods | image = Donald Woods in Sea Devils trailer 2.jpg | imagesize = | caption = in ''Sea Devils'' (1937) | birth_date = {{birth date|1906|12|02|mf=y}} | birth_place = [[Brandon, Manitoba]], Canada | death_date = {{death date and age|1998|03|05|1906|12|02|mf=y}} | death_place = [[Palm Springs, California]], U.S. | resting_place = [[Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City)]] | birth_name = Ralph Lewis Zink | occupation = Actor | spouse = {{marriage|Josephine Van der Horck|1933}} | children = 2 | relatives = [[Russ Conway (actor)|Russ 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== Woods was born in [[Manitoba]] and was raised in California.<ref name="ra">{{cite news |title=Kenley presents Miss Bennet (sic) in 'Skylark' |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-record-american/163756596/ |access-date=January 23, 2025 |work=The Record-American |date=August 14, 1951 |location=Pennsylvania, Mahanoy City |page=5|via = [[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref> His parents were William and Margaret Zink, Presbyterians of German descent.{{Citation needed |date=January 2025}} 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=7-DgDAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Donald+Woods%22+intitle%3AResting+intitle%3APlaces&pg=PA153|access-date=22 April 2017|language=en}}</ref>

Woods graduated from the [[University of California, Berkeley]], and began his career in West Coast stock theater.<ref name="ra" />

He 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 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 |page=198}}</ref>

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, 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}}

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 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 (1967 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}}

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== [[File:Donald Woods in Anthony Adverse trailer.jpg|thumb|Woods in ''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936)]] [[File:Donald Woods in The White Angel trailer.jpg|thumb|Woods in ''[[The White Angel (1936 film)|The White Angel]]'' (1936)]] {{div col}} * ''[[As the Earth Turns (1934 film)|As the Earth Turns]]'' (1934) – Stan * ''[[Merry Wives of Reno]]'' (1934) – Frank * ''[[Fog Over Frisco]]'' (1934) – Tony * ''[[Charlie Chan's Courage]]'' (1934) – Bob Crawford * ''[[She Was a Lady (film)|She Was a Lady]]'' (1934) – Tommy Traill * ''[[Sweet Adeline (1934 film)|Sweet Adeline]]'' (1934) – Sid Barnett * ''[[The Florentine Dagger]]'' (1935) – Juan Cesare * ''[[The Case of the Curious Bride]]'' (1935) – Carl * ''[[Stranded (1935 film)|Stranded]]'' (1935) – John Wesley * ''[[Frisco Kid]]'' (1935) – Charles Ford * ''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film)|A Tale of Two Cities]]'' (1935) – Charles Darnay * ''[[The Story of Louis Pasteur]]'' (1936) – Dr. Jean Martel * ''[[Road Gang]]'' (1936) – James 'Jim' Larrabie * ''[[The White Angel (1936 film)|The White Angel]]'' (1936) – Charles Cooper * ''[[Anthony Adverse]]'' (1936) – Vincent Nolte * ''[[A Son Comes Home]]'' (1936) – Denny * ''[[Isle of Fury]]'' (1936) – Eric Blake * ''[[Once a Doctor]]'' (1937) – Dr.Steven Brace * ''[[Sea Devils (1937 film)|Sea Devils]]'' (1937) – Steve Webb * ''[[The Case of the Stuttering Bishop]]'' (1937) – Perry Mason * ''[[Talent Scout (film)|Talent Scout]]'' (1937) – Steve Stewart * ''[[Charlie Chan on Broadway]]'' (1937) – Speed Patten * ''[[Big Town Girl]]'' (1937) – Mark Tracey * ''[[The Black Doll]]'' (1938) – Nick Halstead * ''[[Romance on the Run]]'' (1938) – Barry Drake * ''[[Danger on the Air]]'' (1938) – Benjamin Franklin Butts * ''[[Beauty for the Asking]]'' (1939) – Jeffrey Martin * ''[[The Girl from Mexico]]'' (1939) – Dennis 'Denny' Lindsay * ''[[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=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}}

==Television== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1951|| ''[[Craig Kennedy, Criminologist]]'' || Craig Kennedy || Starring role |- |1965-1988|| ''[[Tammy (TV series)|Tammy]]'' || John Brent || Recurring role |- |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== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Donald Woods}} * {{IMDb name|id=0940579}} * {{IBDB name|65588}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woods, Donald}} [[Category:1906 births]] [[Category:1998 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century American male actors]] [[Category:Male actors from Manitoba]] [[Category:American male television actors]] [[Category:American male film actors]] [[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City)]] [[Category:Canadian male television actors]] [[Category:Canadian male film actors]] [[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]] [[Category:Male actors from Palm Springs, California]] [[Category:People from Brandon, Manitoba]] [[Category:Male actors from Greater Los Angeles]] [[Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni]] [[Category:20th-century Canadian male actors]] [[Category:Canadian people of German descent]] [[Category:American people of German descent]]