Donald Buka (1920 - 2009)

Actor. He began his career in the Broadway stage performance of “The Taming of the Shrew” (1940). Going on to feature films, he made his debut playing the role as Bette Davis’ son in “Watch on the Rhine” (1943). His other notable film credits included “The Bourgeois Gentleman” (1945), “The Street with No Name” (1948), […]

Donald Cammell (1934 - 1996)

Donald Cammell was born in the Camera Obscura (then known as Outlook Tower) on Castlehill, near the castle in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of the poet and writer Charles Richard Cammell (who authored a book on occultist Aleister Crowley). Donald Cammell was educated at Shrewsbury House School and Westminster School. Brought up in a bohemian atmosphere, […]

Donald Carr (1926 - 2016)

Donald Carr was the son of J. L. Carr, an officer of the Royal Berkshire Regiment, who was serving with the British Army of the Rhine in Germany. He went to Forres Boarding School in Swanage (the headmaster, R. M. Chadwick, a former opening bat for Dorset Minor Counties 1st XI, coached him) and then […]

Donald Cook (1901 - 1961)

Actor. Cook is best known for his role as ‘Tom Blake’ in the television series, “Too Young To Go Steady” (1959). He appeared in the films, “Our Very Own” (1950), “Blonde Ransom” (1945), “Bowery To Broadway” (1944), “Freedom Comes High” (1943), “Circus Girl” (1937), “Ellis Island” (1936), “Dan Matthews” (1935), “Whirlpool” (1934), “Baby Face” (1933), […]

Donald Crisp (1882 - 1974)

Donald Crisp was born in Bow, London at the family home on 27 July 1882. He was one of eight children (four boys and four girls) born to James and Elizabeth Crisp. He was educated at the University of Oxford after serving as a trooper in the 10th Hussars in the Boer War. Crisp claimed […]

Donald Dillaway (1903 - 1982)

Actor. Dillaway appeared in over 70 movies. He also made appearances in a dozen television shows in the 50s and 60s, including “Leave It To Beaver” and “Perry Mason.” He is best remembered as “Eddie” in Laurel and Hardy’s “Pack Up Your Troubles.” (bio by: Evening Blues)

Donald Douglas (1905 - 1945)

Scottish-born actor in many films of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Donald Dunn (1941 - 2012)

Donald Dunn As the bass player on dozens of the most soulful hits in the history of pop music, Donald “Duck” Dunn often found himself out on the road playing to fans who had assumed he was black like the stars he supported, notably Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Sam & Dave. When audiences encountered […]

Donald Gayton Phelps (1929 - 2003)

Educator, civil rights activist. He was the first black chancellor of the Seattle Community College and, in 1988, became chancellor of the nation’s largest and most diverse community-college district in Los Angeles. In the late ’60s and early ’70s, he was a commentator for KOMO 4 television and radio (Seattle) speaking regularly on race relations. […]

Donald Haines (1919 - 1943)

Actor. He is best remembered for playing the role of ‘Speck’ in several of the “The Little Rascals” comedies between 1930 and 1932. Among his roles were the films, “Radio Dough” (1934), “No Greater Glory” (1934), “Ginger” (1935), “A Tale Of Two Cities” (1935), “Exclusive Story” (1936), “Little Lord Fauntleroy” (1936), “Rhythm In The Clouds” […]

Donald Houston (1923 - 1991)

Donald Daniel Houston (6 November 1923 – 13 October 1991) was a Welsh actor whose first two films – The Blue Lagoon (1949) with Jean Simmons, and A Run for Your Money (1949) with Sir Alec Guinness – were highly successful. Later in his career he was cast in military roles and in comedies such […]

Donald Kent “Deke” Slayton (1924 - 1993)

American Astronaut. One of the “Original Seven” Mercury astronauts, he was grounded in 1962 due to a minor heart fibrillation. He was later named Director of Flight Crew Operations (otherwise known as “Chief Astronaut”), selecting all astronauts for crews until 1973, when he was restored to flight status. He flew 1 mission, the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz […]

Donald Lash (1912 - 1994)

Donald Lash (August 15, 1912 – September 19, 1994) was an American long-distance runner who won 12 national titles from 1934 to 1940, including seven consecutive men’s national cross-country championships, and who set a world’s record for the two-mile run in 1936. Born in Bluffton, Indiana, Lash grew up in Auburn, Indiana, where he graduated […]

Donald Lee Hollowell (1917 - 2004)

Donald Leroy Evans (1957 - 1999)

In 1991, Evans was arrested in Louisiana for the kidnapping of a 10-year-old girl. He confessed to the killing and led the authorities to the girl’s body. He also confessed to killing more than 70 other people in over 20 different states. Most of the murders and rapes took place at rest stops and public […]

Donald McKay (1810 - 1880)

Businessman. In 1844 he founded a shipyard in Boston that produced many of the United States’ largest and most famous clipper ships. One of the ships he built, the SS Flying Cloud, sailed from New York City to San Francisco (going around South America’s Cape Horn) in a then-record 89 days. During the Civil War […]

Donald O’Connor (1925 - 2003)

Though he considered Danville, Illinois to be his home town, O’Connor was born in St. Elizabeth Hospital in Chicago. His parents, Effie Irene (née Crane) and John Edward “Chuck” O’Connor, were vaudeville entertainers. His father’s family was from County Cork, Ireland. When O’Connor was only a few years old, he and his sister Arlene were […]

Donald Ray Wallace (1957 - 2005)

On January 14, 1980, Indiana State Trooper Thomas Snyder was called to the Evansville home of Ralph Hendricks as it had been reportedly burglarized. Snyder went to the home of Patrick and Theresa Gilligan, which was next door to Hendricks’s house, to inquire whether the Gilligans might have seen or heard anything unusual. Snyder, discovering […]

Donald Slayton (1924 - 1993)

In 1959, Donald Slayton was one of 110 military test pilots selected by their commanding officers as candidates for the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Project Mercury, the first U.S. manned space flight program. Following a gruelling series of physical and psychological tests, NASA selected Slayton to be one of the original group […]

Donald Wesley Reno (1927 - 1984)

Donald Wesley Reno Bluegrass Musician. He was playing for the local radio station by the time he turned 12, by 14 he was working with the Morris Brothers who introduced Don to a type of bluegrass music termed “mountain music,” that was quickly gaining popularity. Bill Monroe was impressed by Reno and asked him to […]

Donald Williams (1942 - 2016)

Selected by NASA in January 1978, Donald Williams became an astronaut in August 1979, qualified for assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flight crews. Since then he has had various support assignments, including working at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) as a test pilot, and at the Kennedy Space Center participating in […]

Donald Wilson (1910 - 2002)

Donald Boyd Wilson (11 September 1910, Dunblane, Scotland – 5 March 2002, Gloucestershire, England) was a British television writer and producer, best known for his work on the BBC’s adaptation of The Forsyte Sagain 1967 and co-creating the series Doctor Who. He attended the Glasgow School of Art, following which his first jobs were as a […]

Donald Woods (1906 - 1998)

Born Ralph Lewis Zink in Brandon, Manitoba, Donald Woods moved with his family to California and was raised in Burbank. A son of William and Margaret Zink (the family was of German descent; their religion was Presbyterian), his younger brother was actor Russell Conway, born Russell Clarence Zink, in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, on April 25, […]

Donatello (1970 - 1466)

Acclaimed Italian Sculptor. One of the most important sculptors in the Renaissance. Among his works “Abramo e Isacco,” “Geremie,” “Giuditta e Olorferne,” “San Giorgio,” “Il Gattamelata,” “Salomé” and “Habacuk.” (bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni)

Donfeld (1934 - 2007)

Costume Designer. He attended the Chouinard Art Institute before being hired as an art director (at age 19) by Capitol Records,  where he designed album covers. After several years he left Capitol to become a costume designer in the film industry. Donfeld’s first screen assignment was 1961’s “Sanctuary”,  for which he designed Lee Remick’s costumes. […]

Donn Eisele (1930 - 1987)

Donn Eisele was part of NASA’s third group of astronauts, selected in October 1963. In early 1966, Eisele was quietly selected as Pilot for the Apollo 1 crew, along with Command Pilot Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom and Senior Pilot Edward H. White. But after dislocating his shoulder twice during training, Eisele was replaced with Roger […]

Donna Damerel Fick (1912 - 1941)

Actress. She started in vaudeville with her parents who were major stars on the circuit. Fick became popular to radio listeners as Marge of the “Myrt and Marge” radio show which ran on CBS during the 1930s and 1940s.  Her mother Myrtle Vail played the role of Myrt.   Fick played the part from the […]

Donna Douglas (1932 - 2015)

American Actress. Douglas, who grew up in Baton Rouge, will best be remembered for her role as Elly May Clampett in the 1960s CBS television series, ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’. Born Doris Smith, she attended a Catholic High School where she was active in sports. In 1957, she was named “Miss Baton Rouge” and was later […]

Donna Reed (1921 - 1986)

Donna Reed was born Donna Belle Mullenger on a farm near Denison, Iowa, the daughter of Hazel Jane (née Shives; 1899–1975) and William Richard Mullenger (1893–1981). The eldest of five children, she was raised as a Methodist. After graduating from Denison High School, Reed planned to become a teacher, but was unable to pay for […]

Donna Summer (1948 - 2012)

LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948 – May 17, 2012), known by her stage name, Donna Summer, was an American singer, songwriter, and painter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the late 1970s. A five-time Grammy Award winner, she was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on […]