Martin Donovan: biography, filmography, personal life

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

Martin Donovan began his career in New York. Since then, he has been known for his work in numerous theatrical productions, as well as in more than eighty feature films and television shows. In 2011, he became known as a screenwriter and film director. Martin Donovan is the recipient of several awards and prizes.

Biography

August 19, 1957, American actor, director and screenwriter Martin Donovan was born. Brief biography of him below. Real name is Smith. He was born in Reseda, California. His parents are middle class and Martin Donovan is one of their four children. Parents gave their son a Catholic upbringing.

The young actor's first stage job was in the school musical play Goodbye Birdie.

As an adult, Martin Donovan attended Pierce College, Los Angeles, for a couple of years. After that, he simultaneously studied at the theater conservatory and performed in a theater company. Played in two productions: The Private Life of the Master Race by Brecht and Richard'sCork Leg based on a play by Irish writer Bian Brandon.

In 1983, Martin Donovan moved to New York with his wife. He wants to start a career as a film actor. At first, in anticipation of invitations to auditions, Martin had to do odd jobs. It is known that he worked as a drapery installer to provide for his young family.

Later he becomes a member of the acting troupe of the Theater Cacaracha.

Selected filmography

To start his creative career, Martin Smith changed his last name to a rarer one and became known as Martin Donovan. Films with his participation were released regularly, although he is more known as a supporting actor.

"Portrait of a Lady" (1996) - adaptation of the book of the same name by American writer Henry James. The film tells about the difficult fate of a young girl Isabelle Archer. She finds herself at the center of manipulations and intrigues deployed by influential people. In this drama, Martin Donovan played the role of Ralph Tachita, a fan of the main character. For his work, the actor received the National Society of Film Critics Award in the Best Supporting Actor nomination, and the film itself won the best picture at the Venice Film Festival in 1996.

Pasadena (2001) is an underrated drama detective series. In the center of the story is the richest family in Pasadena, the McAlisters. The main character Lily, the heiress of the family, lived a wonderful and serene life until a brutal murder occurred in their house. Wanting to get to the bottom of the truth, girllearns many dark secrets of his family. Martin Donovan played the role of the father of the main character, Will McAllister.

"Weeds" (2005) - a series that tells about the everyday life of a simple American housewife. She is busy raising two difficult teenage children. Being a widow and unable to provide for her family, the main character decides to take up an unusual business for herself - drug trafficking. Things are going surprisingly well, and the new dealer's customers are friends and neighbors. Black humor and a tense dramatic plot made the series one of the most commercially successful among Showtime's projects. Martin Donovan played the role of Peter Scottson, a DEA agent. As a member of the cast, Donovan was nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Comedy Series.

Ghosts in Connecticut (2009) is a horror film directed by Peter Cornwell that is partly based on a true story. Martin Donovan plays one of the members of a family forced to move closer to the hospital where their son Matt is. The family spends a lot of money on hopeless treatment, and in the meantime, something mysterious and even sinister begins to happen in the new house. The family is forced to turn to the priest for help.

"Onegin" (1999) - the famous English adaptation of the novel in verse. The film is a loose retelling of the plot of the novel. The main characters speak in prose, and the verse form is used only in letters. Martin Donovan played the role of the princeNikitin, husband of Tatyana and cousin of Eugene Onegin.

Direction and screenwriting

In 2011, Martin Donovan made his debut as a director and screenwriter. His first work was the film "Employee". The work tells about the difficult days of the playwright Robert Langfellow. In his family life, discord, a creative crisis does not allow him to write. The last work was crushed by critics. He cannot write anything worthy. The protagonist sinks deeper and deeper into despair, and at this moment a new person bursts into his life. A neighbor named Gus.

Private life

In 1984, Martin Donovan married Vivian Lanko, a young actress. The couple have two sons. The family currently lives in Vancouver, Canada.

Conclusion

Martin Donovan has not played many prominent roles in his life, but he approaches each of his work with care and attention. Now the actor has retired to devote himself more to his family and children.