Don Ameche (/əˈmiË tʃi/; born Dominic Felix Amici; May , â€"
December , ) was an American actor and comedian. After playing in
college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in
the early s, which led to the offer of a movie contract from th
Century Fox in .As a handsome, debonair leading man in films over the
next years, he was a popular star in comedies, dramas, and musicals.
In the s he worked on Broadway and in television, and was the host of
NBC's International Showtime from to . 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 () and won the Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cocoon ().Don
Ameche was born as Dominic Felix Amici on May , , in Kenosha,
Wisconsin. His father, Felice Amici, was a bartender from Montemonaco,
Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. His mother, Barbara Etta Hertel, was of
Scottish, Irish, and German ancestry. He had three brothers, Umberto
(Bert), James (Jim Ameche), and Louis, and four sisters, Elizabeth,
Catherine, Mary and Anna. Ameche attended Marquette University, Loras
College, and the University of Wisconsinâ€"Madison, where his cousin
Alan Ameche played football and won the Heisman Trophy in . Ameche had
intended to study law, but he found theater more interesting and
decided on a stage career.Ameche had done well in college dramatics at
Marquette University, and when a lead actor for a stock company
production of Excess Baggage did not turn up, a friend persuaded him
to stand in for the missing actor. He enjoyed the experience and got a
juvenile lead in Jerry For Short in New York, followed by a tour in
vaudeville with Texas Guinan until she dropped him from the act,
dismissing him as "too stiff".
December , ) was an American actor and comedian. After playing in
college shows, stock, and vaudeville, he became a major radio star in
the early s, which led to the offer of a movie contract from th
Century Fox in .As a handsome, debonair leading man in films over the
next years, he was a popular star in comedies, dramas, and musicals.
In the s he worked on Broadway and in television, and was the host of
NBC's International Showtime from to . 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 () and won the Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Cocoon ().Don
Ameche was born as Dominic Felix Amici on May , , in Kenosha,
Wisconsin. His father, Felice Amici, was a bartender from Montemonaco,
Ascoli Piceno, Marche, Italy. His mother, Barbara Etta Hertel, was of
Scottish, Irish, and German ancestry. He had three brothers, Umberto
(Bert), James (Jim Ameche), and Louis, and four sisters, Elizabeth,
Catherine, Mary and Anna. Ameche attended Marquette University, Loras
College, and the University of Wisconsinâ€"Madison, where his cousin
Alan Ameche played football and won the Heisman Trophy in . Ameche had
intended to study law, but he found theater more interesting and
decided on a stage career.Ameche had done well in college dramatics at
Marquette University, and when a lead actor for a stock company
production of Excess Baggage did not turn up, a friend persuaded him
to stand in for the missing actor. He enjoyed the experience and got a
juvenile lead in Jerry For Short in New York, followed by a tour in
vaudeville with Texas Guinan until she dropped him from the act,
dismissing him as "too stiff".
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.