Gaining international recognition for his supporting role as Culpepper
in Alexander Korda's The
Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Donat's performance as Edmond
Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) confirmed his stardom. His
wry wit in The
39 Steps (1935) and The Ghost Goes West (1936), combined with the
affectionate idealism of The
Citadel (1938) and Goodbye,
Mr. Chips (1939), made him the most popular male romantic lead of
the late 1930s in Britain.
During the war he gave one of his finest performances in Carol
Reed's The
Young Mr. Pitt (1942), and he continued to extend his range after
the war with The Winslow
Boy (1948). A chronic asthmatic throughout his career, he was only
able to complete his last film, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958),
with the aid of oxygen, and was given a Special Citation by the Academy
for the valour of his last performance.
