Donald Meek
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- July 13, 1878
- Died
- November 18, 1946
- Birthplace
- Glasgow, Scotland, UK
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.
Filmography
Going Hollywood: The '30s 1984
as (archive footage)
Magic Town 1947
as Mr. Twiddle
The Fabulous Joe 1947
as Henry Cadwallader, Lawyer
Affairs of Geraldine 1946
as Casper Millhouse
Janie Gets Married 1946
as Harley P. Stowers
Colonel Effingham's Raid 1946
as Doc Buden
Because of Him 1946
as Martin
State Fair 1945
as Hippenstahl
The Thin Man Goes Home 1944
as Willie Crump
Barbary Coast Gent 1944
as Bradford Bellamy I
Maisie Goes to Reno 1944
as Parsons
Bathing Beauty 1944
as Chester Klazenfrantz
Two Girls and a Sailor 1944
as Mr. Nizby
Rationing 1944
as Wilfred Ball
Lost Angel 1943
as Professor Catty
Du Barry Was a Lady 1943
as Mr. Jones / Duc de Choiseul
Air Raid Wardens 1943
as Eustace Middling
Keeper of the Flame 1943
as Mr Arbuthnot
They Got Me Covered 1943
as Little Old Man
Seven Sweethearts 1942
as Reverend Howgan, the Minister
The Omaha Trail 1942
as Engineer Jonah McCleod
Maisie Gets Her Man 1942
as Mr. Stickwell
Tortilla Flat 1942
as Paul D. Cummings
Babes on Broadway 1941
as Mr. Stone
Rise and Shine 1941
as Professor Philip Murray
The Feminine Touch 1941
as Captain Makepeace Liveright
A Woman's Face 1941
as Herman Rundvik
Barnacle Bill 1941
as "Pop" Cavendish
Blonde Inspiration 1941
as 'Dusty' King
Come Live with Me 1941
as Joe Darsie
The Wild Man of Borneo 1941
as Professor Charles W. Birdo
Hullabaloo 1940
as Mr. Clyde Perkins
Third Finger, Left Hand 1940
as Mr. Flandrin
Sky Murder 1940
as Bartholomew
The Return of Frank James 1940
as McCoy
Phantom Raiders 1940
as Bartholomew
Turnabout 1940
as Henry, the Valet
Star Dust 1940
as Sam Wellman
The Ghost Comes Home 1940
as Mortimer Hopkins, Sr.
Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet 1940
as Mittelmeyer
The Man from Dakota 1940
as Mr. Vestry
My Little Chickadee 1940
as Amos Budge
- Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love!
Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love! 1940
as Adelbert Thistlebottom
Nick Carter, Master Detective 1939
as Bartholomew, the bee man
The Housekeeper's Daughter 1939
as Editor Wilson
Hollywood Cavalcade 1939
as Lyle P. Stout
Blondie Takes a Vacation 1939
as Jonathan N. Gillis
Young Mr. Lincoln 1939
as Prosecutor John Felder
Stagecoach 1939
as Samuel Peacock
Jesse James 1939
as McCoy
Hold That Co-ed 1938
as Dean Thatcher
You Can't Take It with You 1938
as Poppins
Little Miss Broadway 1938
as Willoughby Wendling
Having Wonderful Time 1938
as P.U. Rogers
Goodbye Broadway 1938
as Iradius P. Oglethorpe
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 1938
as Sunday School Superintendent
Double Danger 1938
as Gordon Ainsley, aka Henry Robinson
You're a Sweetheart 1937
as Conway Jeeters
Breakfast for Two 1937
as Justice of the Peace
Double Wedding 1937
as Judge Blynn (uncredited)
Make a Wish 1937
as Joseph
Artists & Models 1937
as Dr. Zimmer
The Toast of New York 1937
as Daniel Drew
- Three Legionnaires
Three Legionnaires 1937
as Uriah S. Grant
Parnell 1937
as Nicholas Daniel Murphy
Behind The Headlines 1937
as Potter
Maid of Salem 1937
as Ezra Cheeves
Pennies from Heaven 1936
as Gramp Smith
Love on the Run 1936
as Caretaker
Two in a Crowd 1936
as Bennett
Old Hutch 1936
as Mr. Gunnison
Three Married Men 1936
as Mr. Frisbee
One Rainy Afternoon 1936
as Judge
And So They Were Married 1936
as Hotel Manager
Everybody's Old Man 1936
as Finney
Captain Blood 1935
as Dr. Whacker
The Bride Comes Home 1935
as The Judge
Kind Lady 1935
as Mr. Foster
Peter Ibbetson 1935
as Mr. Slade
Happiness C.O.D. 1935
as Thomas Sherridan
Barbary Coast 1935
as Sawbuck McTavish
She Couldn't Take It 1935
as Uncle Wyndersham
The Return Of Peter Grimm 1935
as Mayor Everett Bartholomew
China Seas 1935
as Chess Player (uncredited)
Old Man Rhythm 1935
as Paul Parker
Village Tale 1935
as Charlie
The Informer 1935
as Peter Mulligan
Mark of the Vampire 1935
as Dr. Doskil
Baby Face Harrington 1935
as Skinner
The Whole Town's Talking 1935
as Hoyt
Society Doctor 1935
as Moxley
The Gilded Lily 1935
as Hankerson
Biography of a Bachelor Girl 1935
as Mr. Irish, Moose Village General Store
Romance in Manhattan 1934
as Minister
The Merry Widow 1934
as Valet
The Captain Hates the Sea 1934
as Josephus Bushmills
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch 1934
as Mr. Wiggs
What Every Woman Knows 1934
as Snibby the Jeweler (uncredited)
The Defense Rests 1934
as Fogg
Murder at the Vanities 1934
as Dr. Saunders
The Last Gentleman 1934
as Judd Barr, Cabot's son
Bedside 1934
as Dr. George Wiley
Hi, Nellie! 1934
as Durkin
College Coach 1933
as Spencer Trask
Love, Honor and Oh, Baby! 1933
as Luther Bowen
The Trans-Atlantic Mystery 1932
as Dr. Crabtree - Criminologist
- The Crane Poison Case
The Crane Poison Case 1932
as Dr. Amos Crabtree
- The Side Show Mystery
The Side Show Mystery 1932
as Dr. Amos Crabtree
Murder in the Pullman 1932
as Dr. Amos Crabtree
- The Cole Case
The Cole Case 1932
as Dr. Crabtree
The Skull Murder Mystery 1932
as Dr. Crabtree
Wayward 1932
as Hotel Clerk (uncredited)
The Studio Murder Mystery 1932
as Dr. Crabtree
The Symphony Murder Mystery 1932
as Dr. Crabtree
The Week End Mystery 1931
as Dr. Amos Crabtree
The Wall Street Mystery 1931
as Doctor Crabtree
- The Clyde Mystery
The Clyde Mystery 1931
as Dr. Amos Crabtree
Personal Maid 1931
as Pa Ryan
The Girl Habit 1931
as Jonesy
- The Love Kiss
The Love Kiss 1930
as William
The Hole in the Wall 1929
as Goofy
Six Cylinder Love 1923
as Richard Burton
Credits from TMDB.