Donald Crisp was born George William Crisp at the family home in Bow, London. Donald's parents were James Crisp and Elizabeth Crisp, his birth was registered by his mother on 4th September 1882. Donald's sisters were Elizabeth, Ann, Alice (known as Louisa) and Eliza and his brothers were James, John and Mark. Family memories state that Donald's brother-in-law James Needham (Louisa's husband) lent/gave Donald the fare to USA. The family have a photo of Donald which he sent to 'Jimmy' and signed. On 16th February 1937 Donald applied for a US Social Security account number giving his address as N Vista Street Hollywood California, and his employers Warner Brothers Pictures, Burbank California. On his application Donald did not know his mother's maiden name.
| Movie | Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage | Himself (archive footage) | 1983-02-25 |
| Movie | Spencer's Mountain | Grandpa Spencer | 1963-05-16 |
| Movie | Greyfriars Bobby | James Brown | 1961-07-17 |
| Movie | Pollyanna | Mayor Karl Warren | 1960-05-19 |
| Movie | A Dog of Flanders | Jehan Daas | 1959-03-17 |
| Movie | The Last Hurrah | Cardinal Martin Burke | 1958-12-31 |
| Movie | Saddle the Wind | Dennis Deneen | 1958-03-20 |
| Movie | Drango | Judge Allen | 1957-01-01 |
| Movie | The Long Gray Line | Old Martin | 1955-01-04 |
| Movie | The Man from Laramie | Alec Waggoman | 1955-08-19 |
| Movie | A Star Is Born World Premiere | 1954-09-28 | |
| Movie | Prince Valiant | King Aguar | 1954-04-05 |
| Series | This Is Your Life | Unknown | 1952-10-01 |
| Movie | Home Town Story | John MacFarland | 1951-05-18 |
| Movie | Bright Leaf | Major Singleton | 1950-06-16 |
| Movie | Challenge to Lassie | 'Jock' Gray | 1949-10-31 |
| Movie | Hills of Home | Drumsheugh | 1948-11-25 |
| Movie | Whispering Smith | Barney Rebstock | 1948-12-09 |
| Movie | Ramrod | Jim Crew | 1947-05-02 |
| Movie | National Velvet | Herbert Brown | 1945-01-26 |
| Movie | Son of Lassie | Sam Carraclough | 1945-04-20 |
| Movie | The Valley of Decision | William Scott | 1945-05-03 |
| Movie | The Uninvited | Commander Beech | 1944-02-24 |
| Movie | The Adventures of Mark Twain | J.B. Pond | 1944-07-20 |
| Movie | Forever and a Day | Captain Martin | 1943-01-21 |
| Movie | Lassie Come Home | Sam Carraclough | 1943-12-01 |
| Movie | The Gay Sisters | Ralph Pedloch | 1942-08-01 |
| Movie | The Battle of Midway | Narrator | 1942-09-14 |
| Movie | Shining Victory | Dr. Drewett | 1941-05-30 |
| Movie | How Green Was My Valley | Mr. Morgan | 1941-10-28 |
| Movie | Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde | Sir Charles Emery | 1941-08-12 |
| Movie | Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet | Minister Althoff | 1940-02-23 |
| Movie | Brother Orchid | Brother Superior | 1940-06-07 |
| Movie | Knute Rockne All American | Father John Callahan, C.S.C | 1940-10-05 |
| Movie | City for Conquest | Scotty MacPherson | 1940-09-21 |
| Movie | The Sea Hawk | Admiral Sir John Burleson | 1940-08-10 |
| Movie | Wuthering Heights | Dr. Kenneth | 1939-04-07 |
| Movie | The Oklahoma Kid | Judge Hardwick | 1939-03-11 |
| Movie | Sons of Liberty | Alexander McDougall | 1939-05-20 |
| Movie | Juarez | Maréchal Bazaine | 1939-06-10 |
| Movie | The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex | Francis Bacon | 1939-11-11 |
| Movie | The Old Maid | Doctor Lanskell | 1939-08-16 |
| Movie | Daughters Courageous | Samuel 'Sam' Sloane | 1939-06-23 |
| Movie | Jezebel | Dr. Livingstone | 1938-03-26 |
| Movie | Sergeant Murphy | Col. Todd Carruthers | 1938-01-01 |
| Movie | The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse | Police Inspector Lewis Lane | 1938-07-20 |
| Movie | The Beloved Brat | Mr. Morgan | 1938-04-30 |
| Movie | Valley of the Giants | Andy Stone | 1938-09-17 |
| Movie | The Dawn Patrol | Phipps | 1938-12-24 |
| Movie | Comet Over Broadway | Grant | 1938-12-03 |
| Movie | The Sisters | Tim Hazelton | 1938-10-14 |
| Movie | The Great O'Malley | Police Captain Cromwell | 1937-02-13 |
| Movie | Confession | Presiding Judge | 1937-08-19 |
| Movie | Parnell | Michael Davitt | 1937-06-04 |
| Movie | That Certain Woman | Jack V. Merrick Sr. | 1937-08-30 |
| Movie | The Life of Emile Zola | Maitre Labori | 1937-09-09 |
| Movie | Mary of Scotland | Huntly | 1936-07-28 |
| Movie | The White Angel | Dr. Hunt | 1936-06-25 |
| Movie | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Colonel Campbell | 1936-10-20 |
| Movie | A Woman Rebels | Judge Byron Thistlewaite | 1936-11-06 |
| Movie | Beloved Enemy | Liam Burke | 1936-12-25 |
| Movie | Vanessa: Her Love Story | George | 1935-03-01 |
| Movie | Laddie | Mr. Pryor | 1935-03-18 |
| Movie | Mutiny on the Bounty | Thomas Burkitt | 1935-11-22 |
| Movie | Oil for the Lamps of China | Mr. McCarger | 1935-06-08 |
| Movie | The Crime Doctor | Mr. Anthony, District Attorney | 1934-03-14 |
| Movie | The Key | Peadar Conlan | 1934-06-09 |
| Movie | The Life of Vergie Winters | Mike Davey | 1934-06-14 |
| Movie | The Little Minister | Docteur McQueen | 1934-12-28 |
| Movie | What Every Woman Knows | David Wylie | 1934-10-18 |
| Movie | Broadway Bad | Darrall | 1933-02-24 |
| Movie | Hamlet, Act I: Scenes IV and V | Marcellus | 1933-04-04 |
| Movie | Red Dust | Guidon | 1932-10-22 |
| Movie | A Passport to Hell | Sgt. Snyder | 1932-08-25 |
| Movie | Svengali | The Laird | 1931-05-20 |
| Movie | Kick In | Garvey | 1931-05-22 |
| Movie | Scotland Yard | Charles Fox | 1930-10-19 |
| Movie | The Pagan | Roger Slater | 1929-04-26 |
| Movie | Trent's Last Case | Sigsbee Manderson | 1929-03-31 |
| Movie | The Return of Sherlock Holmes | Colonel Moran | 1929-10-26 |
| Movie | Stand and Deliver | London Club Member (uncredited) | 1928-02-18 |
| Movie | The Viking | Leif Ericsson | 1928-11-02 |
| Movie | The Black Pirate | MacTavish | 1926-03-08 |
| Movie | Don Q Son of Zorro | Don Sebastian | 1925-06-15 |
| Movie | The Bonnie Brier Bush | Lachlan Campbell | 1921-11-27 |
| Movie | Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl | Battling Burrows | 1919-05-13 |
| Movie | Ramona | Jim Farrar | 1916-04-05 |
| Movie | Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages | Extra (uncredited) | 1916-09-04 |
| Movie | The Birth of a Nation | Ulysses S. Grant | 1915-03-08 |
| Movie | May Blossom | Steve Harland | 1915-04-15 |
| Movie | A Girl of Yesterday | A.H. Monroe | 1915-10-07 |
| Movie | Home, Sweet Home | The Mother's Son | 1914-05-16 |
| Movie | The Escape | 'Bull' McGee | 1914-06-01 |
| Movie | The Battle of the Sexes | Frank Andrews | 1914-04-12 |
| Movie | Their First Acquaintance | 1914-06-16 | |
| Movie | The Mountain Rat | Steve | 1914-05-01 |
| Movie | Another Chance | The Tramp | 1914-11-24 |
| Movie | Over the Ledge | 1914-12-12 | |
| Movie | The Avenging Conscience | - | 1914-08-02 |
| Movie | The Sisters | 1914-11-29 | |
| Movie | Her Mother's Necklace | The Burglar | 1914-08-16 |
| Movie | The Tavern of Tragedy | Bob Jameson - the Spy | 1914-08-09 |
| Movie | Pirate Gold | 1913-01-13 | |
| Movie | Olaf—An Atom | The Beggar | 1913-05-19 |
| Movie | Black and White | 1913-08-27 | |
| Movie | The Blue or the Gray | Southern Rival | 1913-11-29 |
| Movie | The Musketeers of Pig Alley | Rival Gang Member (uncredited) | 1912-10-31 |
| Movie | Heart Beats of Long Ago | Courtier | 1911-02-06 |
| Movie | What Shall We Do with Our Old? | 1911-02-13 | |
| Movie | The Italian Barber | At Ball | 1911-01-09 |
| Movie | The Two Paths | Footman | 1911-01-02 |
| Movie | The Primal Call | 1911-06-21 | |
| Movie | Fate's Turning | The Valet | 1911-01-22 |
| Movie | The Long Road | A Servant / The Landlord | 1911-10-26 |
| Movie | Swords and Hearts | At Frazier House/Bushwacker (uncredited) | 1911-08-27 |
| Movie | The Failure | Bank Employee | 1911-12-07 |
| Movie | The Battle | A Union soldier | 1911-11-06 |
| Movie | The Miser's Heart | Unknown | 1911-11-20 |
| Movie | The Adventures of Billy | First Tramp | 1911-10-18 |
| Movie | The Making of a Man | Actor / Backstage | 1911-10-04 |
| Movie | Sunshine Sue | Head of the Sweatshop | 1910-11-14 |
| Movie | Winning Back His Love | At Stage Door | 1910-12-25 |
| Movie | The Golden Supper | Courtier/Monk | 1910-12-12 |
| Movie | Through the Breakers | At the Club | 1909-12-06 |