Jeffrey Donovan American TV Actor

Jeffrey T. Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is an American television actor. Amesbury, Massachusetts, USA.
Career milestones, job, education and family.

Career

After earning his MFA, 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. Since then, Donovan has been seen in television show guest appearances, such as Homicide: Life on the Street, The Pretender, Spin City, Witchblade, Monk, CSI: Miami, and Law & Order. He has also been in made-for-television movies and the lead in the cancelled USA Network television drama series Touching Evil (also starring Vera Farmiga). A role as the villainous Dr. Sloan in the short-lived TV series Threshold followed. He has also had roles in several major motion pictures. Donovan appeared in the 2005 romantic comedy Hitch starring Will Smith and Kevin James. He also starred as Cal in the 2006 film Come Early Morning opposite Ashley Judd. Also in 2006, he starred in the film Believe in Me, in which he played the coach of a women's basketball team from Middleton, Oklahoma.



Donovan was cast as a supporting role in the hit series Crossing Jordan as William Ivers. He is currently starring in Burn Notice on the USA Network as Michael Westen, a secret agent who has been burned and cast away from the government, and is trying to find who burned him and get back his life.

Donovan also performed in many various stage productions such as A View from the Bridge as Marco, An Inspector Calls and Off-Broadway in Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight as Gene, Hamlet as the title role, 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.



Donovan last starred in the movie Changeling which was released to U.S. theaters in October 2008. In the film (directed by Clint Eastwood), he stars opposite Angelina Jolie as corrupt police captain J.J. Jones who hid L.A. Police corruption during the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders in 1928.

Personal Life

Donovan was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and raised, along with his two brothers, by their mother, a single mom. 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.

”

Donovan went to college at 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.



Donovan owns a home in California, 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'.Donovan also drives a hybrid Toyota Camry.

Donovan was accompanied by Kathryn Kovarik during the touring premiere for Changeling throughout 2008.