Donald Meek

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

120

Gender

Male

Birthday

1878-07-13

Day of death

1946-11-18 (68 years old)

Place of Birth

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Donald Meek

Biography

Thomas Donald Meek (14 July 1878 – 18 November 1946) was a Scottish-American actor. He first performed publicly at the age of eight and began appearing on Broadway in 1903. Meek is perhaps best known for his roles in the films You Can't Take It with You (1938) and Stagecoach (1939). He posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Meek was born in Glasgow to Matthew and Annie Meek. In the 1890s, the Meek family emigrated to Canada and then to the United States. By 1900, they were living in Philadelphia where Meek was employed as a dry goods salesman, according to the United States census of that year with Meek later working on stage. After years on the stage, Meek became a film actor, appearing memorably in several movies including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Little Miss Broadway, and State Fair. Before becoming an actor, he fought in the Spanish–American War in the United States Army and contracted yellow fever which caused him to lose his hair. He was cast as timid, worried characters in many of his films, and is perhaps best known for his roles as Mr. Poppins in Frank Capra's You Can't Take It With You and as whiskey salesman Samuel Peacock in John Ford's Stagecoach. From 1931 through 1932, Meek was featured as criminologist Dr. Crabtree in a series of 12 Warner Brothers two-reel short subjects written by S.S. Van Dine. Meek and Isabella "Belle" Walken married in Boston in a Methodist church on January 3, 1909. By this marriage, the American-born Belle Meek lost her United States citizenship by taking her husband's British nationality. Donald Meek died of leukaemia on 18 November 1946 in Los Angeles, while filming the role of Mr. Twiddle in Magic Town. A prolific film actor in over 100 Hollywood movies during its Golden Age, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was entombed in the Fairmount Mausoleum at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

Known For

  • Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

    Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch

  • Barnacle Bill

    Barnacle Bill

  • Captain Blood

    Captain Blood

  • Barbary Coast

    Barbary Coast

  • The Informer

    The Informer

  • Personal Maid

    Personal Maid

  • Star Dust

    Star Dust

  • Jesse James

    Jesse James

  • China Seas

    China Seas

  • Stagecoach

    Stagecoach

  • Peter Ibbetson

    Peter Ibbetson

  • Society Doctor

    Society Doctor

  • Bathing Beauty

    Bathing Beauty

  • Bedside

    Bedside

  • Rationing

    Rationing

  • Tortilla Flat

    Tortilla Flat

  • Wayward

    Wayward

  • Phantom Raiders

    Phantom Raiders

  • Magic Town

    Magic Town

  • Hollywood Cavalcade

    Hollywood Cavalcade

  • State Fair

    State Fair

  • Sky Murder

    Sky Murder

  • Artists & Models

    Artists & Models

  • Double Danger

    Double Danger

  • Happiness C.O.D.

    Happiness C.O.D.

  • Seven Sweethearts

    Seven Sweethearts

  • Hullabaloo

    Hullabaloo

  • Lost Angel

    Lost Angel

  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

    The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

  • The Thin Man Goes Home

    The Thin Man Goes Home

  • Hi, Nellie!

    Hi, Nellie!

  • You Can't Take It with You

    You Can't Take It with You

  • A Woman's Face

    A Woman's Face

  • Village Tale

    Village Tale

  • Blonde Inspiration

    Blonde Inspiration

  • Behind The Headlines

    Behind The Headlines

  • The Wall Street Mystery

    The Wall Street Mystery

  • College Coach

    College Coach

  • Parnell

    Parnell

  • The Week End Mystery

    The Week End Mystery

  • The Return of Frank James

    The Return of Frank James

  • Young Mr. Lincoln

    Young Mr. Lincoln

  • The Merry Widow

    The Merry Widow

  • Du Barry Was a Lady

    Du Barry Was a Lady

  • Breakfast for Two

    Breakfast for Two

  • Third Finger, Left Hand

    Third Finger, Left Hand

  • Maisie Goes to Reno

    Maisie Goes to Reno

  • Air Raid Wardens

    Air Raid Wardens

  • The Symphony Murder Mystery

    The Symphony Murder Mystery

  • The Ghost Comes Home

    The Ghost Comes Home

  • The Gilded Lily

    The Gilded Lily

  • Come Live with Me

    Come Live with Me

  • Little Miss Broadway

    Little Miss Broadway

  • The Feminine Touch

    The Feminine Touch

  • The Bride Comes Home

    The Bride Comes Home

  • The Side Show Mystery

    The Side Show Mystery

  • Murder in the Pullman

    Murder in the Pullman

  • Mark of the Vampire

    Mark of the Vampire

  • Two Girls and a Sailor

    Two Girls and a Sailor

  • Having Wonderful Time

    Having Wonderful Time

  • The Toast of New York

    The Toast of New York

  • Affairs of Geraldine

    Affairs of Geraldine

  • The Return Of Peter Grimm

    The Return Of Peter Grimm

  • My Little Chickadee

    My Little Chickadee

  • The Clyde Mystery

    The Clyde Mystery

  • Because of Him

    Because of Him

  • They Got Me Covered

    They Got Me Covered

  • Love on the Run

    Love on the Run

  • The Girl Habit

    The Girl Habit

  • The Captain Hates the Sea

    The Captain Hates the Sea

  • Nick Carter, Master Detective

    Nick Carter, Master Detective

  • The Fabulous Joe

    The Fabulous Joe

  • The Crane Poison Case

    The Crane Poison Case

  • Hold That Co-ed

    Hold That Co-ed

  • Romance in Manhattan

    Romance in Manhattan

  • Biography of a Bachelor Girl

    Biography of a Bachelor Girl

  • The Last Gentleman

    The Last Gentleman

  • One Rainy Afternoon

    One Rainy Afternoon

  • The Omaha Trail

    The Omaha Trail

  • Rise and Shine

    Rise and Shine

  • The Housekeeper's Daughter

    The Housekeeper's Daughter

  • Pennies from Heaven

    Pennies from Heaven

  • Three Married Men

    Three Married Men

  • And So They Were Married

    And So They Were Married

  • The Wild Man of Borneo

    The Wild Man of Borneo

  • The Defense Rests

    The Defense Rests

  • The Cole Case

    The Cole Case

  • Make a Wish

    Make a Wish

  • Old Man Rhythm

    Old Man Rhythm

  • The Trans-Atlantic Mystery

    The Trans-Atlantic Mystery

  • Janie Gets Married

    Janie Gets Married

  • The Hole in the Wall

    The Hole in the Wall

  • The Skull Murder Mystery

    The Skull Murder Mystery

  • Murder at the Vanities

    Murder at the Vanities

  • Two in a Crowd

    Two in a Crowd

  • Babes on Broadway

    Babes on Broadway

  • Maid of Salem

    Maid of Salem

  • Blondie Takes a Vacation

    Blondie Takes a Vacation

  • Going Hollywood: The '30s

    Going Hollywood: The '30s

  • Keeper of the Flame

    Keeper of the Flame

  • The Man from Dakota

    The Man from Dakota

  • Colonel Effingham's Raid

    Colonel Effingham's Raid

  • The Whole Town's Talking

    The Whole Town's Talking

  • Three Legionnaires

    Three Legionnaires

  • Everybody's Old Man

    Everybody's Old Man

  • Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet

    Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet

  • Six Cylinder Love

    Six Cylinder Love

  • What Every Woman Knows

    What Every Woman Knows

  • Double Wedding

    Double Wedding

  • Baby Face Harrington

    Baby Face Harrington

  • Goodbye Broadway

    Goodbye Broadway

  • Maisie Gets Her Man

    Maisie Gets Her Man

  • Old Hutch

    Old Hutch

  • You're a Sweetheart

    You're a Sweetheart

  • Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love!

    Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love!

  • Kind Lady

    Kind Lady

  • She Couldn't Take It

    She Couldn't Take It

  • Barbary Coast Gent

    Barbary Coast Gent

  • Turnabout

    Turnabout

  • The Studio Murder Mystery

    The Studio Murder Mystery