Donald Woods stands among the most celebrated leading men in the long history of the Historic Elitch Theatre. Born Ralph Lewis Zink in Manitoba, Canada, and raised in California, Woods graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, before beginning his career in West Coast stock theater. He first took the Elitch stage in 1932, and it was here, during a 1933 performance in The Pursuit of Happiness, that a Hollywood talent scout discovered him and offered him a motion picture contract—launching a screen career that would span nearly six decades..
Woods appeared at Elitch Gardens for six seasons in all, appearing in 1932, 1933, 1939, 1941, 1947, and 1948. He quickly became one of the most admired leading men of the theatre’s golden era. A 1960 doctoral dissertation on the history of Elitch’s Gardens singled him out among the era’s most attractive and capable leading men, and the theatre’s own Golden Jubilee program later reflected on his enduring affection for the “old stage” where his Hollywood career began. His 1939 season paired him with rising star Jane Wyatt, another future Elitch alum, in a memorable production of Our Town.
Following his Elitch discovery, Woods became a fixture of Hollywood’s B-picture era while also landing substantial roles in major features. He played the French aristocrat Charles Darnay opposite Basil Rathbone in A Tale of Two Cities (1935), took a key role in Anthony Adverse (1936), and appeared in prestige films including Watch on the Rhine (1943) and The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944). He also became closely associated with the role of attorney Perry Mason, playing the character in the 1937 film The Case of the Stuttering Bishop—years before fellow Elitch alum Raymond Burr would make the role his own on television.
As his film career matured, Woods embraced the emerging medium of television, starring in Craig Kennedy, Criminologist, hosting Damon Runyon Theater, and appearing across dozens of popular series including Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, Wagon Train, and Ironside. He continued acting into the 1970s, closing out his screen career with an appearance in True Grit (1969) before retiring in 1976. Throughout his career, Woods carried with him the memory of the Elitch stage where his journey to stardom began, cementing his place as one of the theatre’s most storied alumni.
The [1941] season ran for eleven weeks, one week longer than the usual Elitch season. Donald Woods was the leading man and Ruth Matteson the leading woman.
The Golden Jubilee Theatre Program stated of Donald Woods:
It’s natural that Mr. Woods should have a sincere affection for the old stage of the famous Theatre, as it was here, in 1933, while playing in The Pursuit of Happiness that he was discovered by a motion picture scout and given a Hollywood contract. He skyrocketed to fame immediately and is known everywhere today as one of the screen’s most popular
leading men.
[Borrillo, Theodore A., (2012). Denver’s historic Elitch Theatre : a nostalgic journey (a history of its times). pp. 198.]
Seasons at the Theatre
Productions/Roles:
Notable Roles, Awards, and Other Work:
- 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 played romantic leads in B comedies, notably the popular Mexican Spitfire series opposite Lupe Velez.
- In A Tale of Two Cities (1935 film), Charles Darnay (Donald Woods), appeared as a French aristocrat who, unlike his uncle, the Marquis St. Evremonde (Basil Rathbone), is sympathetic to the plight of the oppressed and impoverished French masses.
Elitch Theatre Connections:
- In 1937, Woods appeared as Perry Mason in the film, The Case of the Stuttering Bishop. Later, Elitch Theatre Alum, Raymond Burr, would be THE actor most-recognized as Perry Mason.
Wikipedia Link:
