- Directed the video for Lionel Richie's song, "Dancing on the Ceiling", because of his experience directing Fred Astaire's dancing on the ceiling routine, from the movie, Royal Wedding (1951).
- His first wife Jeanne Coyne later married Gene Kelly; his second wife Marion Marshall was a former girlfriend of the director Howard Hawks and later married the actor Robert Wagner; his third wife Adelle, Countess Beatty was the second wife of the 2nd Earl Beatty and his fourth wife Yvette Mimieux was a successful actress.
- He has sons named Peter and Joshua, and the name "Peter Joshua" gets used in his movie "Charade", although it's not clear if this is a reference to his sons.
- His classic film, Singin' in the Rain (1952), was adapted for a musical in the West End and was awarded Outstanding Musical Production in 2001 (2000 season) at the Laurence Olivier Theatre Awards.
- Was dubbed "The King of the Hollywood Musical" by David Quinlan.
- Long time life partner of Elaine May.
- He has directed four films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant: On the Town (1949), Singin' in the Rain (1952), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Charade (1963).
- Father of Peter Donen, Joshua Donen and Mark Donen.
- Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1969 and 1984.
- Biography in: John Wakeman, editor. "World Film Directors, Volume Two, 1945-1985." Pages 273-282. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 1988.
- Born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Helen Pauline (Cohen) and Mordecai Moses Donen. His paternal grandparents were Russian Jews, and his mother's family were Jewish emigrants from England and Germany.
- Profiled in "American Classic Screen Interviews" (Scarecrow Press). (2010)
- Was apparently something of an Anglophile and jumped at any chance to visit the UK whether it be to direct a movie or simply an invite to be interviewed by the UK media.
- Co wrote and co directed Take me Out to the Ball Game with Gene Kelly.
- Norman Krasner wrote the play Kind Sir which was a flop he then gave it to director Stanley Donen and together they turned it into a script for Indiscreet which was then given to Cary Grant who said he'd only do it if they would get Ingrid Bergman as his co star,.
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