Jeffrey Donovan

Donovan was born the middle of three boys to Nancy Matthews (1946–2010); his older brother was Michael Donovan (1965–2024) and his younger brother was Sean (1970-1987). Donovan’s mother raised her sons alone on welfare after their father abandoned the family. They moved several times before settling in Amesbury, Massachusetts.{{cite news |last=Buchanan |first=Jason |date=2013 |title=Jeffrey Donovan Biography |work=The New York Times |department=Movies & TV Dept. |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/person/199942/Jeffrey-Donovan/biography |url-status=dead |access-date=June 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921063054/https://movies.nytimes.com/person/199942/Jeffrey-Donovan/biography |archive-date=2013-09-21}}{{cite web |url=http://www.miami.com/jeffrey-donovan-039burns039-hot-article |title=Jeffrey Donovan 'Burns' hot |website=miami.com |first=Micaela |last=Hood |date=July 2, 2010 |access-date=2014-01-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004162034/http://www.miami.com/jeffrey-donovan-039burns039-hot-article |archive-date=October 4, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}Donovan, Jeffrey. [http://jeffreydonovanfans.com/2009/02/14/actor-jeffrey-donovan-feels-the-burn/ Interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630013945/http://jeffreydonovanfans.com/2009/02/14/actor-jeffrey-donovan-feels-the-burn/ |date=June 30, 2009 }}, February 18, 2009.

At Amesbury High School, Donovan was mentored by a teacher who helped him start a drama clubKing, Liz: "Actor's $100,000 pledge aimed at aspiring arts students." May 19, 2009. and find a private scholarship, enabling him to participate in a summer program that helped him start his acting career.Kichuk, Victoria, [http://hollywoodeastconnection.com/?tag=jeffrey-donovan "Jeffrey Donovan's Burning Desire to Give Back". May 30, 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313185050/http://hollywoodeastconnection.com/?tag=jeffrey-donovan |date=March 13, 2012 }} He attended Bridgewater State College before transferring to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in drama.

While attending college, Donovan was a commercial bus driver at UMass Transit Service, where he operated passenger buses as part of the PVTA.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}{{Cite web |title=Jeffrey Donovan |url=https://tv.apple.com/us/person/jeffrey-donovan/umc.cpc.5j5ftjyffm20hr3alkx80yw32 |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Apple TV |language=en-US}} He went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts from New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts.

Donovan has guest-starred in several television shows, including CSI: Miami, Spin City, Monk, Millennium, Witchblade, The Pretender, Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order. In the short-lived TV series Threshold, Donovan played the antihero Dr. Sloan. Donovan also played the recurring role of William Ivers in Crossing Jordan. In 2004, he had his first leading role in the American remake of the British television series Touching Evil with Vera Farmiga on the USA Network.

From 2007 to 2013, Donovan starred in Burn Notice, as Michael Westen, a spy who was burned, for reasons unknown to him, and marooned in Miami, Florida. The show follows Westen as he attempts to find out why he was burned and regain his job as a covert intelligence agent, in addition to bringing justice to the people of Miami. Donovan made his directorial debut with the series' episode, "Made Man" which first aired on June 17, 2010. Donovan 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. The series lasted for seven seasons, received positive reviews from both fans and critics, and was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards.

In 2015, Donovan had a recurring role on Fargo as North Dakota mobster Dodd Gerhardt. In 2016, he began starring as Tarot-reading con artist Charlie Haverford in Shut Eye on Hulu. On January 30, 2018, Shut Eye was canceled after two seasons.{{cite web|url=http://tvline.com/2018/01/30/shut-eye-cancelled-hulu-no-season-3-jeffrey-donovan/|title=Shut Eye Cancelled at Hulu|first=Dave|last=Nemetz|date=January 30, 2018|work=TVLine|access-date=February 11, 2018|archive-date=January 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131081033/http://tvline.com/2018/01/30/shut-eye-cancelled-hulu-no-season-3-jeffrey-donovan/|url-status=dead}}

In 2021, he was cast as a series regular detective for the 21st season of Law & Order.{{cite web |last1=Roots |first1=Kimberly |title=Law & Order Revival Casts Burn Notice's Jeffrey Donovan in Season 21 |url=https://tvline.com/2021/11/01/law-order-revival-casts-burn-notices-jeffrey-donovan-in-season-21/ |website=TVLine |access-date=November 1, 2021 |date=November 1, 2021}}

Donovan has also performed on stage in various productions, including Hamlet as the title character, 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 Malloy, Oedipus as Teiresias and Freedomland (play) as Seth. From October 2008 until spring 2009, he starred in the farce Don't Dress for Dinner in Chicago. Donovan has also performed in the radio dramas On the Waterfront (once again as Terry Malloy), Frozen, and Grapes of Wrath.

Donovan has over 20 years of martial arts experience. In college, he earned his black belt in Shotokan karate and competed throughout the state. Later, he studied aikido for over six years and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.{{cite magazine|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/06/28/burn-notice-jeffrey-donovan-can-bring-a-grown-man-to-his-knees/|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=2009-06-28|title=Jeffrey Donovan Fact: The 'Burn Notice' star can bring a grown man to his knees. For real.|author=Dan Snierson}}

On July 3, 2009, Donovan, a Boston Red Sox baseball fan since childhood, threw the ceremonial first pitch at the game between the Red Sox and the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park.D'Angelo, Tom [http://www.palmbeachpost.com/sports/content/sports/epaper/2009/06/07/0606_60seconds.html "60 Seconds with actor Jeffrey Donovan". Palm Beach Post.com] June 7, 2009 On July 3, 2010, he once again threw the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park, this time at a game between the Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles.{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2010/07/05/a_gown_for_a_brown|work=The Boston Globe|title=A gown for a Brown|date=July 5, 2010|first1=Mark|last1=Shanahan|first2=Meredith|last2=Goldstein}}

Donovan married model and actress Michelle Woods in 2012. Their daughter, Claire, was born that same year. Their son Lucas was born in 2014 and they had a third child, another daughter, in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://news.amomama.com/286861-jeffrey-donovan-michelle-woods-had-a-bab.html|title=Jeffrey Donovan & Michelle Woods Had a Baby Just after Their Wedding - Meet the 'Law & Order' Newcomer's 3 Children|date=February 22, 2022 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-moms/news/jeffrey-donovan-welcomes-baby-girl-20121812|title= Jeffrey Donovan and wife welcome baby girl.|date= December 18, 2012}} Usweekly December 18, 2012.

Retrieved January 17, 2016.

In 2009, Donovan returned to Amesbury High School where he took part in a career day mentorship program with other successful professionals and presented the school with a $100,000 arts scholarship program.{{cite news|last=King|first=Liz|url=http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x845861373/Actors-100-000-pledge-aimed-at-aspiring-arts-students|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402004936/http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x845861373/Actors-100-000-pledge-aimed-at-aspiring-arts-students|archive-date=2012-04-02|title=Actor's $100,000 pledge aimed at aspiring arts students|work=The Newburyport Daily News|date=May 19, 2009}} The first $10,000 award was given out to a senior that June.{{cite news|last=King|first=Liz|url=http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x845863199/AHS-senior-wins-first-10K-Donovan-scholarship|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120318232500/http://www.newburyportnews.com/local/x845863199/AHS-senior-wins-first-10K-Donovan-scholarship|archive-date=2012-03-18|title=Amesbury High School senior wins first $10K Donovan scholarship|work=The Newburyport Daily News|date=June 24, 2009}}

For many years, Donovan has actively supported 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 Theatre.{{Cite web |url=http://www.liferollson.org/site/pp.asp?c=egLLKTNJE&b=83333 |title=Night by the Ocean at the Kodak Theatre |access-date=July 21, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090815090857/http://www.liferollson.org/site/pp.asp?c=egLLKTNJE&b=83333 |archive-date=August 15, 2009 |url-status=dead }} Donovan was named Grand Marshal of the 22nd annual AIDS Walk Miami held on April 17, 2010.[http://forums.usanetwork.com/index.php?showtopic=442259 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 "Burn Notice walk-on part" plus a kiss. Walk-on parts usually raise $2,000–$5,000. With the added kiss, he raised $36,000.{{cite news|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20304786,00.html|work=People|title=Chance to Star on Burn Notice with Jeffrey Donovan Goes for $36,000 (and a Kiss)!|date=September 16, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090922212057/https://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20304786,00.html|archive-date=September 22, 2009}}

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Category:Living people

Category:20th-century American male actors

Category:21st-century American male actors

Category:American male film actors

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Category:American male voice actors

Category:American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu

Category:Bridgewater State University alumni

Category:Male actors from Massachusetts

Category:People from Amesbury, Massachusetts

Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni

Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst alumni

Category:1968 births