born April 13, 1924, Columbia, S.C., U.S.
U.S. film director and choreographer.
He began his career in the stage chorus of Pal Joey (1940), where he met Gene Kelly . He and Kelly choreographed Best Foot Forward (1941; film, 1943) and other musicals, and the two codirected On the Town (1949) and the acclaimed Singin' in the Rain (1952). Both films showed off Donen's skill at intensifying a sense of fantasy and served to reenergize the musical film genre. He later directed and produced films such as The Pajama Game (1957), Funny Face (1957), and Damn Yankees (1958). He also branched into nonmusical films such as Charade (1963) and Two for the Road (1967).