Jeffrey Donovan

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Jeffrey Donovan
Donovan in November 2009
Born	Jeffrey T. Donovan May 11, 1968 (1968-05-11) (age 41) Amesbury, Massachusetts

Jeffrey T. Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is a television, movie and stage actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of lead character Michael Westen on the USA Network action comedy Burn Notice.

Contents 1 Career 1.1 Films 1.2 Television 1.3 Theater 2 Personal life 3 Philanthropy 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Career

Jeffrey Donovan stars on the hit series Burn Notice and also on the big screen, including in Clint Eastwood's film Changeling with Angelina Jolie.

On Burn Notice Donovan plays Michael Westen, a spy who was burned, cast away, and now is trying to return to his prior spy career. Currently in its 3rd Season on the USA network, Burn Notice is the most popular program on cable^[1][2] and consistently beats the network competition.^[1][3]

[edit] Films

After earning his MFA, Jeffrey Donovan made his film debut in Inside Out. His next film, Throwing Down, took the top jury prize at The Hamptons Film Festival. Donovan also played Jeffrey Patterson in Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2. In recent years he has acted in motion pictures with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. In 2005 Jeffrey Donovan appeared in the romantic comedy Hitch with Will Smith and Kevin James where he played the foil as the jerky lawyer. The following year he starred opposite Ashley Judd as the romantic lead Cal in Come Early Morning. Also in 2006, he starred in the film Believe in Me, where he played the coach of a women's basketball team from Middleton, Oklahoma. In Changeling, directed by Clint Eastwood and released late 2008, Donovan played opposite Angelina Jolie as the condescending captain J.J. Jones who hid L.A. Police corruption and ignored female pleas during the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders in 1928.^[4] Jeffrey was also in When Trumpets Fade.

[edit] Television

Over the years, Donovan has guest starred on many of television's most popular programs including CSI: Miami, Spin City, Monk, Witchblade, The Pretender, Homicide: Life on the Street, Sleepers, and Law & Order. In the short-lived TV series Threshold, Donovan played the villainous Dr. Sloan. On the hit series Crossing Jordan he played the recurring role of William Ivers. He has also been in made-for-television movies.

In 2004 he landed his first leading role in the drama Touching Evil with Vera Farmiga on the USA Network. Since 2007 he has starred as the lead on the hit series Burn Notice with Gabrielle Anwar, Bruce Campbell, and Sharon Gless.

[edit] Theater

Donovan has also performed on the stage. Some of his performances include Hamlet as the title role, A View from the Bridge as Marco, An Inspector Calls and Off-Broadway in Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight as Gene, The Glory of Living as Clint, Toys in the Attic as Julian Berniers, On the Waterfront as Terry, Oedipus as Teiresias and Freedomland as Seth. From October 2008 until spring 2009, Jeffrey starred in the naughty comedy farce Don't Dress for Dinner in Chicago.

[edit] Personal life

Donovan was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and raised, along with his two brothers, by their mother.^[5] Of his childhood, Donovan recalled:

“

I grew up really poor. We grew up on welfare — a single mom with three boys. We didn’t have anything. Christmas would come around, she’d rewrap gifts she’d given us before. We moved about 10 times in my childhood. When you come home from school and the lights don’t go on, you think: We’re moving! You can’t pay electric bills on welfare. We became very frugal.[5]

”

At Amesbury High School, he was mentored by teacher Patty Hoyt. She aided him in starting a drama club ^[6] and then found him a private scholarship, enabling him "to participate in a summer program that helped pave the way for his acting career."^[7] Donovan went to college at Bridgewater State College, then transferred to and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He then went on to earn an M.F.A. degree from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.^[8]

In California, Donovan owns a home in a rural area overlooking the 11,000-acre Topanga State Park. It is entirely electric and will be completely solarized by the end of 2009, due to the actor's strong belief in the importance of 'green living'.^[9] He also resides in Florida where Burn Notice is filmed six months of the year.

Donovan was accompanied by Kathryn Kovarik during the touring premiere for Changeling in 2008. Currently he is dating Moon Bloodgood who has a recurring role as Detective Paxson during the third season of Burn Notice.^[10]

On July 3, 2009 Donovan threw the ceremonial first pitch at the baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park in Boston. ^[11] A huge Sox fan, who first visited Fenway as a child, Donovan saw this dream fulfilled.^[12]

Donovan was arrested on July 12, 2009, in Miami Beach, Florida on suspicion of drunk driving. He was released on a $1,000 bond a few hours later.^[13]

[edit] Philanthropy

Donovan has been involved in various types of community outreach.^[14] In the spring of 2009 he returned to his old high school in Amesbury where he took part in a career day mentorship program with other successful professionals and then presented the school with a $100,000 arts scholarship program. ^[15] The first $10,000 award was given out to a senior in June.^[16] Donovan has also been active in supporting Life Rolls On (LRO), a foundation empowering people with spinal cord injuries. On October 4, 2009 he will serve as one of the chairmen for LRO's annual fundraiser called Night by the Ocean at the Kodak Theater. ^[17]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jeffrey Donovan at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jeffrey Donovan at the Internet Movie Database