Donald Crisp

1880 - 1974

Actor, film director and producer. Born in Aberfeldy, he emigrated for the U.S. in 1906. Despite having acted in more than 400 Holywood films, being an accomplished director and taking a leading role in film financing, Crisp became known as Scotland's forgotten actor. His roles included Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916), Dawn Patrol (1938), starring fellow Scot David Niven (1909-83), How Green is my Valley (1941) for which he was awarded an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor, National Velvet (1944), starring with Elizabeth Taylor and, of Scottish interest, Greyfriars Bobby (1961), in which Crisp took a leading role as the caretaker.

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©2013 The Editors of The Gazetteer for Scotland
Supported by: The Robertson Trust,  The Royal Scottish Geographical Society,
  School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.