Donald Cook

Biography Cook was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, In 1930 he appeared in the Summer stock cast at the Elitch Theatre, in Denver, Colorado. He joined the Kansas Community Players and through this received an offer of stage work. He started screen work in "shorts" before going on to feature films.

Cook was known for his portrayal of Mike Powers in the film The Public Enemy. In 1935, Cook's starring role in the film The Spanish Cape Mystery made him the first actor in any medium to play fictional sleuth Ellery Queen. He played the role of Steve opposite Helen Morgan's Julie in the 1936 film adaptation of Show Boat, was one of the suspects in the Philo Vance mystery The Casino Murder Case, and starred as an heroic U.S. Immigrant Inspector of the Deporting Squad in the 1936 movie Ellis Island.

Cook made his Broadway debut in 1926 as Donn Cook in Seed of the Brute, and his New York theatrical career continued over the following three decades. His credits included a 1948 revival of Private Lives and the original 1951 Broadway run of The Moon Is Blue.

Personal life During his 1930 summer stock engagement at Elitch Theatre, Cook met and fell in love with Frances Beranger, another member of the company. “We were in love, and she urged me to go to Hollywood,” Cook said. “I did, and we were married when she returned to the coast from Denver.” The marriage lasted six months. However, “the prestige of my Elitch engagement helped me get my first Hollywood contract – with Warner Brothers.”

Cook was married to Princess Gioia Tasca di Cuto, from 1937 until his death in 1961 (although they were legally separated at the time) Walter Matthau took over Cook's leading role in the play following his death.

For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Cook was honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star located at 1718 Vine Street.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes 1931 Unfaithful Terry Houston 1931 The Public Enemy Mike Powers 1931 Party Husband Horace Purcell 1931 Smart Money Nick's Second Accomplice Uncredited 1931 Side Show Joe Palmer 1931 The Mad Genius Fedor Ivanoff 1931 Safe in Hell Carl Bergen 1932 Taxi! Ferdinand Uncredited 1932 The Man Who Played God Harold Van Adam 1932 The Heart of New York Milton 1932 The Trial of Vivienne Ware John Sutherland 1932 The Conquerors Warren Lennox 1932 Penguin Pool Murder Philip Seymour 1932 Frisco Jenny Dan Reynolds 1933 Private Jones Lt. John Gregg 1933 The Circus Queen Murder The Great Sebastian 1933 The Kiss Before the Mirror Maria's Lover 1933 Jennie Gerhardt Lester Kane 1933 The Woman I Stole Corew 1933 Baby Face Stevens 1933 Brief Moment Franklin Deane 1933 Fury of the Jungle "Lucky" Allen 1933 Fog Wentworth Brown 1933 The World Changes Richard Nordholm 1934 Long Lost Father Bill Strong 1934 The Ninth Guest Jim Daley 1934 Viva Villa! Don Felipe de Castillo 1934 Whirlpool Bob Andrews 1934 The Most Precious Thing in Life Bob Kelsey 1934 Jealousy Mark Lambert 1934 Fugitive Lady Jack Howard 1935 Behind the Evidence Ward Cameron 1935 The Night Is Young Toni Berngruber 1935 Gigolette Gregg Emerson 1935 The Casino Murder Case Lynn Llewellyn 1935 Motive for Revenge Barry Webster 1935 Murder in the Fleet Lt. Cmdr. David Tucker 1935 Here Comes the Band Don Trevor 1935 Ladies Love Danger Tom Lennox 1935 The Spanish Cape Mystery Ellery Queen 1935 Confidential FBI Agent Dave Elliott 1935 The Calling of Dan Matthews Frank Blair 1936 The Leavenworth Case Dr. Truman Harwell 1936 Ring Around the Moon Ross Graham 1936 The Girl from Mandalay Kenneth Grainger 1936 Show Boat Steve Baker 1936 Ellis Island Gary Curtis 1936 Can This Be Dixie? Longstreet Butler 1936 Beware of Ladies George Martin 1937 Two Wise Maids Bruce Arnold 1937 Circus Girl Charles Jerome 1944 Freedom Comes High The Captain Short film 1944 Murder in the Blue Room Steve 1944 Bowery to Broadway Dennis Dugan 1945 Here Come the Co-Eds Dean Larry Benson 1945 Patrick the Great Pat Donahue Sr. 1945 Blonde Ransom Duke Randall 1950 Our Very Own Fred Macaulay

Television Year Title Role Notes1951 Prudential Family Playhouse Tony Kenyon 1 episode 1952 Lux Video Theatre Tad Bryson / Bruce Wallace / Roger 1 episode 1959 Too Young to Go Steady Tom Blake 7 episodes, (final appearance)

Stage credits

Broadway Seed of the Brute (1926) New York Exchange (1927) Spellbound (1927) Paris Bound (1927) Half Gods (1929) Rebound (1930) Wine of Choice (1938) American Landscape (1938) Skylark (1939) Claudia (1941) Foolish Notion (1945) Made in Heaven (1946) Portrait in Black (1947) Private Lives (1948) The Moon Is Blue (1951) King of Hearts (1954) Champagne Complex (1955) Goodbye Again (1956) Love Me Little (1958)

Masquerade (1959)