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Don Ameche(1908-1993)

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0001783
Don Ameche
Home Video Trailer from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Play trailer1:55
Folks! (1992)
15 Videos
99+ Photos
Don Ameche was a versatile and popular American film actor in the 1930s and '40s, usually as the dapper, mustached leading man. He was also popular as a radio master of ceremonies during this time. As his film popularity waned in the 1950s, he continued working in theater and some TV. His film career surged in a comeback in the 1980s with fine work as an aging millionaire in Trading Places (1983) and a rejuvenated oldster in Cocoon (1985).

Ameche was born Dominic Felix Amici in Kenosha, Wisconsin, to Barbara Edda (Hertel) and Felice Amici, a bartender.
BornMay 31, 1908
DiedDecember 6, 1993(85)
BornMay 31, 1908
DiedDecember 6, 1993(85)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,0001783
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 15 wins total

Photos406

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Known for

Cocoon (1985)
Cocoon
6.7
  • Art Selwyn
  • 1985
Gene Tierney, Don Ameche, Charles Coburn, Laird Cregar, and Marjorie Main in Heaven Can Wait (1943)
Heaven Can Wait
7.3
  • Henry Van Cleve
  • 1943
Trading Places (1983)
Trading Places
7.5
  • Mortimer Duke
  • 1983
Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Don Ameche, Rattler, Tiki, and Ben in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
7.0
  • Shadow(voice)
  • 1993

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor



  • Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Liotta, and Tina Majorino in Corrina, Corrina (1994)
    Corrina, Corrina
    6.6
    • Grandpa Harry
    • 1994
  • Michael J. Fox, Sally Field, Don Ameche, Rattler, Tiki, and Ben in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993)
    Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
    7.0
    • Shadow (voice)
    • 1993
  • Jane Seymour in Sunstroke (1992)
    Sunstroke
    5.3
    TV Movie
    • Jake
    • 1992
  • Tom Selleck, Don Ameche, and Anne Jackson in Folks! (1992)
    Folks!
    5.7
    • Harry Aldrich
    • 1992
  • 209 Hamilton Drive
    TV Movie
    • 1991
  • James Earl Jones and Richard Crenna in Pros and Cons (1991)
    Pros and Cons
    7.0
    TV Series
    • 1991
  • Our Shining Moment
    5.2
    TV Movie
    • John 'Papa' McGuire Sr.
    • 1991
  • Sylvester Stallone in Oscar (1991)
    Oscar
    6.5
    • Father Clemente
    • 1991
  • Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan, Bea Arthur, and Betty White in The Golden Girls (1985)
    The Golden Girls
    8.2
    TV Series
    • Brother Martin
    • 1990
  • Don Ameche and Burgess Meredith in Oddball Hall (1990)
    Oddball Hall
    4.1
    • G. Paul Siebriese
    • 1990
  • Steve Guttenberg, Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Courteney Cox, Jessica Tandy, Hume Cronyn, Tahnee Welch, Jack Gilford, Maureen Stapleton, and Gwen Verdon in Cocoon: The Return (1988)
    Cocoon: The Return
    5.4
    • Art Selwyn
    • 1988
  • Don Ameche and Joe Mantegna in Things Change (1988)
    Things Change
    7.0
    • Gino
    • 1988
  • Eddie Murphy in Coming to America (1988)
    Coming to America
    7.1
    • Mortimer Duke
    • 1988
  • Harry and the Hendersons (1987)
    Harry and the Hendersons
    6.1
    • Dr. Wallace Wrightwood
    • 1987
  • Pals (1987)
    Pals
    5.3
    TV Movie
    • Art Riddle
    • 1987

Director



  • Diahann Carroll and Marc Copage in Julia (1968)
    Julia
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1970

Soundtrack



  • Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults (1997)
    Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults
    7.9
    TV Movie
    • performer: "Easter Parade" (uncredited), "Some Sunny Day"
    • 1997
  • Bob Hope and Dolores Hope in The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts (1985)
    The Kennedy Center Honors: A Celebration of the Performing Arts
    6.4
    TV Special
    • performer: "I Remember It Well"
    • 1985
  • Cocoon (1985)
    Cocoon
    6.7
    • performer: "I'm in the Mood for Love", "Some Enchanted Evening"
    • 1985
  • Deborah Kerr and Gregory Peck in Beloved Infidel (1959)
    Beloved Infidel
    6.0
    • performer: "Boa Noite (Good-Night)" (uncredited)
    • 1959
  • The DuPont Show of the Month (1957)
    The DuPont Show of the Month
    7.2
    TV Series
    • performer: "Let's Make It Christmas All Year 'Round", "Junior Miss"
    • 1957
  • Don Ameche, Patricia Barry, Janis Carter, Adele Jergens, Dorothy Lamour, and Jeanne Manet in Slightly French (1949)
    Slightly French
    6.3
    • performer: "Let's Fall in Love"
    • 1949
  • Don Ameche, William Bendix, Jack Benny, Binnie Barnes, Fred Allen, Robert Benchley, Jerry Colonna, Victor Moore, and Rudy Vallee in It's in the Bag! (1945)
    It's in the Bag!
    6.6
    • performer: "The Curse of an Aching Heart" (1913) (uncredited)
    • 1945
  • Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, William Bendix, and Vivian Blaine in Greenwich Village (1944)
    Greenwich Village
    6.2
    • performer: "Swingin' Down the Lane", "When You Wore a Tulip and I Wore a Big Red Rose" (uncredited)
    • 1944
  • Don Ameche, Janet Blair, and Jack Oakie in Something to Shout About (1943)
    Something to Shout About
    5.4
    • performer: "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To"
    • 1943
  • Henry Fonda, Don Ameche, and Lynn Bari in The Magnificent Dope (1942)
    The Magnificent Dope
    6.8
    • performer: "Shortnin' Bread" (uncredited)
    • 1942
  • Don Ameche, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Virginia Dale, Oscar Levant, and Mary Martin in Kiss the Boys Goodbye (1941)
    Kiss the Boys Goodbye
    6.5
    • performer: "I'll Never Let a Day Pass By" ("Find Yourself a Melody")
    • 1941
  • Betty Grable in Moon Over Miami (1941)
    Moon Over Miami
    6.7
    • performer: "I've Got You All To Myself" (1941), "Loveliness and Love" (1941) ("You Started Something" (1941))
    • 1941
  • Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, and Alice Faye in That Night in Rio (1941)
    That Night in Rio
    6.7
    • performer: "Chica Chica Boom Chic", "The Conference", "They Met in Rio (A Midnight Serenade)", "Boa Noite (Good-Night)" (uncredited)
    • 1941
  • Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche, and Betty Grable in Down Argentine Way (1940)
    Down Argentine Way
    6.4
    • performer: "Down Argentina Way" (1940), "Two Dreams Met" (1940) (uncredited)
    • 1940
  • Alice Faye in Lillian Russell (1940)
    Lillian Russell
    6.4
    • performer: "Adored One" (1940), "Blue Lovebird" (1940), "After the Ball" (1892) (uncredited)
    • 1940

Videos15

Trailer
Trailer 1:46
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Trailer 1:28
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Trailer 1:28
Trailer
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Trailer 2:01
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Trailer 1:47
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Trailer 1:52
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Official Trailer
Trailer 2:19
Official Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ 10½″ (1.79 m)
  • Born
    • May 31, 1908
    • Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA
  • Died
    • December 6, 1993
    • Scottsdale, Arizona, USA(prostate cancer)
  • Spouse
    • Honora Maryann PrendergastNovember 26, 1932 - September 5, 1986 (her death, 6 children)
  • Children
      Don Ameche Jr.
  • Parents
      Felice Amici
  • Relatives
    • Jim Ameche(Sibling)
  • Other works
    Radio: He and brother Jim Ameche appeared in the program "Jack Armstrong, All-American Boy." Jim played the title role and Don played Captain Hughes.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 2 Articles
    • 16 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    He frequently apologized to his Trading Places (1983) co-star Eddie Murphy for the racist statements that his character made in the film.
  • Quotes
    [on Darryl F. Zanuck] Zanuck never did anything but be nice to me. Oh yeah, maybe he chased Alice Faye around, but a lot of people chased Alice Faye around.
  • Trademark
      Was well known for having a peaceful, soothing but authoritative sounding voice.
  • Nickname
    • The Latin Lover
  • Salary
    • So Goes My Love
      (1946)
      $100 .000

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Don Ameche die?
    December 6, 1993
  • How did Don Ameche die?
    Prostate cancer
  • How old was Don Ameche when he died?
    85 years old
  • Where did Don Ameche die?
    Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
  • When was Don Ameche born?
    May 31, 1908

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