1878-07-13 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.
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Going Hollywood: The '30s | (archive footage) | 1984-01-01 |
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Magic Town | Mr. Twiddle | 1947-10-07 |
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The Fabulous Joe | Henry Cadwallader, Lawyer | 1947-08-28 |
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Affairs of Geraldine | Casper Millhouse | 1946-11-18 |
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Colonel Effingham's Raid | Doc Buden | 1946-01-24 |
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Because of Him | Martin | 1946-01-18 |
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Janie Gets Married | Harley P. Stowers | 1946-06-22 |
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State Fair | Hippenstahl | 1945-08-29 |
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The Thin Man Goes Home | Willie Crump | 1944-12-24 |
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Bathing Beauty | Chester Klazenfrantz | 1944-06-27 |
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Barbary Coast Gent | Bradford Bellamy I | 1944-09-01 |
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Maisie Goes to Reno | Parsons | 1944-08-15 |
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Rationing | Wilfred Ball | 1944-03-24 |
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Two Girls and a Sailor | Mr. Nizby | 1944-06-14 |
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Keeper of the Flame | Mr Arbuthnot | 1943-04-01 |
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They Got Me Covered | Little Old Man | 1943-03-04 |
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Lost Angel | Professor Catty | 1943-12-23 |
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Air Raid Wardens | Eustace Middling | 1943-04-04 |
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Du Barry Was a Lady | Mr. Jones / Duc de Choiseul | 1943-08-13 |
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Seven Sweethearts | Reverend Howgan, the Minister | 1942-11-13 |
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Tortilla Flat | Paul D. Cummings | 1942-05-21 |
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Maisie Gets Her Man | Mr. Stickwell | 1942-06-01 |
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The Omaha Trail | Engineer Jonah McCleod | 1942-09-01 |
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The Feminine Touch | Captain Makepeace Liveright | 1941-10-01 |
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A Woman's Face | Herman Rundvik | 1941-05-09 |
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Blonde Inspiration | 'Dusty' King | 1941-02-07 |
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Come Live with Me | Joe Darsie | 1941-01-31 |
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Rise and Shine | Professor Philip Murray | 1941-11-21 |
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Barnacle Bill | "Pop" Cavendish | 1941-04-07 |
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Babes on Broadway | Mr. Stone | 1941-12-31 |
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The Wild Man of Borneo | Professor Charles W. Birdo | 1941-01-24 |
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The Ghost Comes Home | Mortimer Hopkins, Sr. | 1940-03-08 |
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Turnabout | Henry, the Valet | 1940-05-17 |
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Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet | Mittelmeyer | 1940-02-23 |
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Phantom Raiders | Bartholomew | 1940-06-07 |
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The Man from Dakota | Mr. Vestry | 1940-02-16 |
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The Return of Frank James | McCoy | 1940-08-10 |
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My Little Chickadee | Amos Budge | 1940-02-09 |
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Hullabaloo | Mr. Clyde Perkins | 1940-10-25 |
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Sky Murder | Bartholomew | 1940-09-27 |
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Oh, Johnny, How You Can Love! | Adelbert Thistlebottom | 1940-01-01 |
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Third Finger, Left Hand | Mr. Flandrin | 1940-10-11 |
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Star Dust | Sam Wellman | 1940-04-06 |
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Stagecoach | Samuel Peacock | 1939-03-02 |
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The Housekeeper's Daughter | Editor Wilson | 1939-10-26 |
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Hollywood Cavalcade | Lyle P. Stout | 1939-10-13 |
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Jesse James | McCoy | 1939-01-14 |
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Blondie Takes a Vacation | Jonathan N. Gillis | 1939-07-20 |
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Young Mr. Lincoln | Prosecutor John Felder | 1939-06-09 |
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Nick Carter, Master Detective | Bartholomew, the bee man | 1939-12-13 |
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Little Miss Broadway | Willoughby Wendling | 1938-07-29 |
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Sunday School Superintendent | 1938-02-11 |
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You Can't Take It with You | Mr. Poppins | 1938-09-01 |
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Hold That Co-ed | Dean Thatcher | 1938-09-16 |
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Goodbye Broadway | Iradius P. Oglethorpe | 1938-04-01 |
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Having Wonderful Time | P.U. Rogers | 1938-07-01 |
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Double Danger | Gordon Ainsley, aka Henry Robinson | 1938-01-28 |
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Three Legionnaires | Uriah S. Grant | 1937-07-10 |
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Breakfast for Two | Justice of the Peace | 1937-10-22 |
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Parnell | Nicholas Daniel Murphy | 1937-06-04 |
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Artists & Models | Dr. Zimmer | 1937-08-04 |
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Maid of Salem | Ezra Cheeves | 1937-02-12 |
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The Toast of New York | Daniel Drew | 1937-07-22 |
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You're a Sweetheart | Conway Jeeters | 1937-12-26 |
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Double Wedding | Judge Blynn (uncredited) | 1937-10-15 |
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Make a Wish | Joseph | 1937-09-01 |
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Behind The Headlines | Potter | 1937-05-14 |
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Everybody's Old Man | Finney | 1936-03-20 |
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Two in a Crowd | Bennett | 1936-10-03 |
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Love on the Run | Caretaker | 1936-11-20 |
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Pennies from Heaven | Gramp Smith | 1936-11-25 |
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And So They Were Married | Hotel Manager | 1936-05-10 |
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Three Married Men | Mr. Frisbee | 1936-09-24 |
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Old Hutch | Mr. Gunnison | 1936-09-25 |
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One Rainy Afternoon | Judge | 1936-05-13 |
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Romance in Manhattan | Minister | 1935-01-11 |
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Society Doctor | Moxley | 1935-01-25 |
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Mark of the Vampire | Dr. Doskil | 1935-04-26 |
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China Seas | Chess Player (uncredited) | 1935-08-09 |
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The Informer | Peter Mulligan | 1935-05-09 |
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Captain Blood | Dr. Whacker | 1935-12-26 |
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The Whole Town's Talking | Hoyt | 1935-02-22 |
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Old Man Rhythm | Paul Parker | 1935-08-02 |
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Kind Lady | Mr. Foster | 1935-12-06 |
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The Return Of Peter Grimm | Mayor Everett Bartholomew | 1935-09-13 |
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The Bride Comes Home | The Judge | 1935-12-25 |
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Village Tale | Charlie | 1935-06-15 |
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She Couldn't Take It | Uncle Wyndersham | 1935-10-08 |
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Happiness C.O.D. | Thomas Sherridan | 1935-10-14 |
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Biography of a Bachelor Girl | Mr. Irish, Moose Village General Store | 1935-01-04 |
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Baby Face Harrington | Skinner | 1935-04-12 |
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The Gilded Lily | Hankerson | 1935-01-25 |
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Peter Ibbetson | Mr. Slade | 1935-11-07 |
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Barbary Coast | Sawbuck McTavish | 1935-10-13 |
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The Merry Widow | Valet | 1934-11-02 |
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The Captain Hates the Sea | Josephus Bushmills | 1934-11-02 |
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Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch | Mr. Wiggs | 1934-10-28 |
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Murder at the Vanities | Dr. Saunders | 1934-05-18 |
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The Defense Rests | Fogg | 1934-07-15 |
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Hi, Nellie! | Durkin | 1934-01-20 |
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The Last Gentleman | Judd Barr, Cabot's son | 1934-04-27 |
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What Every Woman Knows | Snibby the Jeweler (uncredited) | 1934-10-18 |
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Bedside | Dr. George Wiley | 1934-01-27 |
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College Coach | Spencer Trask | 1933-11-04 |
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The Crane Poison Case | Dr. Amos Crabtree | 1932-07-08 |
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The Studio Murder Mystery | Dr. Crabtree | 1932-02-17 |
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The Cole Case | Dr. Crabtree | 1932-04-01 |
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The Side Show Mystery | Dr. Amos Crabtree | 1932-06-01 |
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Wayward | Hotel Clerk (uncredited) | 1932-02-19 |
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The Skull Murder Mystery | Dr. Crabtree | 1932-03-01 |
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The Trans-Atlantic Mystery | Dr. Crabtree - Criminologist | 1932-08-31 |
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Murder in the Pullman | Dr. Amos Crabtree | 1932-05-01 |
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The Symphony Murder Mystery | Dr. Crabtree | 1932-01-13 |
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The Clyde Mystery | Dr. Amos Crabtree | 1931-10-01 |
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The Girl Habit | Jonesy | 1931-06-27 |
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The Wall Street Mystery | Doctor Crabtree | 1931-11-04 |
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Personal Maid | Pa Ryan | 1931-09-12 |
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The Week End Mystery | Dr. Amos Crabtree | 1931-12-01 |
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The Hole in the Wall | Goofy | 1929-04-27 |
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Six Cylinder Love | Richard Burton | 1923-11-04 |
