Jack Donner (October 29, 1928 – September 21, 2019) was an American actor whose career in theater, television and film extended over six decades.
Career
A native of Los Angeles, Donner worked in television and film since the 1950s including early work on ''
The Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'' and ''
As the World Turns
''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other soa ...
''. Honing his craft, he performed in seven successive seasons of New York City regional and stock theater.
Beginning in the 1960s he had many guest star and co-starring roles in shows including ''
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by MGM Television, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who wo ...
'', ''
Mission Impossible
''Mission: Impossible'' is a multimedia franchise based on a fictional secret espionage agency known as the Impossible Missions Force (IMF). The 1966 TV series ran for seven seasons and was revived in 1988 for two seasons. It inspired a serie ...
'', ''
Mannix
''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...
'', ''
Kojak
''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, it ...
'' and ''
The Streets of San Francisco
''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin, Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the ...
''. However, he was probably best known for his role of Romulan Subcommander Tal in the original ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' episode "
The Enterprise Incident
"The ''Enterprise'' Incident" is the second episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. Written by D. C. Fontana and directed by John Meredyth Lucas, it was first broadcast September 27, 1968.
I ...
". He later returned as a Vulcan priest in the episodes "Kir'Shara" and "Home" of ''
Star Trek: Enterprise
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
''.
Along with
Joseph Ruskin
Joseph Ruskin (born Joseph Richard Schlafman; April 14, 1924 – December 28, 2013) was an American character actor.
Also appeared in several underworld character roles on the tv series The Untouchables (1959-1963)
Early life
Ruskin was born ...
and
Clint Howard
Clinton Engle Howard (born April 20, 1959) is an American actor. He is the second son born to American actors Rance and Jean Howard, and younger brother of actor and director Ron Howard. His 200-plus acting credits include feature films such as ...
, he is one of only three actors to appear in both the original ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' series and ''
Star Trek: Enterprise
''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...
''.
In 1998 he appeared in the uncredited role of Commander Kinwon in ''
Power Rangers in Space
''Power Rangers in Space'' is a television series and the sixth season of the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, based on the 21st Super Sentai series ''Denji Sentai Megaranger''.
''In Space'' was a turning point for the Power Rangers franchise, as the ...
''. He had a recurring role on ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the list of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running American soap opera in pro ...
'' as
Nikolas Nikolas is a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include the following:
Given name Music
*Nikolas Asimos (1949–1988), Greek composer and singer
*Nikolas Caoile, American conductor
*Nikolas Metaxas (born 1988), American singer ...
and
Spencer Cassadine
''General Hospital'' is an American television serial drama, airing on ABC. The show was created by Frank and Doris Hursley, who originally set it in a general hospital in an unnamed fictional city. The series premiered on April 1, 1963. In the ...
's butler, Alfred.
Donner starred in
Peaches Christ
Peaches Christ (stage name for Joshua Grannell) is an American underground drag performer, emcee, filmmaker, and actor. Peaches currently resides in San Francisco where her Backlash Production Company and Midnight Mass movie series are based. Gr ...
's black comedy film ''
All About Evil
''All About Evil'' is a 2010 American black comedy slasher film and marks the feature film directorial debut of Joshua Grannell, who also wrote the script. The film stars Natasha Lyonne as an unhinged theatre owner who begins making snuff films ...
'' and in Bryan Moore's adaptation of
H. P. Lovecraft's ''
Cool Air
"Cool Air" is a short story by the American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in March 1926 and published in the March 1928 issue of '' Tales of Magic and Mystery''.
Plot
The narrator offers a story to explain why a "draught of co ...
''. He also had a brief but memorable scene as a fire-and-brimstone prosecutor who demands death in 1971's ''
The Night God Screamed
''The Night God Screamed'' is a 1971 American psychological thriller/horror film, independently made on a low budget by Lasky/Carlin Productions (producers Ed Carlin and Gil Lasky, with Lasky writing the screenplay). Due to the sensitivities conn ...
''.
He founded Oxford Theater with fellow actor
Lee Delano
Lee Delano (January 19, 1931 – October 8, 2017) was an American character actor.
Delano was born in New York City. He graduated from the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater, where he studied with Sandy Meisner for acting and Martha Gr ...
. Their students included
Barry Levinson
Barry Lee Levinson (born April 6, 1942) is an American filmmaker, comedian and actor. Levinson's best-known works are mid-budget comedy drama and drama films such as '' Diner'' (1982); ''The Natural'' (1984); ''Good Morning, Vietnam'' (1987); ' ...
,
Craig T. Nelson
Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom ''Coach'' (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 19 ...
,
Barbara Parkins
Barbara Parkins (born May 22, 1942) is a Canadian-American former actress, singer, dancer and photographer.
Early life
Parkins was born in Vancouver, British Columbia.[Don Johnson
Donnie Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor, producer and singer. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series ''Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Em ...]
.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Donner, Jack
1928 births
2019 deaths
American male stage actors
American male film actors
American male television actors
Place of death missing
Male actors from Los Angeles
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors