Don Ameche

Don Ameche
Ameche on the set of International Showtime in 1964
Born
Dominic Felix Amici

(1908-05-31)May 31, 1908
DiedDecember 6, 1993(1993-12-06) (aged 85)
Resting placeResurrection Cemetery
Asbury, Iowa, U.S.
Alma materLoras College
Marquette University
University of Wisconsin
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • vaudevillian
Years active1928–1993
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Honore Prendergast
(m. 1932; died 1986)
Children6
RelativesJim Ameche (brother)
Alan Ameche (cousin)

Don Ameche (/əˈmi/; born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993)[1] was an American actor, comedian and vaudevillian. After playing in college shows, repertory theatre, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in the early 1930s, which led to the offer of a movie contract from 20th Century Fox in 1935.

In the 1950s he worked on Broadway and in television, and was the host of NBC's International Showtime from 1961 to 1965. Returning to film work in his later years, Ameche enjoyed a fruitful revival of his career, beginning with his role as a villain in Trading Places (1983). He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cocoon (1985).

  1. ^ "Ameche, Don". Who Was Who in America, 1993–1996, vol. 11. New Providence, N.J.: Marquis Who's Who. 1996. p. 5. ISBN 0-8379-0225-8.