Don Ameche facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Don Ameche
Ameche on the set of International Showtime in 1964
Born	Dominic Felix Amici (1908-05-31)May 31, 1908 Kenosha, Wisconsin, US
Died	December 6, 1993(1993-12-06) (aged 85) Scottsdale, Arizona, US
Resting place	Resurrection Cemetery Asbury, Iowa, US
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin
Occupation	Actor comedian vaudevillian
Years active	1935–1993
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Honore Prendergast ​ ​ (m. 1932; died 1986)​
Children	6
Relatives	Jim Ameche (brother) Alan Ameche (cousin)

Don Ameche (born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31, 1908 – December 6, 1993) was an American actor and comedian. He was also a vaudevillian, which means he performed in a type of variety show.

Don Ameche became a big star on radio in the early 1930s. This led to him getting a movie contract in 1935. He became a popular leading man, starring in about 40 films over 14 years. These movies included comedies, dramas, and musicals. Later in his life, Ameche returned to films. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie Cocoon (1985).

Early life and education

Don Ameche was born Dominic Felix Amici on May 31, 1908. His hometown was Kenosha, Wisconsin. His father, Felice Amici, came from Italy. His mother, Barbara Etta Hertel, had family from Scotland, Ireland, and Germany.

Don was the second oldest of eight children. He had three brothers and four sisters. He went to different colleges, including the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His cousin, Alan Ameche, was a famous football player who won the Heisman Trophy in 1954.

Career highlights

Ameche and Carmen Miranda in That Night in Rio (1941)

Don Ameche was good at acting in college plays. One time, he filled in for an actor who didn't show up for a play. He liked the experience and soon got a role in a New York play. He also toured in vaudeville shows.

In 1930, Ameche started working in radio in Chicago. By 1932, he was a main actor on popular radio shows. These included First Nighter and Betty and Bob, which was one of the first soap operas.

Ameche moved to Hollywood and became a romantic leading man in movies. In 1939, he played Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, in The Story of Alexander Graham Bell. This movie was so popular that some people started using "ameche" as slang for a telephone! For example, in the 1940 film Go West, Groucho Marx jokes, "Telephone? This is 1870, Don Ameche hasn't invented the telephone yet."

Ameche starred in many other films. He was Alice Faye's leading man in Hollywood Cavalcade (1939). He also played other real-life people, like Stephen Foster in Swanee River (1939). He was in Down Argentine Way (1940), which helped make Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda famous.

Ameche in 1946

In the late 1940s, Ameche had a popular radio comedy series called The Bickersons. He played a husband who often argued with his wife, played by Frances Langford. He also hosted his own radio show.

Later in his career, Don Ameche returned to movies. He played a bad guy in Trading Places (1983). Then, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Cocoon (1985). He also received good reviews for his acting in Things Change (1988).

Personal life

From 1946 to 1949, Don Ameche was part-owner of a football team called the Los Angeles Dons. This team was in a league that was a rival to the National Football League.

Don Ameche was married to Honore Prendergast from 1932 until she passed away in 1986. They had six children together. His younger brother, Jim Ameche, was also a well-known actor. Don Ameche was a Roman Catholic. He was also a Republican and supported political campaigns in the 1940s and 1950s.

Death

Don Ameche passed away on December 6, 1993, at the age of 85. He died from prostate cancer in Scottsdale, Arizona. His ashes are buried in Asbury, Iowa.

Film and TV roles

Short films

• Screen Snapshots: Stars at the Tropical Ice Gardens (1939)
• Weekend in Hollywood (1947)
• Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Night at 21 Club (1952)

Stage plays

• Hazel Flagg (1954)
• Silk Stockings (1955)
• Holiday for Lovers (1957)
• Goldilocks (1958)
• 13 Daughters (1961)
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1966)
• Henry, Sweet Henry (1967)
• The Moon Is Blue (1972)
• No, No, Nanette (1972)
• Never Get Smart with an Angel (1977)
• Mame (1978)
• Life with Father (1979)
• How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1981)
• Our Town (1989)

Radio shows

Images for kids

• 

  Ameche in the 1938 film Alexander's Ragtime Band

• 

  Ameche in Down Argentine Way (1940)

• 

  Jack Haley (left), Alice Faye (center), Don Ameche and Tyrone Power (right) in a trailer for Alexander's Ragtime Band.

See also

In Spanish: Don Ameche para niños