Acting
Donald Woods
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Donald Woods (born Ralph Lewis Zink, December 2, 1906 – March 5, 1998) was a Canadian-American film and television actor whose career in Hollywood spanned six decades. Born in Brandon, Manitoba, Woods moved with his family to California and was raised in Burbank. A son of William and Margaret Zink, Presbyterians of German descent. His younger brother, Clarence Russell Zink, also became an actor (Russ Conway). Woods graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and made his film debut in 1928. His screen career was spent mostly in B movies, for example as lawyer Perry Mason in the 1937 film The Case of the Stuttering Bishop. He also occasionally played major roles in bigger feature films like A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Anthony Adverse (1936), Watch on the Rhine (1943), The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944), and Roughly Speaking (1945). Of considerable importance to his acting career were several seasons as leading man with the Elitch Gardens Theatre Company in Denver, Colorado, where he performed in 1932, 1933, 1939, 1941, 1947, and 1948. In the early days of television, Woods starred as the title character in the 1951 syndicated TV series Craig Kennedy, Criminologist, and he was the host of Damon Runyon Theater on CBS-TV. He played himself on the dramatic series Hotel Cosmopolitan, also on CBS, and he was one of three hosts of The Orchid Award on ABC-TV. He portrayed Walter Manning on Portia Faces Life on CBS. He also appeared in such anthology series as The Philco Television Playhouse, Armstrong Circle Theatre, Robert Montgomery Presents, The United States Steel Hour, Crossroads, and General Electric Theater. On April 11, 1961, Woods appeared as "Profesor Landfield" in the episode "Two for the Gallows" on NBC's Laramie western series. Series character Slim Sherman (John Smith) is hired under false pretenses to take Landfield into the Badlands to seek gold. Landfield, however, is really Morgan Bennett, a member of the former Henry Plummer gang who has escaped from prison. Slim has no idea that Lanfield is seeking the loot that his gang had hidden away. Series character Jess Harper (Robert Fuller), Pete Dixon, played by Warren Oates, and Pete's younger brother soon come to Slim's aid. The title stems from the talk that the undisciplined Dixon brothers might eventually wind up on a hangman's noose. Woods later was a regular in the role of John Brent on the short-lived series Tammy and made guest appearances on Bat Masterson, Wagon Train, Ben Casey, 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Stoney Burke, Bourbon Street Beat, Bonanza, Coronet Blue, Ironside, Alias Smith and Jones, The Wild Wild West and Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, among many others before retiring from acting in 1976. Besides his film career, he also worked as a successful real estate broker in Palm Springs where he lived with his wife, childhood sweetheart Josephine Van der Horck. They were married from 1933 until his death and had two children, Linda and Conrad. He was interred at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cathedral City, California.
Filmography
Police Story
Series · 1973
The Sandy Duncan Show
Series · 1972
Alias Smith and Jones
Series · 1971
True Grit
Film · 1969
Istanbul Express
Film · 1969
A Time to Sing
Film · 1968
Tammy and the Millionaire
Film · 1967
Ironside
Series · 1967
Hondo
Series · 1967
Dimension 5
Film · 1966
Moment to Moment
Film · 1966
Felony Squad
Series · 1966
The Wild Wild West
Series · 1965
Tammy
Series · 1965
Kissin' Cousins
Film · 1964
Arrest and Trial
Series · 1963
Sam Benedict
Series · 1962
Stoney Burke
Series · 1962
Five Minutes to Live
Film · 1961
Ben Casey
Series · 1961
13 Ghosts
Film · 1960
I'll Give My Life
Film · 1960
Thriller
Series · 1960
Bourbon Street Beat
Series · 1959
Men Into Space
Series · 1959
The Rebel
Series · 1959
Tightrope
Series · 1959
77 Sunset Strip
Series · 1958
Bat Masterson
Series · 1958
Hotel Cosmopolitan
Series · 1957
Wagon Train
Series · 1957
Wagon Train
Series · 1957
A Wind from the South
Film · 1955
The Millionaire
Series · 1955
Damon Runyon Theater
Series · 1955
Lassie
Series · 1954
Portia Faces Life
Series · 1954
Inner Sanctum
Series · 1954
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Film · 1953
The Studebaker Story
Film · 1953
Born to the Saddle
Film · 1953
General Electric Theater
Series · 1953
The United States Steel Hour
Series · 1953
General Electric Theater
Series · 1953
Tall, Dark and Dead
Film · 1952
All That I Have
Film · 1951
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Series · 1951
Craig Kennedy, Criminologist
Series · 1951
Johnny One-Eye
Film · 1950
Mr. Music
Film · 1950
The Lost Volcano
Film · 1950
Robert Montgomery Presents
Series · 1950
Scene of the Crime
Film · 1949
Free For All
Film · 1949
Daughter of the West
Film · 1949
Barbary Pirate
Film · 1949
Lights Out
Series · 1949
The Philco Television Playhouse
Series · 1948
Bells of San Fernando
Film · 1947
The Return of Rin Tin Tin
Film · 1947
Stepchild
Film · 1947
Never Say Goodbye
Film · 1946
Goodbye, Weeds
Film · 1946
The Time, The Place and The Girl
Film · 1946
Night and Day
Film · 1946
Roughly Speaking
Film · 1945
Wonder Man
Film · 1945
Star in the Night
Film · 1945
Hollywood Canteen
Film · 1944
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
Film · 1944
Enemy of Women
Film · 1944
Watch on the Rhine
Film · 1943
Hi'ya, Sailor
Film · 1943
Corregidor
Film · 1943
So's Your Uncle
Film · 1943
Thru Different Eyes
Film · 1942
The Gay Sisters
Film · 1942
March On, America!
Film · 1942
Sky Raiders
Film · 1941
I Was a Prisoner on Devil's Island
Film · 1941
Bachelor Daddy
Film · 1941
City of Chance
Film · 1940
Mexican Spitfire
Film · 1940
Forgotten Girls
Film · 1940
Love, Honor and Oh-Baby!
Film · 1940
Mexican Spitfire Out West
Film · 1940
If I Had My Way
Film · 1940
Young America Flies
Film · 1940
Beauty for the Asking
Film · 1939
The Girl from Mexico
Film · 1939
Heritage of the Desert
Film · 1939
Romance on the Run
Film · 1938
Danger on the Air
Film · 1938
The Black Doll
Film · 1938
Charlie Chan on Broadway
Film · 1937
The Case of the Stuttering Bishop
Film · 1937
Sea Devils
Film · 1937
Talent Scout
Film · 1937
Once a Doctor
Film · 1937
Big Town Girl
Film · 1937
Anthony Adverse
Film · 1936
The Story of Louis Pasteur
Film · 1936
Isle of Fury
Film · 1936
Road Gang
Film · 1936
A Son Comes Home
Film · 1936
The White Angel
Film · 1936
Breakdowns of 1936
Film · 1936
The Song of a Nation
Film · 1936
The Making of a Great Motion Picture
Film · 1936
The Florentine Dagger
Film · 1935
A Tale of Two Cities
Film · 1935
Frisco Kid
Film · 1935
Stranded
Film · 1935
The Case of the Curious Bride
Film · 1935
A Dream Comes True
Film · 1935
Things You Never See on the Screen
Film · 1935
Sweet Adeline
Film · 1934
Fog Over Frisco
Film · 1934
Merry Wives of Reno
Film · 1934
As the Earth Turns
Film · 1934
Charlie Chan's Courage
Film · 1934
Hollywood Newsreel
Film · 1934
She Was a Lady
Film · 1934
Motorboat Mamas
Film · 1928
Motorboat Mamas
Film · 1928