Content deleted Content added
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| (843 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{short description|American actor (1908–1993)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Don Ameche
| image = Don Ameche 1964.JPG
| caption = Ameche on the set of ''International Showtime'' in 1964
| birth_name = Dominic Felix Amici
| birth_date = {{birth date|1908|5|31}}
| birth_place = [[Kenosha, Wisconsin]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1993|12|6|1908|5|31}}
| death_place = [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], U.S.
| resting_place = Resurrection Cemetery<br />[[Asbury, Iowa]], U.S.
| alma_mater = [[Loras College]]<br>[[Marquette University]]<br>[[University of Wisconsin–Madison|University of Wisconsin]]
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* Actor
* comedian
* vaudevillian
}}
| years_active = 1928–1993
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Honore Prendergast|1932|1986|reason=died}}
| children = 6
| relatives = [[Jim Ameche]] (brother)<br>[[Alan Ameche]] (cousin)
}}
'''Don Ameche''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|m|iː|tʃ|i}}; born '''Dominic Felix Amici'''; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993)<ref name="Who Was Who">{{cite book|title=Who Was Who in America, 1993–1996, vol. 11|year=1996|publisher=Marquis Who's Who|___location=New Providence, N.J.|isbn=0-8379-0225-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/whowaswhoinameri11marq/page/5 5]|chapter=Ameche, Don|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/whowaswhoinameri11marq}}</ref> was an American actor, comedian and [[vaudevillian]]. After playing in college shows, [[repertory theatre]], and [[vaudeville]], he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which led to the offer of a movie contract from [[20th Century Fox]] in 1935.
In the 1950s, he worked on Broadway and in television and was the host of NBC's ''International Showtime'' from 1961 to 1965. Returning to film work in his later years, Ameche enjoyed a fruitful revival of his career, beginning with his role as a villain in ''[[Trading Places]]'' (1983). He won the [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]] for his performance in ''[[Cocoon (film)|Cocoon]]'' (1985).
==Early life==
Don Ameche was born as '''Dominic Felix Amici''' on May 31, 1908, in [[Kenosha, Wisconsin]]. His father, Felice Amici, was a bartender from [[Montemonaco]], [[Province of Ascoli Piceno|Ascoli Piceno]], [[Marche|Marche, Italy]]. His mother, Barbara Etta Hertel, was of [[Scottish American|Scottish]], [[Irish American|Irish]], and [[German American|German]] ancestry.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lslBAQAAIAAJ&q=barbara+Hertle+ameche|title=Who's who in the Theatre|first=John|last=Parker|year=1981|publisher=Pitman|isbn=9780810302358|access-date=16 December 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/08/obituaries/don-ameche-is-dead-at-85-oscar-winner-for-cocoon.html |work=The New York Times |first=Peter B. |last=Flint |title=Don Ameche Is Dead at 85; Oscar Winner for 'Cocoon' |date=1993-12-08}}</ref><ref name="Archived copy">{{cite web |url=http://www.happeningsmag.com/kcms/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4 |title=Happeningsmag.com-Don Ameche - Actors - Hall of Fame |access-date=2012-04-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718050911/http://www.happeningsmag.com/kcms/modules/news/article.php?storyid=4 |archive-date=2012-07-18 }}</ref> Ameche was the second-oldest of eight children: sisters Elizabeth, Catherine, Mary and Anna, and brothers Louis, Umberto (Bert) and James ([[Jim Ameche]]), who was also a well-known actor.<ref>1930 U.S. Federal Census; Kenosha, Kenosha, Wisconsin; Roll: 2577; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 0017; Image: 716.0; FHL microfilm: 2342311</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://content.ancestry.com/iexec/?htx=View&r=an&dbid=6061&iid=WIT625_1991-0409&fn=Felix&ln=Ameche&ssrc=&pid=23996165 |title=Ancestry.com |publisher=content.ancestry.com |access-date=2010-03-23}}{{dead link|date=May 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> Ameche attended [[Marquette University]], [[Loras College]], and the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison]], where his cousin [[Alan Ameche]] played football and won the [[Heisman Trophy]] in 1954.<ref name="who">{{cite encyclopedia |title=AMECHE, Don |encyclopedia=Who's Who in the Theatre |volume=1 |page=15 |publisher=Gale Research Company |year=1981 |editor-first=Ian |editor-last=Herbert |issn=0083-9833}}</ref>
==Career==
[[File:Carmen Miranda em Uma Noite no Rio 1941.jpg|thumb|Ameche and [[Carmen Miranda]] in ''[[That Night in Rio]]'' (1941)]]
Ameche had done well in college dramatics at the [[University of Wisconsin]], and when a lead actor for a stock company production of ''Excess Baggage'' did not turn up, a friend persuaded him to stand in for the missing actor. He enjoyed the experience and got a juvenile lead in ''Jerry For Short'' in New York, followed by a tour in [[vaudeville]] with [[Texas Guinan]] until she dropped him from the act, dismissing him as "too stiff".<ref>Palmer, R. Barton. "Don Ameche" in Thomas, Nicholas ed. ''International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Vol. 3: Actors and Actresses'', Detroit: St. James Press, 1992. p. 9.</ref>
Ameche then moved to Chicago, where "he began a radio career in 1930 on ''[[Empire Builders (radio program)|Empire Builders]]'', a program broadcast from the [[Merchandise Mart]]. By 1932, Ameche had become the leading man on two other Chicago-based programs: the dramatic anthology ''[[The First Nighter Program|First Nighter]]'', and ''[[Betty and Bob]]'', the latter considered by many to be the forerunner of the soap-opera genre."<ref name="Archived copy"/>
Brought to Hollywood by 20th-Century Fox producer [[Darryl Zanuck]], Ameche played mostly romantic leads paired with many of the top female stars of the era. In 1939, he played a lead character in comedy film ''[[Midnight (1939 film)|Midnight]]'' (1939). He also played the [[Alexander Graham Bell|title character]] in ''[[The Story of Alexander Graham Bell]]'' (1939) which led to the use of the word "ameche" as juvenile slang for a telephone. As noted by Mike Kilen in the ''Iowa City Gazette'' (December 8, 1993), "The film prompted a generation to call people to the telephone with the phrase: 'You're wanted on the Ameche.'"<ref>Kilen, Mike. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CR&p_theme=cr&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_field_label-0=Section&s_dispstring=ameche%20AND%20section(all)%20AND%20date(12/1/1993%20to%2012/13/1993)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=12/1/1993%20to%2012/13/1993)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(ameche)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no "Ameche's son in Iowa City recalls dad's legacy of joy"]. ''Iowa City Gazette''. 8 December 1993.</ref> Such an identity between Ameche and the telephone was forged, that in the 1940 film ''[[Go West (1940 film)|Go West]]'', Groucho Marx proclaims, "Telephone? This is 1870, Don Ameche hasn't invented the telephone yet."
Ameche was [[Alice Faye]]'s leading man in ''[[Hollywood Cavalcade (1939 film)|Hollywood Cavalcade]]'' (1939), then played another real-life figure, [[Stephen Foster]], in ''[[Swanee River (1939 film)|Swanee River]]'' (1939). He did a third biopic, ''[[Lillian Russell (film)|Lillian Russell]]'' (1940) with Faye, and was top billed in a war film, ''[[Four Sons (1940 film)|Four Sons]]'' (1940). He also starred in two popular musicals, ''[[Down Argentine Way]]'' (1940), which helped make stars of [[Betty Grable]] and [[Carmen Miranda]], and ''[[Moon Over Miami (film)|Moon Over Miami]]'' (1941), also with Grable. In 1940, he was voted the 21st-most-popular star in Hollywood.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article47308347 |title=FILM WORLD. |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |___location=Perth |date=14 February 1941 |access-date=24 April 2012 |page=16 |publisher=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
Ameche did ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1943 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]'' (1943), ''[[Happy Land (film)|Happy Land]]'' (1943), ''[[Wing and a Prayer]]'' (1944), and ''[[Greenwich Village (film)|Greenwich Village]]'' (1944). In 1944, he reportedly earned $247,677 for 1943<ref>{{cite news|title=Don Ameche's $246,677|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety155-1944-07#page/n1/mode/1up|newspaper=Weekly Variety|date=5 July 1944|page=3}}</ref> ($4,495,498 in 2024 dollars),<ref>{{cite web |title=What is $247,677 in 1943 Worth Today |url=https://www.amortizationtable.org/inflation-calculator/247677/1943?to=2024 |website=Amortization Table |access-date=June 1, 2024}}</ref> making him the second highest earner at 20th Century Fox after [[Spyros Skouras]] {{cn|date=June 2024}}.
[[File:Don Ameche -1946.jpg|thumb|left|Ameche in 1946]]
Following his appearances as announcer and sketch participant on ''[[The Chase and Sanborn Hour]]'', Ameche achieved memorable success during the late 1940s playing opposite [[Frances Langford]] in ''[[The Bickersons]]'', the [[Philip Rapp]] radio comedy series about a combative married couple. It began on [[NBC]] in 1946, moving to [[CBS]] the following year. He also had his own program, ''The Old Gold Don Ameche Show'', on NBC Red in the early 1940s.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Friday's Highlights|magazine=Radio and Television Mirror|date=July 1940|volume=14|issue=3|page=52|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Mirror/40/Mirror-1940-Jul.pdf|access-date=6 March 2015}}</ref>
In 1950 Ameche became the star of ''[[Holiday Hotel (TV series)|Holiday Hotel]]'', on ABC-TV.<ref>{{cite magazine |date=August 12, 1950 |page=11 |title=Packard Signs Ameche for Fall Show |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l_UDAAAAMBAJ&dq=%22Holiday+Hotel%22+ABC&pg=PA11 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=July 30, 2022}}</ref>
Ameche appeared regularly in films until 1970, as he shifted to television and the stage. He returned to films after thirteen years with ''[[Trading Places]]'' (1983), where he was cast when director [[John Landis]] had someone in mind from the 1930s and 1940s who had not played many villainous roles and came upon Ameche (after [[Ray Milland]] was passed over due to not being able to pass the insurance physical).<ref name="Yahoo">{{cite web |last1=Bland |first1=Simon |title=Trading Places director John Landis says 'offensive' moments require perspective |url=https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/movies/trading-places-director-john-landis-offensive-moments-150956114.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL28sWXhfTK6nZv_q2jGn_PAYVrktd7OYf31sy2M09rPR7ciJgOOahlzL8n9e4MtX3vKHV8jZFtSEl7e9xehxhhiY55eJeg3B-qiWmmDnv74SD43ZiKYn40M-EEdCkFS56PLv2s3SqRO-ZuSAqeGrB0VCD_z464lakHKKLOvjswp |website=Yahoo! Movies |date=14 December 2023 |publisher=Yahoo! |access-date=June 1, 2024}}</ref> After having to track him down in [[Santa Monica, California]] due to not being able to reach him through the [[Screen Actors Guild]], who said that his royalty payments were going to his son in Arizona, Ameche took on the role.<ref name="Yahoo" /> This started a comeback where Ameche would appear more regularly in films,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/80s-heroes-john-landis/|title='80s heroes: John Landis|date=July 17, 2016|website=Empire}}</ref> including ''[[Cocoon (film)|Cocoon]]'' (1985, which earned him an [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor]]), ''[[Harry and the Hendersons]]'' (1987), ''[[Coming to America]]'' (1988), and ''[[Cocoon: The Return]]'' (1988).
He earned good reviews for the David Mamet and Shel Silverstein-penned ''[[Things Change (film)|Things Change]]'' (1988); ''[[The New York Times]]'' said that he showed "the kind of great comic aplomb that wins actors awards for other than sentimental reasons."<ref>Canby, Vincent. ''Things Change (1988) October 21, 1988 Review/Film; Mamet's Unwiseguys", New York Times movie review.</ref> His later credits included an episode of ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' (1990), the films ''[[Oscar (1991 film)|Oscar]]'' (1991), ''[[Folks! (film)|Folks!]]'' (1992), and the voice of Shadow in ''[[Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey]]'' (1993). His final appearance was in the film ''[[Corrina, Corrina (film)|Corrina, Corrina]]'' (1994), which was released posthumously.
==Personal Life and Death==
From 1946 to 1949, together with other Los Angeles entertainment figures including [[Bing Crosby]] and [[Bob Hope]], Ameche owned the [[Los Angeles Dons]] of the [[All-America Football Conference]], a rival to the [[National Football League]].<ref>
{{cite news
| url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-13-sp-dons13-story.html
| title = The Dons of L.A. Pro Sports
| work=Los Angeles Times
| date = 2006-09-13
| access-date = 2011-09-08
| first=Jerry
| last=Crowe
}}</ref> He was instrumental in forming and leading the ownership group the year before play began<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/AAFC/AAFC_Chronology.pdf
|title=AAFC Chronology
|publisher=Professional Football Researchers Association
|access-date=2011-09-08
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817093652/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/AAFC/AAFC_Chronology.pdf
|archive-date=2011-08-17
}}</ref> and initially served as team president.<ref>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/25-06-1004.pdf
| title = The Coffin Corner Vol. 25 No. 6: Welcome To L.A.
| publisher = Professional Football Researchers Association
| access-date = 2011-09-08
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120511104824/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/25-06-1004.pdf
| archive-date = 2012-05-11
}}</ref>
Ameche was married to Honore Prendergast from 1932 until her death in 1986. They were separated from each other at the time of her death and Ameche didn't attend her funeral according to her 1986 obituary.<ref name="latimes1993">{{cite news|first=Myrna|last=Oliver|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-don-ameche-19931208-snap-story.html|title=From the Archives: Don Ameche, Dapper Film Star, Dies at 85|newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=1993-12-08 |access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> They had six children: two daughters, Connie and Bonnie and four sons, Lonnie, Dominic, Thomas and Ronald,<ref name="latimes1993"/><ref name="nytimes1993">{{cite news|author=Peter B. Flint|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/08/obituaries/don-ameche-is-dead-at-85-oscar-winner-for-cocoon.html|title=Don Ameche Is Dead at 85; Oscar Winner for 'Cocoon'|newspaper=nytimes.com |date=1993-12-08 |access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref> who owned a restaurant called "Ameche's Pumpernickel" in [[Coralville, Iowa]]. Ameche's younger brother, Jim, died in 1983 at the age of 67.<ref name="nytimes1983">{{cite news|author=AP|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/06/obituaries/jim-ameche-dies-at-68-first-jack-armstrong.html|title=Jim Ameche Dies at 68; First 'Jack Armstrong'|newspaper=nytimes.com |date=1993-12-08 |access-date=2019-11-26}}</ref>
Ameche was [[Roman Catholic]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/things-change-for-don-ameche|title='Things Change' for Don Ameche |first=Roger|last=Ebert|website=www.rogerebert.com|date=14 December 2012 |access-date=16 December 2018}}</ref> and a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] who supported the campaign of [[Thomas Dewey]] in the [[1944 United States presidential election]]<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QfHXAAAAQBAJ&q=don%20ameche | title=When Hollywood Was Right: How Movie Stars, Studio Moguls, and Big Business Remade American Politics| isbn=9781107650282| last1=Critchlow| first1=Donald T.| date=2013| publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref> and
[[Dwight Eisenhower]] during the [[1952 United States presidential election|1952 presidential election]].<ref>''Motion Picture and Television Magazine'', November 1952, p. 34, Ideal Publishers</ref>
On December 6, 1993, Ameche died at his son Richard Ameche's house in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], of [[prostate cancer]]<ref>
{{cite news
| last = Henkel
| first = John
| title = Prostate Cancer: New Tests Create Treatment Dilemmas
| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1370/is_n10_v28/ai_15955600/
| date = December 1994
| work = [[FDA Consumer]]
| publisher = [[BNET]]
| access-date = 2009-06-16
}}</ref>
at age 85.<ref>{{cite news|title= Oscar-winning Actor Don Ameche, 85|work=Chicago Tribune|date=1993-12-08|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/12/08/oscar-winning-actor-don-ameche-85/|access-date=2010-11-07|first=Kenan|last=Heise}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Don Ameche Is Dead at 85; Oscar Winner for 'Cocoon'|work=The New York Times|date=1993-12-08|url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F00612F83A550C7B8CDDAB0994DB494D81|access-date=2010-11-07|first=Peter B.|last=Flint}}</ref> He was [[cremated]] and his ashes are buried at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in [[Asbury, Iowa]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FOHgDAAAQBAJ&q=Don+Ameche&pg=PA424|title=Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.|first=Scott|last=Wilson|date=19 August 2016|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476625997|access-date=16 December 2018|via=Google Books}}</ref>
==Filmography==
[[File:Don ameche ragtime1.jpg|thumb|Ameche in the 1938 film ''[[Alexander's Ragtime Band (film)|Alexander's Ragtime Band]]'']]
[[File:Don Ameche in Down Argentine Way.jpg|thumb|Ameche in ''[[Down Argentine Way]]'' (1940)]]
===Film and TV===
{| class= "wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1935 || ''[[Clive of India (film)|Clive of India]]'' || Prisoner in the Black Hole || Uncredited
|-
| 1935 || ''[[Dante's Inferno (1935 film)|Dante's Inferno]]'' || Man in Stoke-Hold || Uncredited
|-
| 1936 || ''[[Sins of Man]]'' || Karl Freyman / Mario Signarelli ||
|-
| 1936 || ''[[Ramona (1936 film)|Ramona]]'' || Alessandro ||
|-
| 1936 || ''[[Ladies in Love]]'' || Dr. Rudi Imre ||
|-
| 1936 || ''[[One in a Million (1936 film)|One in a Million]]'' || Bob Harris ||
|-
| 1937 || ''[[Love Is News]]'' || Martin J. Canavan ||
|-
| 1937 || ''[[Fifty Roads to Town]]'' || Peter Nostrand ||
|-
| 1937 || ''[[You Can't Have Everything]]'' || George Macrae ||
|-
| 1937 || ''[[Love Under Fire]]'' || Tracy Egan ||
|-
| 1938 || ''[[In Old Chicago]]'' || Jack O'Leary ||
|-
| 1938 || ''[[Happy Landing (1938 film)|Happy Landing]]'' || Jimmy Hall ||
|-
| 1938 || ''[[Alexander's Ragtime Band (film)|Alexander's Ragtime Band]]'' || Charlie Dwyer ||
|-
| 1938 || ''[[Josette (1938 film)|Josette]]'' || David Brassard Jr. ||
|-
| 1938 || ''[[Gateway (film)|Gateway]]'' || Dick Court ||
|-
| 1939 || data-sort-value="Three Musketeers, The" | ''[[The Three Musketeers (1939 film)|The Three Musketeers]]'' || [[D'Artagnan]] ||
|-
| 1939 || ''[[Midnight (1939 film)|Midnight]]'' || Tibor Czerny ||
|-
| 1939 || data-sort-value="Story of Alexander Graham Bell, The" | ''[[The Story of Alexander Graham Bell]]'' || [[Alexander Graham Bell]] ||
|-
| 1939 || ''[[Hollywood Cavalcade]]'' || Michael Linnett 'Mike' Connors ||
|-
| 1939 || ''[[Swanee River (1939 film)|Swanee River]]'' || [[Stephen Foster]] ||
|-
| 1940 || ''[[Lillian Russell (film)|Lillian Russell]]'' || [[Edward Solomon]] ||
|-
| 1940 || ''[[Four Sons (1940 film)|Four Sons]]'' || Chris Bern ||
|-
| 1940 || ''[[Down Argentine Way]]'' || Ricardo Quintana ||
|-
| 1941 || ''[[That Night in Rio]]'' || Impersonator Larry Martin / Baron Manuel Duarte ||
|-
| 1941 || ''[[Moon Over Miami (film)|Moon Over Miami]]'' || Phil O'Neil (Credits) / Phil 'Mac' McNeil (in Film) ||
|-
| 1941 || ''[[Kiss the Boys Goodbye]]'' || Lloyd Lloyd ||
|-
| 1941 || data-sort-value="Feminine Touch, The" | ''[[The Feminine Touch (1941 film)|The Feminine Touch]]'' || Prof. John Hathaway ||
|-
| 1941 || ''[[Confirm or Deny]]'' || 'Mitch' Mitchell ||
|-
| 1942 || data-sort-value="Magnificent Dope, The" | ''[[The Magnificent Dope]]'' || Dwight Dawson ||
|-
| 1942 || ''[[Girl Trouble (1942 film)|Girl Trouble]]'' || Pedro Sullivan ||
|-
| 1943 || ''[[Something to Shout About (film)|Something to Shout About]]'' || Ken Douglas ||
|-
| 1943 || ''[[Heaven Can Wait (1943 film)|Heaven Can Wait]]'' || Henry Van Cleve ||
|-
| 1943 || ''[[Happy Land (film)|Happy Land]]'' || Lew Marsh ||
|-
| 1944 || ''[[Wing and a Prayer]]'' || Flight Cmdr. Bingo Harper ||
|-
| 1944 || ''[[Greenwich Village (film)|Greenwich Village]]'' || Kenneth Harvey ||
|-
| 1945 || ''[[It's in the Bag!]]'' || as himself || (cameo appearance)
|-
| 1945 || ''[[Guest Wife]]'' || Joseph Jefferson 'Joe' Parker ||
|-
| 1946 || ''[[So Goes My Love]]'' || [[Hiram Percy Maxim|Hiram Stephen Maxim]] ||
|-
| 1947 || ''[[That's My Man]]'' || Joe Grange ||
|-
| 1948 || ''[[Sleep, My Love]]'' || Richard W. Courtland ||
|-
| 1949 || ''[[Slightly French]]'' || John Gayle ||
|-
| 1954 || ''Phantom Caravan'' || Lawrence Evans ||
|-
| 1961 || data-sort-value="Fever in the Blood, A" | ''[[A Fever in the Blood]]'' || Senator Alex S. Simon ||
|-
| 1966 || ''Rings Around the World'' || Himself ||
|-
| 1966 || ''[[Picture Mommy Dead]]'' || Edward Shelley ||
|-
| 1970 || data-sort-value="Boatniks, The" | ''[[The Boatniks]]'' || Commander Taylor ||
|-
| 1970 || ''[[Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came]]'' || Col. Flanders ||
|-
| 1971 || ''[[List of Columbo episodes#Season 1|Columbo]]'' || Frank Simpson || Episode: "Suitable for Framing", Season 1
|-1975 || ''[[List of McCloud episodes#Season5 |McCloud]] '' || Rene Jauvert || Episode: The Man With The Golden Hat ||
| 1983 || ''[[Trading Places]]'' || Mortimer Duke ||
|-
| 1985 || ''[[Cocoon (film)|Cocoon]]'' || Art Selwyn || Won Oscar for Best Supporting Actor
|-
| 1986 || data-sort-value="Masterpiece of Murder, A" | ''[[A Masterpiece of Murder]]'' || Frank Aherne || TV movie
|-
| 1987 || ''Pals'' || Art Riddle / Arthur James Van Pelt || TV movie
|-
| 1987 || ''[[Harry and the Hendersons]]'' || Dr. Wallace Wrightwood ||
|-
| 1988 || ''[[Coming to America]]'' || Mortimer Duke || Cameo<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094898/fullcredits | title = Coming to America Full Cast and Crew | publisher = Internet Movie Database}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://whatculture.com/film/5-best-cameos-in-film-history | title = 5 Best Cameos in Film History | date = 27 March 2013 | publisher = What Culture Ltd.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://mentalfloss.com/article/78669/10-royal-facts-about-coming-america | title = 10 Royal Facts About 'Coming to America' | first = Tara | last = Aquino | date = 16 April 2016 | publisher = Mental Floss, Inc. | ___location = New York City}}</ref>
|-
| 1988 || ''[[Things Change (film)|Things Change]]'' || Gino ||
|-
| 1988 || ''[[Cocoon: The Return]]'' || Art Selwyn ||
|-
| 1990 || ''[[Oddball Hall]]'' || G. Paul Siebriese ||
|-
| 1990 || data-sort-value="Golden Girls, The" | ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' || Brother Martin || Episode: "Once in St. Olaf"
|-
| 1991 || ''[[Oscar (1991 film)|Oscar]]'' || Father Clemente ||
|-
| 1992 || ''[[Folks! (film)|Folks!]]'' || Harry Aldrich ||
|-
| 1992 || ''[[Sunstroke (1992 film)|Sunstroke]]'' || Jake ||
|-
| 1993 || ''[[Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey]]'' || Shadow || Voice; final film role and only voice role
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Corrina, Corrina (film)|Corrina, Corrina]]'' || Grandpa Harry || Posthumous release
|}
==
[[File:Alexanders ragtime band3.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jack Haley]] (left), [[Alice Faye]] (center), Don Ameche and [[Tyrone Power]] (right) in a trailer for ''Alexander's Ragtime Band'']]
* ''Screen Snapshots: Stars at the Tropical Ice Gardens'' (1939)
* ''Weekend in Hollywood'' (1947)
* ''Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Night at 21 Club'' (1952)
===Stage work===
* ''[[Hazel Flagg]]'' (1954)
* ''[[Silk Stockings]]'' (1955)
* ''[[Holiday for Lovers]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Goldilocks (musical)|Goldilocks]]'' (1958)
* ''[[13 Daughters]]'' (1961)
* ''[[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (musical)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Henry, Sweet Henry]]'' (1967)
* ''[[The Moon Is Blue]]'' (1972)
* ''[[No, No, Nanette]]'' (1972)
* ''Never Get Smart with an Angel'' (1977)
* ''[[Mame (musical)|Mame]]'' (1978)
* ''[[Life with Father]]'' (1979)
* ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (1981)
* ''[[Our Town]]'' (1989) (replacement for [[Spalding Gray]])
===Radio appearances===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Program !! Episode/source
|-
| 1940|| ''[[Lux Radio Theatre]]'' || ''[[Manhattan Melodrama]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Those Were the Days|magazine=Nostalgia Digest|date=Winter 2011|volume=37|issue=1|page=32}}</ref>
|-
| 1947|| ''[[Family Theater]]''|| "Flight from Home"<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Those Were the Days|magazine=Nostalgia Digest|date=Winter 2013|volume=39|issue=1|pages=32–41}}</ref>
|}
==See also==
* {{Portal-inline|Biography}}
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book
| author = Ohmart, Ben
| year = 2007
| title = Don Ameche: The Kenosha Comeback Kid
| url = https://smile.amazon.com/dp/1593930453#reader_1593930453
| ___location = Albany
| publisher = BearManor Media
| isbn = 978-1-59393-045-5
| oclc = 759626448
}}
==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|0000747}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Tcmdb name}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Don Ameche
|list =
{{Academy Award Best Supporting Actor}}
{{Volpi Cup for Best Actor}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
[[
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:20th Century Studios contract players]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:Male actors from Kenosha, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:American horse racing announcers]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American male musical theatre actors]]
[[Category:American male radio actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American sports announcers]]
[[Category:American vaudeville performers]]
[[Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Deaths from prostate cancer in Arizona]]
[[Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni]]
[[Category:Volpi Cup for Best Actor winners]]
[[Category:California Republicans]]
[[Category:Arizona Republicans]]
[[Category:Wisconsin Republicans]]
[[Category:Catholics from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:American male comedians]]
[[Category:Comedians from Wisconsin]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:People of Marchesan descent]]
| |||