Donald Buka | |
|---|---|
 Buka in 1943 | |
| Born | August 17, 1920 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | July 21, 2009 (aged 88) Reading, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1943–1987 |
| Spouse(s) | Irene Maskell Mitchell (1968-1968) (divorced) Joy Weber (1972-?) (1 child) Suzanne Sinaiko ((1993-1998) (her death)[1] |
| Children | 1 |
Donald Buka (August 17, 1920 – July 21, 2009) was an American supporting actor in radio, films, and television from 1943 to 1971.
Buka was born on August 17, 1920,[2] in Cleveland, Ohio.[3] When he was 17 years old, he went to Pittsburgh to study at Carnegie Tech.[4]
While he was at Carnegie Tech, aged 17, Buka read a scene for Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne in an otherwise-empty theater. They invited him to join their company immediately, and he accepted. He toured with them for three years.[4]
Buka had worked on a film for Howard Hughes for three days when Hughes offered him a seven-year contract and told the screenwriter to expand Buka's part for the scenes that had not yet been filmed. Buka agreed to the contract with the stipulation that he be allowed to act on stage during the nine months of the traditional theatrical season each year.[4]
After some early experience in the theater, he got his start in mass media by appearing on the CBS radio program Let's Pretend.[5]
He appeared in episodes of Dragnet, Ironside, Perry Mason and The High Chaparral.[citation needed]
Buka's Broadway debut came in Twelfth Night (1940).[2] He concluded his Broadway career in Design for Living (1984).[6]
Buka died on July 21, 2009,[2] in Reading, Massachusetts.[3]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Watch on the Rhine | Joshua | [citation needed] |
| 1948 | The Street with No Name | Shivvy | [citation needed] |
| 1950 | Between Midnight and Dawn | Ritchie Garris | |
| Vendetta | Padrino - the Bandit | ||
| 1951 | New Mexico | Pvt. Van Vechton | |
| 1953 | Stolen Identity | Toni Sponer | |
| 1960 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mental Patient at the door | Season 5 Episode 27: "The Cuckoo Clock" |
| 1961 | Operation Eichmann | David | |
| 1964 | Shock Treatment | Psychologist | |
| 1970 | The Great White Hope | Reporter | Uncredited |
| 1971 | A Memory of Two Mondays. | Mr. Eagle |
