Donat had a long career playing character roles mainly on television, though he had roles in films such as
Tomorrow Never Comes (1978),
City on Fire (1979),
Gas (1981),
Draw! (1984),
My American Cousin (1985),
Samuel Lount (1985),
American Boyfriends (1989),
The Weight of Water (2000),
The Event (2003) and
Amelia (2009). He also narrated several documentaries, including a number of
Nova episodes. Among his television appearances, Donat was Doctor Burnley in the Canadian series
Emily of New Moon from 1998 to 2000. He played Colonel Boyle, the fort commander in the Canadian comedy series
Blackfly for its two seasons, 2001–2002. Between 2010 and 2015 he played Vince Teagues, one of the editors of the local newspaper in the town of Haven from the TV series of the same name. Although Haven is supposed to be in Maine, the series is filmed in Nova Scotia where Donat hails from. In 1984, Donat won a
Dora Mavor Moore Award for "Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Leading Role" for his work in
Brecht's
In the Jungle of Cities. In 2007, he won a
Merritt Award for "Outstanding Performance – Supporting Actor" for his role in Sam Shepard's
Fool For Love. He was also a director and won the Mecca Award in 2004 for his direction of
The Drawer Boy. Donat died on March 28, 2026, at the age of 84. == Filmography ==