John Donahue (December 29, 1888 – October 1, 1930) was an American dancer, comedian, and musical theatre actor who worked in vaudeville, films, and on Broadway.

Donahue appeared on his own in a comic role on Broadway in The Woman Haters in 1912, and again, after Stewart had retired from the stage, at the prestigious Palace Theatre in New York in 1915.

[1][2][3] While continuing to perform in vaudeville, Donahue became a star on the Broadway stage in the 1920s, appearing in such shows as Angel Face (1919), the Ziegfeld Follies of 1920, Molly Darling (1922), Sunny (1925), and Rosalie (1928).

In late 1929, he starred as the main character in the show Sons O' Guns to which he also co-wrote the lyrics with Alfred Swanstrom.

[5] The 1949 film Look for the Silver Lining, in which Donahue was played by Ray Bolger, was loosely based on his life and that of Marilyn Miller.