Jeffrey Donovan
| Jeffrey Donovan | |
|---|---|
 Donovan in November 2009 |
|
| Born | May 11, 1968 Amesbury, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1995–present |
Jeffrey Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is an American television, film and stage actor. He plays the lead Michael Westen on the American cable television series, Burn Notice. Notable starring roles in film include: Hitch, Believe in Me, Changeling, and Come Early Morning. He portrayed Robert F. Kennedy in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar (2011).[1]
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[edit] Early life
Donovan was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts and raised, along with two brothers, by their mother.[2] 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.[2] | ” |
At Amesbury High School, he was mentored by teacher Patty Hoyt. She aided him in starting a drama club[3] and then found him a private scholarship, enabling him "to participate in a summer program that helped pave the way for his acting career."[4] He attended Bridgewater State University before transferring to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he graduated with a BA in theatre. He went on to earn his MFA from New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts.
[edit] Career
[edit] Television
Donovan has appeared in CSI: Miami, Spin City, Monk, Witchblade, The Pretender, Homicide: Life on the Street, and Law & Order. In the short-lived TV series Threshold, Donovan portrayed the antihero Dr. Sloan. In Crossing Jordan he was cast in the recurring role of William Ivers
In 2004, he received his first leading role in the American remake of the British television series Touching Evil opposite Vera Farmiga on the USA Network. Since 2007, he has starred as the lead in Burn Notice, Michael Westen, a spy who was cast off and now is trying to return to his prior spy career. Donovan made his directorial debut directing the Burn Notice episode, "Made Man", which first aired on June 17, 2010. He also directed a prequel film starring co-star Bruce Campbell, titled Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe, which first aired on USA Network on April 17, 2011.
[edit] Theatre
Donovan has also performed on the stage including the eponymous role Hamlet, 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, regionally in 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 comedy farce Don't Dress for Dinner in Chicago. Also performances on the radio: On the Waterfront as Terry, Frozen and Grapes of Wrath.
[edit] Personal life
He has over twenty years of martial arts experience. In college the actor competed and earned his black belt in karate. Since then he has also studied aikido for over six years and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.[5][6]
On July 3, 2009, Donovan, a Red Sox fan who first visited Fenway as a child, threw the ceremonial first pitch at the baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park. [7] On July 3, 2010, Donovan once again threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park, this time between the Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.[8]
On July 12, 2009 Donovan was arrested in Miami for allegedly driving under the influence; two years later Donovan and Miami prosecutors reached a plea deal for reckless driving.[9]
[edit] Philanthropy
Donovan has been involved in various types of community outreach.[10] In 2009 he returned to Amesbury High School 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.[11] The first $10,000 award was given out to a senior in June.[12] Donovan has also been active in supporting Life Rolls On (LRO), a foundation empowering people with spinal cord injuries. On October 4, 2009 he served as one of the chairmen for the 6th Annual LRO annual fundraiser called Night by the Ocean at the Kodak Theater. Donovan was named Grand Marshal of the 22nd annual AIDS Walk Miami held on April 17, 2010.
Donovan also supports his friends' charity events. In September 2009, while helping Michael Bolton at the 17th Annual Benefit Concert for Women and Children at Risk in Stamford, Connecticut, Donovan auctioned off a kiss and a Burn Notice walk on part for $36,000.[13]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Throwing Down | Pete Gulley | |
| Homicide: Life on the Street | Miles Dell & Newton Dell | TV Series. | |
| Law & Order | Edward Nicodos | TV Series. Also appears in 2nd episode in 2007 (see below). | |
| 1996 | Sleepers | Henry Addison | |
| Critical Choices | Randy | TV Series. | |
| 1997 | Millennium | Bobby Webber | TV Series. |
| Vegas Vacation | Hotel employee | ||
| Catherine's Grove | Thomas Mason | ||
| Another World | Dwayne 'Popper' Collins | TV Series. | |
| The Pretender | Kyle | TV Series. | |
| 1998 | Witness to the Mob | Agent No. 1 | TV Movie. |
| When Trumpets Fade | Bobby | TV Movie. | |
| 1999 | Spin City | Tom | Played in 2 episodes. "The Mayor May Not" and "These Shoes Were Made for Cheatin'" |
| 2000 | The Beat | Brad Ulrich | TV Series |
| Bait | Julio | aka Piégé (Canada: French title) | |
| Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 | Jeffrey Patterson | ||
| 2002 | Purpose | Robert Jennings | |
| Witchblade | Daniel Germaine | TV Series | |
| 2003 | Final Draft | Pascal | |
| Sam & Joe | Eric | ||
| 2004 | Touching Evil | Detective Inspector Dave Creegan | TV Series. Appeared in 12 episodes. |
| 2005 | Hitch | Vance Munson | |
| CSI: Miami | Todd Kendrick | TV Series. Appeared in 2 episodes. | |
| 2006 | Enemies | TV Series. | |
| Come Early Morning | Cal Percell | ||
| Threshold | Dr. Julian Sloan | TV Series. Appeared in 2 episodes. | |
| Yes, Dear | Fan No. 2 | TV Series | |
| Believe in Me | Clay Driscoll | ||
| Monk | Steve Wagner | TV Series. Appeared in 1 episode. | |
| 2007 | Crossing Jordan | William Ivers | TV Series. Appeared in 5 episodes. |
| Burn Notice | Michael Westen | TV Series, Main Character, directed season four episode "Made Man" | |
| Law & Order | Jacob Reese | TV Series. Also appeared in another episode in 1995 (see above). | |
| 2008 | Hindsight | Paul | |
| Changeling | Captain J.J. Jones | ||
| 2011 | J. Edgar | Robert F. Kennedy | |
| Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe | Michael Westen | Cameo, Feature-length directorial debut, and Executive Producer | |
| 2012 | The Vow | Enzo |
[edit] References
- ^ Jeffrey Donovan to play Robert F. Kennedy in Clint Eastwood film
- ^ a b Donovan, Jeffrey. Interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, February 18, 2009.
- ^ King, Liz: "Actor's $100,000 pledge aimed at aspiring arts students." May 19, 2009.
- ^ Kichuk, Victoria, "Jeffrey Donovan's Burning Desire to Give Back". May 30, 2009
- ^ Jeffrey Donovan IMDb profile
- ^ Shanahan, Mark & Meredith Goldstein "From Fenway to the fairway". July 6, 2009
- ^ D'Angelo, Tom "60 Seconds with actor Jeffrey Donovan". Palm Beach Post.com June 7, 2009
- ^ Shanahan, Mark; Goldstein, Meredith (July 5, 2010). "A gown for a Brown". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2010/07/05/a_gown_for_a_brown.
- ^ http://www.tmz.com/2011/02/02/burn-notice-jeffrey-donovan-dui-reckless-driving-miami-arrested-convicted
- ^ Kichuk, Victoria "Jeffrey Donovan's Burning Desire to Give Back", May 30, 2009
- ^ King, Liz "Actor's $100,000 pledge aimed at aspiring arts students", The Newburyport Daily News. May 19, 2009
- ^ King, Liz Amesbury High School senior wins first $10K Donovan scholarship", The Newburyport Daily News. June 24, 2009
- ^ "Chance to Star on Burn Notice with Jeffrey Donovan Goes for $36,000 (and a Kiss)!". People. September 16, 2009. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20304786,00.html.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jeffrey Donovan |
