Don Ameche: Movies, Awards & Box Office

Don Ameche (born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was a versatile American performer whose work encompassed stage, radio, film and television, earning him a reputation as one of the most adaptable entertainers of the twentieth‑century. Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin to an Italian bartender father, Felice Amici, and a mother of Scottish‑Irish‑German descent, Barbara Etta Hertel, he grew up as the second‑oldest of eight children and later attended Marquette University, Loras College and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where his involvement in collegiate dramatics sparked his passion for acting. His first break came in 1928 when a missing lead in a stock company production forced him onto the stage, leading to a juvenile role in Jerry for Short and a brief tour with Texas Guinan’s vaudeville act before being dismissed for being “too stiff.” Relocating to Chicago, Ameche launched a radio career in 1930, becoming the leading man on programs such as First Nighter and Betty and Bob, and by the early 1930s he was a national radio star whose popularity attracted the attention of 20th Century‑Fox producer Darryl Zanuck, who offered him a film contract in 1935. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s he appeared as a romantic lead opposite stars like Alice Faye, Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda, starring in biopics such as The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939) and musical hits like Down Argentine Way (1940) and Moon Over Miami (1941). In addition to his cinematic success, Ameche hosted the NBC series International Showtime (1961‑1965) and performed on Broadway in productions such as Silk Stockings and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. After a period of reduced film work, he experienced a remarkable resurgence in the 1980s, beginning with a memorable villainous turn in Trading Places (1983) and culminating in an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Art Selwyn in Cocoon (1985). He continued to act in popular films like Harry and the Hendersons (1987) and Coming to America (1988) and provided the voice of Shadow in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993). Ameche married Honore Prendergast in 1932; the couple had six children before her death in 1986. A Roman Catholic and lifelong Republican, he remained active in entertainment until his death from prostate cancer on December 6, 1993 at his son’s home in Scottsdale, Arizona, leaving a legacy of humor, warmth and enduring screen presence.