Diamond Donner


Diamond Donner was an early 20th-century theatre actor.

Personal life

From Boston, Diamond Donner was the daughter of Gustav Theodore and Louella Donner. She was a 1901 alumnus of Wellesley College. In August 1906, Donner had her mother committed to Ardendale Sanitarium in Cos Cob, Connecticut; when the older woman escaped on September 6 and was not recommitted, Donner traveled to Greenwich, Connecticut on September 10 to request adjudication on the matter.

Career

An aspiring stage actor since childhood, after graduating from Wellesley, she began her acting career as a chorus girl in The Prince of Pilsen. According to The Minneapolis Journal, Donner looked so much like the famous actor Ethel Barrymore, she was frequently called the other woman's name. In 1913, Donner's performance of Mimi in Carmen was described as one of the most significant triumphs of the season by the Daily Sentinel.
YearTitleRoleLocationCitation
-The Prince of PilsenChorus girlBoston, the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, and on tour
The Girl from DixieMadison Square Theatre in New York City
The Man from ChinaJanet GramercyMajestic Theatre in New York City
Lifting the LidNew Amsterdam Aerial Theatre and Gardens in New York City
Humpty DumptyNew York Theatre in New York City
The District LeaderWallack's Theatre in New York City
The Maestro's MasterpieceColumbia Theater in Washington, D.C.
-CarmenMimi and MicaelaBoston Opera House