Richard Donat, the Canadian actor who came from a notable acting family to portray Vince Teagues on the supernatural TV series Haven, as well as voicing Deej Warrick in the animated Star Wars Ewoks series, has died aged 84.
A longtime resident of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Donat died March 28, his family announced.
His uncle was British star Robert Donat, who was known for his performances in such films as Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (1935) and, in an Oscar-winning role, Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939).
His older brother was Peter Donat, the stage veteran who appeared in two films for Francis Ford Coppola and played the father of Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files. He died in September 2018 at age 90.
Richard Donat portrayed Teagues, who worked as a sketch artist and editor at the small-town Haven Herald newspaper alongside his reporter brother, Dave (John Dunsworth), on all five seasons (2010-15) of Haven.
Loosely based on Stephen King’s 2005 novella The Colorado Kid, the series ran on Showcase in Canada and on Syfy in the U.S. and though set in Maine was filmed on the south shore of Nova Scotia, about a 45-minute drive from his home.
“I have always lived here and then this show comes along and suddenly your life is changed,” he said in 2012. “It is quite extraordinary really.”
Donat also was known for his turns on two other Canadian series, as Dr. Burnley on Emily of New Moon from 1998-2000 and as Colonel Boyle on the sitcom Blackfly in 2001-02.
On the big screen, he appeared in Tomorrow Never Comes (1978), My American Cousin (1985) — good for a Genie Award nomination — Kathryn Bigelow’s The Weight of Water (2000), The Event (2003) and Mira Nair’s Amelia (2009).
Survivors include his partner, Maggie Thomas; their sons, Owen and Morgan; and their grandchildren, Charlize, Nadia, Mira and Taran.
Team Jedi News send condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.
