Donald Edward Saddler was an American choreographer, dancer, and theatre director.
11 Facts About Donald Saddler
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Donald Saddler spent his school vacations at the MGM studios, eventually dancing in the chorus of movie musicals such as The Great Ziegfeld, Rosalie, Broadway Melody of 1938, Babes in Arms, and The Wizard of Oz.
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Donald Saddler was an original member of the American Ballet Theatre, appearing in Giselle, Pillar of Fire, and Fancy Free before heading overseas to serve in World War II.
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In 1958, Donald Saddler won critical acclaim for his choreography for a Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival "dance drama" adaptation of Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, in which he performed.
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Donald Saddler has directed Together on Broadway: Mary Martin and Ethel Merman, George Abbott: Celebration, and I Hear Music of Frank Loesser and Friends, a concert featuring the composer's widow, Jo Sullivan.
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Donald Saddler won another Tony for his choreography of the 1971 revival of No, No, Nanette and earned other nominations and awards during his extensive career as a Broadway choreographer.
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Donald Saddler directed the 1988 Broadway reunion of prima ballerina Cynthia Gregory and danseur Fernando Bujones.
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In 2001, at the age of 81, Donald Saddler was featured in the Broadway revival of Follies, performing the adagio with fellow dance veteran Marge Champion.
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Champion and Donald Saddler remained friends after the production and became the subjects of a short film, Keep Dancing, about the two dancers leading meaningful lives at age 90.
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In 2004, Donald Saddler directed a staged reading of Only a Kingdom at The John Drew Theater of Guild Hall in East Hampton, NY.
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Donald Saddler died at the age of 96 on November 1,2014.