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Donald Woods

Donald Woods

Actor · Died March 5, 1998, aged 91 · Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donald Woods (born Ralph Lewis Zink, December 2, 1906 – March 5, 1998) was a Canadian-American film and television actor whose career in Hollywood spanned six decades. Born in Brandon, Manitoba, Woods moved with his family to California and was raised in Burbank. A son of William and Margaret Zink, Presbyterians of German descent. His younger brother, Clarence Russell Zink, also became an actor (Russ Conway). Woods graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and made his film debut in 1928. His screen career was spent mostly in B movies, for example as lawyer Perry Mason in the 1937 film The Case of the Stuttering Bishop. He also occasionally played major roles in bigger feature films like A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Anthony Adverse (1936), Watch on the Rhine (1943), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944), and Roughly Speaking (1945). Of considerable importance to his acting career were several seasons as leading man with the Elitch Gardens Theatre Company in Denver, Colorado, where he performed in 1932, 1933, 1939, 1941, 1947, and 1948. In the early days of television, Woods starred as the title character in the 1951 syndicated TV series Craig Kennedy, Criminologist, and he was the host of Damon Runyon Theater on CBS-TV. He played himself on the dramatic series Hotel Cosmopolitan, also on CBS, and he was one of three hosts of The Orchid Award on ABC-TV. He portrayed Walter Manning on Portia Faces Life on CBS. He also appeared in such anthology series as The Philco Television Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, The United States Steel Hour, Crossroads, and General Electric Theater. On April 11, 1961, Woods appeared as "Profesor Landfield" in the episode "Two for the Gallows" on NBC's Laramie western series. Series character Slim Sherman (John Smith) is hired under false pretenses to take Landfield into the Badlands to seek gold. Landfield, however, is really Morgan Bennett, a member of the former Henry Plummer gang who has escaped from prison. Slim has no idea that Lanfield is seeking the loot that his gang had hidden away. Series character Jess Harper (Robert Fuller), Pete Dixon, played by Warren Oates, and Pete's younger brother soon come to Slim's aid. The title stems from the talk that the undisciplined Dixon brothers might eventually wind up on a hangman's noose. Woods later was a regular in the role of John Brent on the short-lived series Tammy and made guest appearances on Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, Ben Casey, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Stoney Burke, Bourbon Street Beat, Bonanza, Coronet Blue, Ironside, Alias Smith and Jones, The Wild Wild West and Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, among many others before retiring from acting in 1976. Besides his film career, he also worked as a successful real estate broker in Palm Springs where he lived with his wife, childhood sweetheart Josephine Van der Horck. They were married from 1933 until his death and had two children, Linda and Conrad. He was interred at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, California.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 2, 1906
Died
March 5, 1998 (aged 91)
From
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Works as
Actor
Titles
36 on MovieCove · 117 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 27Down 9% in 30 days

What are Donald Woods' films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 34th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Biography movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: browse their Horror 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
Morality
35%
Bonds
29%
Self
10%
Survival
10%
Power
8%
Society
5%
Ideas
3%
Justice10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 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 15 · Serious 10 · Dark 5

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 17 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 11 · Charged 14 · Intense 5

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

A split, not a type: Steady 15 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 5

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

Slow burn 10 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 4

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

Casual 19 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 3

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

Resolved 28 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

16 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 5 of 16 analyzed roles.

Hero
5 of 16
Ally
4 of 16
Shadow
2 of 16
Shapeshifter
2 of 16
Herald
1 of 16
Threshold guardian
1 of 16
Mentor
1 of 16
Show the 16 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
19
Joyful
6
Warm
8
Hopeful
8
Romantic
8
Other
24

How their films linger

Feel-good15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy22
  • Bittersweet7
  • 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 Donald Woods' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 36 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Donald Woods' 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

117 credits, 36 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Police Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Sandy Duncan Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Alias Smith and Jones (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • True Grit(1969)

    as "Barlow"

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Istanbul Express(1968)

    as Shepherd

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • A Time to Sing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    as Vernon Carter

  • Hondo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Tammy and the Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as John Brent

  • Ironside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Dimension 5 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Kane

  • Felony Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Moment to Moment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    as Mr. Singer

  • Tammy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 26 episodes · as John Brent

  • The Wild Wild West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Kissin' Cousins(1964)

    as General Alvin Donford

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Arrest and Trial (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · as Chet Hayes

  • Stoney Burke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Sam Benedict (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Five Minutes to Live(1961)

    as Kenneth Wilson

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

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

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Thriller (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show 1 episode · as Dr. John Carmody

  • 13 Ghosts(1960)

    as Cyrus Zorba

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • I'll Give My Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Actor

  • Bourbon Street Beat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Rebel(1959)

    Show 1 episode · as Sam Moss

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Men Into Space (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Tightrope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • 77 Sunset Strip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Show 2 episodes · Actor

  • Bat Masterson(1958)

    Show 1 episode · as Roger Purcell

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Wagon Train(1957)

    Show 1 episode · as Luke Grant · as Philip Ayers

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Hotel Cosmopolitan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 167 episodes · Actor

  • A Wind from the South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    as Robert

  • Damon Runyon Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 39 episodes · Actor

  • The Millionaire (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Show 1 episode · as Cobb Marley

  • Lassie(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • Portia Faces Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 324 episodes · Actor

  • Inner Sanctum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The United States Steel Hour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms(1953)

    as Capt. Jackson

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Born to the Saddle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Matt Daggett

  • General Electric Theater (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Show 1 episode · as Norman Frost Bennett

  • The Studebaker Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as John Mohler Studebaker

  • Tall, Dark and Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Craig Kennedy

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · as Kirby Sinclair

  • All That I Have (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Pastor William Goodwin

  • Craig Kennedy, Criminologist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 26 episodes · as Craig Kennedy

  • Mr. Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Tippy Carpenter

  • The Lost Volcano (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Paul Gordon

  • Johnny One-Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Vet

  • Robert Montgomery Presents (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Show 3 episodes · Actor

  • Barbary Pirate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Maj. Tom Blake

  • Free For All (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Roger Abernathy

  • Scene of the Crime(1949)

    as Bob Herkimer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Lights Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Daughter of the West(1949)

    as Commissioner Ralph C. Connors

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Philco Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Return of Rin Tin Tin(1947)

    as Father Matthew

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Stepchild (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Ken Bullock

  • Bells of San Fernando(1947)

    as Michael 'Gringo' O'Brien

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • The Time, the Place and the Girl(1946)

    as Martin Drew

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Never Say Goodbye(1946)

    as Rex DeVallon

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Goodbye, Weeds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Henry

  • Night and Day(1946)

    as Ward Blackburn

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Star in the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Hitchhiker

  • Wonder Man(1945)

    as Monte Rossen

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Roughly Speaking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Rodney Crane

  • Enemy of Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Dr. Hans Traeger, MD

  • The Bridge of San Luis Rey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Brother Juniper

  • Hi'ya, Sailor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Bob Jackson

  • So's Your Uncle(1943)

    as Steve Curtis aka Uncle John

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Watch on the Rhine(1943)

    as David Farrelly

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Corregidor(1943)

    as Dr. Michael

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Gay Sisters(1942)

    as Penn Sutherland Gaylord

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • March On, America! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Francis Scott Key (archive footage) (uncredited)

  • Thru Different Eyes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Ted Farnsworth

  • I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Joel Grant / Joseph Elmer

  • Bachelor Daddy(1941)

    as Edward Smith

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Sky Raiders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Captain Bob Dayton

  • Mexican Spitfire Out West (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Dennis 'Denny' Lindsay

  • Young America Flies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as John Woodward

  • Love, Honor and Oh-Baby! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Brian McGrath

  • If I Had My Way(1940)

    as Fred Johnson

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Forgotten Girls(1940)

    as Dan Donahue

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • City of Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Steve Walker

  • Mexican Spitfire(1939)

    as Dennis Lindsay

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Heritage of the Desert(1939)

    as John Abbott

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Girl from Mexico (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1939)

    as Dennis Lindsay

  • Beauty for the Asking(1939)

    as Jeffrey Martin

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Danger on the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Benjamin Butts

  • Romance on the Run (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Barry Drake

  • The Black Doll (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Nick Halstead

  • Big Town Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Mark Tracey

  • Charlie Chan on Broadway(1937)

    as Speed Patten, Reporter New York Bulletin

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Talent Scout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Steve Stewart

  • The Case of the Stuttering Bishop (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Perry Mason

  • Sea Devils (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Steve Webb

  • Once a Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Steven Brace

  • Isle of Fury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Eric Blake

  • Anthony Adverse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Vincent Nolte

  • A Son Comes Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Denny

  • The Song of a Nation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Francis Scott Key

  • The White Angel(1936)

    as Charles Cooper

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Making of a Great Motion Picture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Actor

  • Road Gang(1936)

    as James 'Jim' Larrabie

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Story of Louis Pasteur(1936)

    as Dr. Jean Martel

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • A Tale of Two Cities(1935)

    as Charles Darnay

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • Frisco Kid(1935)

    as Charles Ford

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Stranded (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as John Wesley

  • The Case of the Curious Bride(1935)

    as Carl

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Florentine Dagger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1935)

    as Juan Cesare

  • Sweet Adeline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Sid Barnett

  • She Was a Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Tommy Traill

  • Charlie Chan's Courage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Bob Crawford

  • Fog Over Frisco(1934)

    as Tony Sterling

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Merry Wives of Reno (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Frank

  • As the Earth Turns (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1934)

    as Stan

  • Motorboat Mamas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1928)

    as Yacht Club Patron (uncredited) · as Yacht Club Patron

Career shape

Star power in the 91st percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 117 titles from 1928 to 1973; peak year 1960.

Highest rated

A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

Midcredits 93rd

Most popular right now

Kissin' Cousins (1964)

Film career

19281973

Peak 1960 · fewer prominent film roles lately. 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
Acting117 of 117: 117 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score54th

By decade

1920s1 · acting1930s31 · acting1940s35 · acting1950s27 · acting1960s20 · acting1970s3 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 11 roles
3550

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 Donald Woods' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 52nd percentile, the median of all 32; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 36 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th6

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 36 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · actor

So's Your Uncle (1943)

68th percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

Midcredits 93rd · 82% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 29 reviewed titles; fans 76, detractors 47. 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.

Who does Donald Woods work with?

People who share at least 2 of Donald Woods' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Henry O'Neill shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles