Known For
Acting
Born
May 31, 1908
Died
Dec 06, 1993
Place of Birth
Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
Credits
92 titles
Don Ameche
Biography
Don Ameche (born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor and radio entertainer whose career spanned over six decades. Known for his charming, dapper presence and signature mustache, Ameche became one of 20th Century Fox's premier leading men throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to an Italian immigrant father and a mother of European descent, he adapted his family's surname from "Amici" to "Ameche" to preserve its original Italian pronunciation in the United States. He began his entertainment career in vaudeville and radio, where he achieved nationwide fame as the host of popular broadcasts like The Chase and Sanborn Hour. He transitioned to film in 1935, starring in a string of successful musical comedies and dramas, most notably Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), and Ernst Lubitsch’s classic comedy Heaven Can Wait (1943). As film roles slowed in the 1950s, Ameche worked extensively in live theatre and television. His screen career experienced a celebrated renaissance in the 1980s, beginning with his role as the scheming commodities broker Mortimer Duke in Trading Places (1983). Two years later, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a revitalized retiree in Ron Howard’s Cocoon (1985). In his final years, Ameche introduced himself to a new generation of filmgoers providing the warm, patriarchal voice of Shadow the Golden Retriever in Disney's Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993), before completing his final screen appearance in Corrina, Corrina (1994). Ameche was married to Honore Prendergast from 1932 until her death in 1986; the couple had six children. Ameche died of prostate cancer in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1993 at the age of 85.
Known For
Filmography
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1940s: Stars, Stripes and Singing
(archive footage)
Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults
Self (archiveFootage)
The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender
Self (archive footage)
Corrina, Corrina
Grandpa Harry
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Shadow (voice)
Sunstroke
Jake
Folks!
Harry Aldrich
Our Shining Moment
John 'Papa' McGuire Sr.
Oscar
Father Clemente
Oddball Hall
G. Paul Siebriese
Things Change
Gino
Cocoon: The Return
Art Selwyn
Coming to America
Mortimer Duke / Homeless Man #2 (uncredited)
Harry and the Hendersons
Dr. Wallace Wrightwood
Pals
Art Riddle
A Masterpiece of Murder
Frank Aherne
The Golden Girls
Brother Martin
Cocoon
Arthur Selwyn
Trading Places
Mortimer Duke
Night of 100 Stars
Self
The Chinese Typewriter
Armand Beller
The Kennedy Center Honors
Self
The Love Boat
Stewart Coolidge
Quincy, M.E.
Harry Whitehead
Good Heavens
Ellery Queen
Dr. Norman Marsh
The American Film Institute Salute to ...
Self
Gidget Gets Married
Otis Ramsey
Columbo
Frank Simpson
Alias Smith and Jones
Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?
Col. Flanders
The Boatniks
Commander Taylor
McCloud
Julia
Director
Shadow Over Elveron
Justin Travers
Rings Around the World
Host/Ringmaster
Picture Mommy Dead
Edward Shelley
Petticoat Junction
Uncle George
Burke's Law
Whitman Saunders
The Greatest Show on Earth
Collie McCullough
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Co-Host
A Fever in the Blood
Senator Alex S. Simon
DuPont Show of the Month
Harry Graves
The Lux Show
Self
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Self
Climax!
Sam Waterman
Coke Time with Eddie Fisher
What's My Line?
Self