Don Ameche Autographs, Memorabilia & Collectibles

Don Ameche was born on May 31, 1908, in Kenosha, Wisconsin and he was an American actor and radio personality.

He attended Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin before pursuing acting professionally in the late 1920s. Ameche gained early recognition in the 1930s at 20th Century-Fox, where he appeared in romantic comedies and biographical films. He portrayed Alexander Graham Bell in The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939), a performance that contributed to the use of "Ameche" as a slang term for telephone. Other notable films from this era include In Old Chicago (1937), Heaven Can Wait (1943), and Swanee River (1939), in which he played Stephen Foster. During the 1940s, he co-starred with Frances Langford in The Bickersons, a popular radio comedy series. He also made appearances in wartime morale-boosting productions but saw a decline in his film roles by the 1950s. Ameche transitioned to stage and television work, performing in theater productions and guest-starring on various programs.

In the 1980s, Ameche experienced a career resurgence. He co-starred with Ralph Bellamy in Trading Places (1983) and appeared in Ron Howard’s Cocoon (1985), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He reprised his role in Cocoon: The Return (1988) and acted in Coming to America (1988), reuniting with Bellamy. His final screen performances included Things Change (1988), directed by David Mamet, and Corrina, Corrina (released posthumously in 1994).