Donald Woods' Main TV Roles Show Character(s) Crossroads (1955) Father Fran… Damon Runyon Theater Donald Woods Hotel Cosmopolitan Host Tammy John Brent

Main Movie Roles 1969 - True Grit 1964 - Kissin' Cousins 1961 - Five Minutes to Live 1960 - 13 Ghosts 1953 - The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms 1949 - Scene of the Crime 1946 - Night and Day 1945 - Wonder Man 1944 - Hollywood Canteen 1937 - Charlie Chan on Broadway 1935 - The Florentine Dagger 1935 - A Tale Of Two Cities 1934 - Sweet Adeline

BIOGRAPHY:

Donald Woods, a prolific cinema and television character actor whose career spanned 75 films and 150 TV programs over 40 years, was born Ralph L. Zink on December 2, 1906, in Brandon, Manitoba. (He legally changed his name to Donald Woods in 1945.) His family eventually departed Canada for California, and young Ralph was raised in Burbank. He became an actor after graduating from the University of California at Berkeley.

The self-described "King of the Bs" made his reputation playing in low-budget, B-unit westerns and mysteries, and later was a popular guest actor on TV programs, including western shows such as "Wagon Train" (1957). He also appeared in nearly 100 stage productions and was busy on the radio. In the 1950s, Woods hosted two TV series, "The Orchid Award" (1953) and "Hotel Cosmopolitan" (1957) and was a regular on the series "Tammy" (1965).

After his acting career was over, Donald Woods established himself as a successful real estate broker in Palm Springs, California. It was there that he died on March 5, 1998, at the age of 91.


TRIVIA:

• Pleasant, boyish leading man of the 1930s who later moved into mature character roles. Played Perry Mason in one of a series of Warner Brothers B pictures.
• Wife Jo was his college sweetheart. They were the parents of two: Linda and Conrad. Conrad became a tennis pro and modern painter.