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James Donald

James Donald

Actor · Died August 3, 1993, aged 76 · Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James Donald (18 May 1917 - 3 August 1993) was a Scottish actor. Tall and gaunt, he specialised in playing authority figures; military officers, doctors or scientists. Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance sometime in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire's Fylde coast. During World War II he appeared in minor roles in such propaganda classics as In Which We Serve (1942), Went the Day Well? (1942) and The Way Ahead (1944), and he played Mr. Winkle in the 1952 film version of The Pickwick Papers. However, leading roles eluded him until Lust for Life (1956), in which he played Theo Van Gogh. His work in the theatre included Noël Coward's Present Laughter (1943) which starred Coward himself, and The Eagle with Two Heads (1947), You Never Can Tell (1948), and The Heiress (1949) with Ralph Richardson, Peggy Ashcroft and Donald Sinden. He memorably portrayed Major Clipton, the doctor who expresses grave doubts about the sanity of Col. Nicholson's (Alec Guinness) efforts to build the bridge in order to show up his Japanese captors, in the film The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The final words are his: "Madness!, Madness!" He also played Group Captain Ramsey, the Senior British Officer in The Great Escape (1963), as well as supporting roles in other notable films both in Britain and the United States, including The Vikings (1958), King Rat (1965), Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), and Quatermass and the Pit (1967). Donald starred in a 1960 television adaptation of A. J. Cronin's The Citadel and appeared regularly in many other television dramas in the UK and USA, as well as on stage. In 1961, he played Prince Albert opposite Julie Harris's Queen Victoria, in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Laurence Housman's play Victoria Regina. Description above from the Wikipedia article James Donald, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 18, 1917
Died
August 3, 1993 (aged 76)
From
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 42 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27

What are James Donald's films like?

Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Adventure6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
21%
Bonds
20%
Morality
19%
Society
19%
Power
8%
Survival
8%
Ideas
5%
Community4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 6 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 6 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 1 · Charged 10 · Intense 5

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 5 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

A split, not a type: Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 10 · Full focus 2

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 6 · Heavy 7

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

7 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 4 of 7 analyzed roles.

Ally
4 of 7
Trickster
1 of 7
Threshold guardian
1 of 7
Mentor
1 of 7
Show the 7 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Melancholic
9
Contemplative
5
Hopeful
4
Warm
3
Other
8

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch James Donald's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Donald's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

42 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Doc in the Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Crabs Guy

  • Hammer: The Studio That Dripped Blood!(1987)

    as Dr. Mathew Roney (archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Big Sleep(1978)

    as Inspector Gregory

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Conduct Unbecoming(1975)

    as The Doctor

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • David Copperfield (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Mr. Murdstone

  • Destiny of a Spy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    as Sir Martin Rolfe

  • The Royal Hunt of the Sun(1969)

    as King Carlos

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Hannibal Brooks(1969)

    as Padre

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Five Million Years to Earth(1967)

    as Dr. Mathew Roney

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Jokers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Col. Gurney-Simms

  • Cast a Giant Shadow(1966)

    as Maj. Safir

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • King Rat(1965)

    as Dr. Kennedy

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Thursday Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 1 episode · as Edward Chamberlayne

  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Great Escape(1963)

    as Ramsey 'The SBO'

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Pygmalion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    as Henry Higgins

  • Victoria Regina (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    as Prince Albert

  • Ben Casey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Citadel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    as Dr. Andrew Manson

  • Third Man on the Mountain(1959)

    as Franz Lerner

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Play of the Week (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Priest

  • The Vikings(1958)

    as Lord Egbert

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Bridge on the River Kwai(1957)

    as Maj. Clipton

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • DuPont Show of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Sydney Carton

  • Lust for Life(1956)

    as Theo van Gogh

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Harry Pope · as Mark Cavendish

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Beau Brummell(1954)

    as Lord Edwin Mercer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Net (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Michael Heathley

  • The Pickwick Papers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Nathaniel Winkle

  • Glory at Sea(1952)

    as Lt. Richard Jennings, No. 1

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Brandy for the Parson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Bill Harper

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Henry Higgins · as Prince Albert · as Warwick

  • White Corridors(1951)

    as Neil Marriner

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Cage of Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Alan

  • Trottie True (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Lord Digby Langdon

  • Edward, My Son(1949)

    as Bronton

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Small Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Murray Byrne

  • Broken Journey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Bill Haverton

  • The Way Ahead(1944)

    as Pvt. Evans Lloyd

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • San Demetrio London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Gunnery Officer - H.M.S. Jervis Bay

  • In Which We Serve(1942)

    as Doc

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • One of Our Aircraft Is Missing(1942)

    as (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 96th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 42 titles from 1942 to 2015; peak year 1966.

Biggest box office

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

$27M worldwide

Highest rated

The Great Escape (1963)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

19422015

Peak 1966 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting42 of 42: 42 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score79th

By decade

1940s8 · acting1950s15 · acting1960s15 · acting1970s2 · acting1980s1 · acting2010s1 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 14 roles
4257

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do James Donald's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

72ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

60thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 21 titles divides audiences: 15 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed1

Most loved · actor

The Great Escape (1963)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 78/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 56. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is James Donald's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 15 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 35 · moderateMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does James Donald work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Donald's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Andrew Keir shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Mixed roles