Actor Don Ameche, who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1985, died December 6, 1993. He was 85.

Ameche was born May 31, 1908 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

While in college, he filled in for a missing cast member in a stage production in the late 1920’s entitled Excess Baggage, and became hooked on acting.

After college, he toured on the vaudeville circuit as a song and dance man, and then was a radio announcer for five years.

Ameche’s first film credit was Beauty at the World’s Fair in 1933, a movie featurette. He screen-tested for MGM, but was not signed to a contract. In 1935, he appeared in a minor role in the film Clive of India. As result, 20th Century Fox signed him to a seven-year contract.

Ameche played character roles for the next few years, until he landed lead roles in two successful movies, Alexander’s Rag Time Band in 1939, and his signature movie role in 1939’s The Alexander Graham Bell Story. It’s reported that Ameche and the telephone were so closely identified that for years after the movie was released, telephones were referred to as ameches.

His movie career stalled in the 1940’s. He then turned to radio and starred opposite Francis Langford in the popular program The Bickersons.

Ameche worked sporadically in television and appeared in small character roles in movies during the 1960’s and 70’s.

It wasn’t until 1983 that he experienced somewhat of a comeback in movies. He succeeded the ailing Ray Milland in Trading Places, which turned out to be a critical and popular success.

That performance was followed by his role in 1985’s Cocoon, directed by Ron Howard, which brought Ameche the most acclaim. For his performance as a senior citizen selected by aliens for immortality, he won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award.

Ameche died of cancer on December 6, 1993. He is buried in the Resurrection Catholic Cemetery in Dubuque, Iowa.