DON DEFORE BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:
Don DeFore was born on August 25th, 1913 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with the birth name Donald John Defore to parents Joseph Ervin Defore and Albina Sylvia Nezerka. His father worked as a railroad engineer. He attended Washington High School in Cedar rapids and went on to study at the University of Iowa with intentions of pursuing a career in law.
He became involved in acting when he won a scholarship for three years to study at the Pasadena Playhouse. When he first entered the entertainment industry he worked as a stage performer touring in various stock companies. He made his Broadway debut in 1938 and soon after was working in films.
Some of his film roles include, "Brother Rat" (1938), "The Male Animal" (1942), "The Human Comedy" (1943), "A Guy Named Joe" (1943), "The Affairs of Susan" (1945), "Ramrod" (1947), "Too Late for Tears" (1949), "The Guy Who Came Back" (1951) and "Jumping Jacks" (1952).
Along with a long resume of film credits he also made a number of television appearances on such series as, "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (1952) for which he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and had a reccurring role on, "Hazel" (1961).
Even though many do not remember him for his roles on radio, he also had a number of credits on his resume for his radio work on, "The Fountain of Youth" (1949), "Seeds of Promise" (1951) and "You Came Along" (1946) among others.
He also played a number of other roles in the acting industry such as serving as President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences between 1954 and 1955 and he was also very involved in arranging the Emmy Awards to be broadcasted on national television for the first time in 1955.
Along with working as an actor he also opened a restaurant at Disneyland called the Silver Banjo between 1957 and 1961. DeFore was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Don DeFore married his one and only wife, Marion Holmes in 1942 and the couple had five children together, Penny, David, Dawn, Ron and Amy. They remained married until December 22nd, 1993 when he passed away in Los Angeles, California at the age of eighty after suffering from a heart attack. He is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
1987 St. Elsewhere
1986 Murder, She Wrote
1984 A Rare Breed
1983 Matt Houston
1978 Vega$
1978 Fantasy Island
1978 Black Beauty
1978 The Love Boat
1976 Ellery Queen
1975 Marcus Welby, M.D.
1970 The Virginian
1970 Mannix
1969 Mod Squad
1969 My Three Sons
1968 Hallmark Hall of Fame r
1961-1965 Hazel
1961 Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1960 The Best of the Post
1960 The Facts of Life
1960 The Loretta Young Show
1959 The Philadelphia Story
1959 G.E. True Theater
1958 A Time to Love and a Time to Die
1958 Studio One in Hollywood
1957 The Ford Television Theatre
1957 Battle Hymn
1952-1956 The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
1953-1956 Lux Video Theatre
1956 Crossroads
1952-1955 Schlitz Playhouse
1955 Science Fiction Theatre
1955 The Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater
1954 Goodyear Playhouse
1953 Hollywood Opening Night
1952 She's Working Her Way Through College
1952 No Room for the Groom
1952 Jumping Jacks
1952 And Now Tomorrow
1952 A Girl in Every Port
1951 The Bigelow Theatre
1951 The Guy Who Came Back
1950 Southside 1-1000
1950 Dark City
1950 Hollywood Theatre Time
1950 The Silver Theatre
1949 My Friend Irma
1949 Too Late for Tears
1948 One Sunday Afternoon
1948 Romance on the High Seas
1947 It Happened on Fifth Avenue
1947 Ramrod
1946 Without Reservations
1945 The Stork Club
1945 You Came Along
1945 The Affairs of Susan
1944 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
1944 Return from Nowhere
1944 Practical Joker
1943 A Guy Named Joe
1943 The Human Comedy
1943 City Without Men
1942 You Can't Escape Forever
1942 Men of the Sky
1942 Wings for the Eagle
1942 Winning Your Wings
1942 The Male Animal
1942 Right to the Heart
1941 We Go Fast
1938 Brother Rat
1938 Freshman Year
1937 Submarine D-1
1937 Kid Galahad
1936 Reunion
