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EspañolDON AMECHE
''Not to be confused with former NBA player John Amaechi.''
'Dominic Felix Ameche' (May 31 1908 – December 6 1993) was an Academy Award-winning American actor and director.
Ameche was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Felix Ameche, an immigrant from Italy whose original surname was "Amici", and Barbara, who was of Irish and German descent. He had two (2) brothers, Burt and Jim, and two sisters, Anne and Mary Jane.
[1]
December 8, 1993 Ameche's son in Iowa City recalls dad's legacy of joy
Author: Mike Kilen; Gazette staff writer
A day after the death of Don Ameche, restaurateur Ron Ameche of Iowa City wanted simply to remember his father's legacy." It's a difficult time, but if I can concentrate on the joy he brought millions of people, it isn't as difficult," he said. The veteran actor, 85, who had childhood ties to the Cedar Rapids area, died of cancer Monday in Scottsdale, Ariz. A leading man in films of the 1930s and 1940s, he had made a screen comeback in the 1980s with roles in "Trading Places" and "Cocoon."
As a youngster, he attended a Catholic boarding school, St. Berchman's in Marion, and thought enough of the experience to send some of his six children, including Ron, to school in Iowa, away from Hollywood influences. A former teacher at St. Berchman's, Sister Mary Inviolata, 93, of Sacred Heart Convent in Cedar Rapids, said Don and his brother would often visit their two sisters, who attended Catholic school in Cedar Rapids." I remember he was very good in the eighth grade plays and a very good boarder," she said. Ameche was a friend of Monsignor George Stemm of All Saints Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids and came back to town in the early 1960s - to much fanfare - for a school dedication.
In a press conference, he boasted of Iowa as a great place for a kid to grow up. He was a good father. He was a special man," said Ron, 57, who attended Immaculate Conception High School in Cedar Rapids and has owned The Pumpernickel restaurant in Coralville for 17 years." We never did discuss (his career) much. Our life was just a family thing - father and kids," Ron said. "None of us went into the business. He was the kind of guy that always wanted you to search for the talents given to you. And that's what we all did. "God gave him a talent, and he used it to the best of his ability. He worked hard all his life." The actor had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago, but he worked until a month before his death, finishing a movie called "Corrina, Corrina" with Whoopi Goldberg and Ray Liotta.
Dominic Felix Ameche was born to an Italian immigrant father and an Irish-German mother in Kenosha, Wis. He attended Columbia College - renamed Loras College - in Dubuque, where he was a star in athletics and drama club. His wife, Honore Prendegast Ameche, was from Dubuque. She died several years ago. He began his career in radio and was inducted into the radio Hall of Fame in 1992. He made the transition to films in 1936 with "Sins of Man." His most notable performance in those days was a biographical drama, "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell." The film prompted a generation to call people to the telephone with the phrase: "You're wanted on the Ameche. "His reputation as a leading man stemmed from such pictures as "Midnight," "Down Argentine Way," "Moon Over Miami," "Ramona," "In Old Chicago," "Swanee River" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band. "When his film career faded in 1948, he took to Broadway and later to touring musicals and dinner theater. His film career was resurrected with "Trading Places," a comedy with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. In 1986, he won an Academy Award for his role in "Cocoon" as a Florida retiree who drew vitality from aliens stranded on Earth. His acceptance speech gave evidence of his modest nature: "For all you members of the academy, this esteemed gentlemen (the Oscar) says you have given me your recognition. You've given to me your love. I hope that I have earned your respect."
Ron said his father visited Coralville twice a year but rarely watched or discussed his 54 movies. The private yet close family separated career and home life." I found it very difficult to watch his movies as a kid because he wasn't what he was at home," Ron said. "It was hard to have him be this guy at the dinner table and a different guy in the movies."Later in life, Ron enjoyed his father's performances in comedies of the 1980s, and especially liked his portrayal of a simple Italian shoemaker who agrees to take the rap for a Chicago mobster for a fee in the little-known 1988 movie "Things Change." Hopefully, he was looked upon as a hard worker and a contributor," said Ron, who plans a private memorial service for his father.
Ameche began his career in vaudeville with Texas Guinan until Guinan dropped him from the act, dismissing him as "too stiff".[2] He made his film debut in 1935 and by the late 1930s, he had established himself as a leading actor in Hollywood. He appeared successfully in such films as ''Alexander's Ragtime Band'' (1938), as the title character in ''The Story of Alexander Graham Bell'' (1939), and ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) co-starring Gene Tierney. He was so associated by the public with his role as Bell that for a time, "Ameche" was slang for telephone.
Ameche was also a major radio star. Following his appearances as announcer and sketch participant for the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy show, he achieved much success during the late 1940s playing opposite Frances Langford in ''The Bickersons''. Ameche enjoyed a substantial Broadway career with roles in ''Silk Stockings'',
''Goldilocks'', ''Holiday for Lovers'', ''Henry, Sweet Henry'', and ''Our Town''.
Between 1961 and 1965, Ameche sat in the grandstand of a different European resident circus each week to serve as host/commentator on International Showtime. The program aired on NBC television. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ameche directed the NBC television drama series ''Julia'', starring Diahann Carroll. He was absent from films for the next 13 years. Then he and fellow veteran actor Ralph Bellamy were cast to act in ''Trading Places'' in 1983. They played rich brothers intent on ruining an innocent man for the sake of a one-dollar bet. In an interview some years later on ''Larry King Live'', co-star Jamie Lee Curtis said that Ameche, a proper old-school actor, went to everyone on the set to apologize ahead of time when he had to say the "f-word" in the film. The film's success and their comedic performances brought them both back into the Hollywood limelight.
Ameche's next role, in ''Cocoon'' (1985), won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He continued working for the rest of his life (including a role in the sequel,
''). His last films were '' (1993) and ''Corrina, Corrina'' (1994), which was completed days before his death.
For his contribution to radio, Ameche received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6313 Hollywood Boulevard and a second star at 6101 Hollywood Boulevard for his television work.
Ameche was married to Honore Prendergast from 1932 until her death in 1986. They had six children. One, Ron Ameche, owned the restaurant "Ameche's Pumpernickel" in Coralville, Iowa. Ameche's late younger brother Jim Ameche was also an actor.
Ameche died on December 6 1993, aged 85 from prostate cancer. He was buried at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, also known as St. Philomena's Cemetery, in Asbury, Iowa.
★ ''Clive of India'' (1935)
★ ''Dante's Inferno'' (1935)
★ ''Sins of Man'' (1936)
★ ''Ramona'' (1936)
★ ''Ladies in Love'' (1936)
★ ''One in a Million'' (1936)
★ ''In Old Chicago'' (1937)
★ ''Love Is News'' (1937)
★ ''Fifty Races to Town'' (1937)
★ ''You Can't Have Everything'' (1937)
★ ''Love Under Fire'' (1937)
★ ''Happy Landing'' (1938)
★ ''Alexander's Ragtime Band'' (1938)
★ ''Josette'' (1938)
★ ''Gateway'' (1938)
★ ''The Three Musketeers'' (1939)
★ ''Midnight'' (1939)
★ ''The Story of Alexander Graham Bell'' (1939)
★ ''Hollywood Cavalcade'' (1939)
★ ''Swanee River (1939 film)'' (1939)
★ ''Lillian Russell'' (1940)
★ ''Four Sons'' (1940)
★ ''Down Argentine Way'' (1940)
★ ''That Night in Rio'' (1941)
★ ''Moon Over Miami'' (1941)
★ ''Kiss the Boys Goodbye'' (1941)
★ ''The Feminine Touch'' (1941)
★ ''Confirm or Deny'' (1941)
★ ''The Magnificent Dope'' (1942)
★ ''Girl Trouble'' (1942)
★ ''Something to Shout About'' (1943)
★ ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1943)
★ ''Happy Land'' (1943)
★ ''Wing and a Prayer'' (1944)
★ ''Greenwich Village'' (1944)
★ ''It's in the Bag!'' (1945) (Cameo)
★ ''Guest Wife'' (1945)
★ ''So Goes My Love'' (1946)
★ ''That's My Man'' (1947)
★ ''Sleep, My Love'' (1948)
★ ''Slightly French'' (1949)
★ ''Phantom Caravan'' (1954)
★ ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' (1957)
★ ''A Fever in the Blood'' (1961)
★ ''The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)'' (1963)
★ ''Rings Around the World'' (1966) (documentary)
★ ''Picture Mommy Dead'' (1966)
★ ''The Boatniks'' (1970)
★ ''Columbo'' (1971)
★ ''Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?'' (1970)
★ ''Trading Places'' (1983)
★ ''Cocoon'' (1985)
★ ''Harry and the Hendersons'' (1987)
★ ''Pals'' (1987)
★ ''Coming to America'' (1988)
★ ''Things Change'' (1988)
★ '' (1988)
★ ''Oddball Hall'' (1990)
★ ''Oscar'' (1991)
★ ''Folks!'' (1992)
★ '' (1993) (voice)
★ ''Corrina, Corrina'' (1994)
1. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800039309/bio
2. Palmer, R. Barton. ''Don Ameche'' in Thomas, Nicholas ed. ''International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Vol. 3: Actors and Actresses'', Detroit: St. James Press, 1992. p. 9.
★ Ohmart, Ben. ''Don Ameche - The Kenosha Comeback Kid.'' (2007) (Albany: BearManor Media) ISBN 1-59393-045-3 Over 100 rare photos and many interviews with family and friends.
★
'Dominic Felix Ameche' (May 31 1908 – December 6 1993) was an Academy Award-winning American actor and director.
| Contents |
| Biography |
| Early life |
| Career |
| Radio and television |
| Personal life |
| Filmography |
| Sources |
| Reference |
| External link |
Biography
Early life
Ameche was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin to Felix Ameche, an immigrant from Italy whose original surname was "Amici", and Barbara, who was of Irish and German descent. He had two (2) brothers, Burt and Jim, and two sisters, Anne and Mary Jane.
[1]
December 8, 1993 Ameche's son in Iowa City recalls dad's legacy of joy
Author: Mike Kilen; Gazette staff writer
A day after the death of Don Ameche, restaurateur Ron Ameche of Iowa City wanted simply to remember his father's legacy." It's a difficult time, but if I can concentrate on the joy he brought millions of people, it isn't as difficult," he said. The veteran actor, 85, who had childhood ties to the Cedar Rapids area, died of cancer Monday in Scottsdale, Ariz. A leading man in films of the 1930s and 1940s, he had made a screen comeback in the 1980s with roles in "Trading Places" and "Cocoon."
As a youngster, he attended a Catholic boarding school, St. Berchman's in Marion, and thought enough of the experience to send some of his six children, including Ron, to school in Iowa, away from Hollywood influences. A former teacher at St. Berchman's, Sister Mary Inviolata, 93, of Sacred Heart Convent in Cedar Rapids, said Don and his brother would often visit their two sisters, who attended Catholic school in Cedar Rapids." I remember he was very good in the eighth grade plays and a very good boarder," she said. Ameche was a friend of Monsignor George Stemm of All Saints Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids and came back to town in the early 1960s - to much fanfare - for a school dedication.
In a press conference, he boasted of Iowa as a great place for a kid to grow up. He was a good father. He was a special man," said Ron, 57, who attended Immaculate Conception High School in Cedar Rapids and has owned The Pumpernickel restaurant in Coralville for 17 years." We never did discuss (his career) much. Our life was just a family thing - father and kids," Ron said. "None of us went into the business. He was the kind of guy that always wanted you to search for the talents given to you. And that's what we all did. "God gave him a talent, and he used it to the best of his ability. He worked hard all his life." The actor had been diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago, but he worked until a month before his death, finishing a movie called "Corrina, Corrina" with Whoopi Goldberg and Ray Liotta.
Dominic Felix Ameche was born to an Italian immigrant father and an Irish-German mother in Kenosha, Wis. He attended Columbia College - renamed Loras College - in Dubuque, where he was a star in athletics and drama club. His wife, Honore Prendegast Ameche, was from Dubuque. She died several years ago. He began his career in radio and was inducted into the radio Hall of Fame in 1992. He made the transition to films in 1936 with "Sins of Man." His most notable performance in those days was a biographical drama, "The Story of Alexander Graham Bell." The film prompted a generation to call people to the telephone with the phrase: "You're wanted on the Ameche. "His reputation as a leading man stemmed from such pictures as "Midnight," "Down Argentine Way," "Moon Over Miami," "Ramona," "In Old Chicago," "Swanee River" and "Alexander's Ragtime Band. "When his film career faded in 1948, he took to Broadway and later to touring musicals and dinner theater. His film career was resurrected with "Trading Places," a comedy with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. In 1986, he won an Academy Award for his role in "Cocoon" as a Florida retiree who drew vitality from aliens stranded on Earth. His acceptance speech gave evidence of his modest nature: "For all you members of the academy, this esteemed gentlemen (the Oscar) says you have given me your recognition. You've given to me your love. I hope that I have earned your respect."
Ron said his father visited Coralville twice a year but rarely watched or discussed his 54 movies. The private yet close family separated career and home life." I found it very difficult to watch his movies as a kid because he wasn't what he was at home," Ron said. "It was hard to have him be this guy at the dinner table and a different guy in the movies."Later in life, Ron enjoyed his father's performances in comedies of the 1980s, and especially liked his portrayal of a simple Italian shoemaker who agrees to take the rap for a Chicago mobster for a fee in the little-known 1988 movie "Things Change." Hopefully, he was looked upon as a hard worker and a contributor," said Ron, who plans a private memorial service for his father.
Career
Ameche began his career in vaudeville with Texas Guinan until Guinan dropped him from the act, dismissing him as "too stiff".[2] He made his film debut in 1935 and by the late 1930s, he had established himself as a leading actor in Hollywood. He appeared successfully in such films as ''Alexander's Ragtime Band'' (1938), as the title character in ''The Story of Alexander Graham Bell'' (1939), and ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) co-starring Gene Tierney. He was so associated by the public with his role as Bell that for a time, "Ameche" was slang for telephone.
Radio and television
Ameche was also a major radio star. Following his appearances as announcer and sketch participant for the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy show, he achieved much success during the late 1940s playing opposite Frances Langford in ''The Bickersons''. Ameche enjoyed a substantial Broadway career with roles in ''Silk Stockings'',
''Goldilocks'', ''Holiday for Lovers'', ''Henry, Sweet Henry'', and ''Our Town''.
Between 1961 and 1965, Ameche sat in the grandstand of a different European resident circus each week to serve as host/commentator on International Showtime. The program aired on NBC television. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Ameche directed the NBC television drama series ''Julia'', starring Diahann Carroll. He was absent from films for the next 13 years. Then he and fellow veteran actor Ralph Bellamy were cast to act in ''Trading Places'' in 1983. They played rich brothers intent on ruining an innocent man for the sake of a one-dollar bet. In an interview some years later on ''Larry King Live'', co-star Jamie Lee Curtis said that Ameche, a proper old-school actor, went to everyone on the set to apologize ahead of time when he had to say the "f-word" in the film. The film's success and their comedic performances brought them both back into the Hollywood limelight.
Ameche's next role, in ''Cocoon'' (1985), won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He continued working for the rest of his life (including a role in the sequel,
''). His last films were '' (1993) and ''Corrina, Corrina'' (1994), which was completed days before his death.
For his contribution to radio, Ameche received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6313 Hollywood Boulevard and a second star at 6101 Hollywood Boulevard for his television work.
Personal life
Ameche was married to Honore Prendergast from 1932 until her death in 1986. They had six children. One, Ron Ameche, owned the restaurant "Ameche's Pumpernickel" in Coralville, Iowa. Ameche's late younger brother Jim Ameche was also an actor.
Ameche died on December 6 1993, aged 85 from prostate cancer. He was buried at Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, also known as St. Philomena's Cemetery, in Asbury, Iowa.
Filmography
★ ''Clive of India'' (1935)
★ ''Dante's Inferno'' (1935)
★ ''Sins of Man'' (1936)
★ ''Ramona'' (1936)
★ ''Ladies in Love'' (1936)
★ ''One in a Million'' (1936)
★ ''In Old Chicago'' (1937)
★ ''Love Is News'' (1937)
★ ''Fifty Races to Town'' (1937)
★ ''You Can't Have Everything'' (1937)
★ ''Love Under Fire'' (1937)
★ ''Happy Landing'' (1938)
★ ''Alexander's Ragtime Band'' (1938)
★ ''Josette'' (1938)
★ ''Gateway'' (1938)
★ ''The Three Musketeers'' (1939)
★ ''Midnight'' (1939)
★ ''The Story of Alexander Graham Bell'' (1939)
★ ''Hollywood Cavalcade'' (1939)
★ ''Swanee River (1939 film)'' (1939)
★ ''Lillian Russell'' (1940)
★ ''Four Sons'' (1940)
★ ''Down Argentine Way'' (1940)
★ ''That Night in Rio'' (1941)
★ ''Moon Over Miami'' (1941)
★ ''Kiss the Boys Goodbye'' (1941)
★ ''The Feminine Touch'' (1941)
★ ''Confirm or Deny'' (1941)
★ ''The Magnificent Dope'' (1942)
★ ''Girl Trouble'' (1942)
★ ''Something to Shout About'' (1943)
★ ''Heaven Can Wait'' (1943)
★ ''Happy Land'' (1943)
★ ''Wing and a Prayer'' (1944)
★ ''Greenwich Village'' (1944)
★ ''It's in the Bag!'' (1945) (Cameo)
★ ''Guest Wife'' (1945)
★ ''So Goes My Love'' (1946)
★ ''That's My Man'' (1947)
★ ''Sleep, My Love'' (1948)
★ ''Slightly French'' (1949)
★ ''Phantom Caravan'' (1954)
★ ''The Ed Sullivan Show'' (1957)
★ ''A Fever in the Blood'' (1961)
★ ''The Greatest Show on Earth (TV series)'' (1963)
★ ''Rings Around the World'' (1966) (documentary)
★ ''Picture Mommy Dead'' (1966)
★ ''The Boatniks'' (1970)
★ ''Columbo'' (1971)
★ ''Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came?'' (1970)
★ ''Trading Places'' (1983)
★ ''Cocoon'' (1985)
★ ''Harry and the Hendersons'' (1987)
★ ''Pals'' (1987)
★ ''Coming to America'' (1988)
★ ''Things Change'' (1988)
★ '' (1988)
★ ''Oddball Hall'' (1990)
★ ''Oscar'' (1991)
★ ''Folks!'' (1992)
★ '' (1993) (voice)
★ ''Corrina, Corrina'' (1994)
Sources
1. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800039309/bio
2. Palmer, R. Barton. ''Don Ameche'' in Thomas, Nicholas ed. ''International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, Vol. 3: Actors and Actresses'', Detroit: St. James Press, 1992. p. 9.
Reference
★ Ohmart, Ben. ''Don Ameche - The Kenosha Comeback Kid.'' (2007) (Albany: BearManor Media) ISBN 1-59393-045-3 Over 100 rare photos and many interviews with family and friends.
External link
★
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