Jason Donovan
Born into a show business family in Melbourne, Australia on 1st June 1968, Jason Donovan’s boyish good looks and natural talent soon saw him becoming a leading light on Australian television, featuring in such acclaimed productions as “I Can Jump Puddles”, “Skyways” and “Golden Pennies”.
He first came to the attention of a UK audience when he took a leading role as Scott Robinson in the hugely successful primetime soap “Neighbours”. It was to make him an international star. His four years in the part saw him take nearly every major Australian award, including Most Popular Actor and Best New Talent. The series was to become one of the highest rating shows in the UK.
In 1988, Jason embarked on a recording career that was to make him one of the most successful artists in British history. With chart-topping hits such as “Too Many Broken Hearts” and “Sealed with a Kiss”, along with the Kylie duet “Especially For You”. His debut album “Ten Good Reasons” entered the UK charts at No 2, achieving Platinum status.
By the following year, Jason had rewritten the history books. With the release of his second album “Between The Lines”, he became 1989’s biggest selling artist throughout the UK and Europe.
The Jason Donovan concert tours, including the PWL Roadshow on which he headlined, sparked scenes reminiscent of Beatlemania. His sell-out shows played to thousands throughout the UK and most of Europe before heading to South East Asia to perform in front of hordes of fans there.
The success continued through 1989/90, world sales continued to break all records, going on to sell a staggering 13 million albums.
During this time Jason was taking his first steps towards an impressive career in film, with his first role as “Private Talbot” in “Blood Oath” starring Bryan Brown and Russell Crowe. This was followed by the mini-series “Shadows of the Heart” and “Heroes”.
Jason won both critics and fans alike with his portrayal of “Joseph” in the Andrew Lloyd Webber production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”. The show was a box office smash with an amazing eighteen-month sell out run at the Palladium, not to mention another number one single and big selling soundtrack album.
Jason’s first lead role in film came in the 1994 production, “Rough Diamonds”. Robert Osborne of America’s “Hollywood Reporter” wrote … “This gent’s got major movie potential. He could easily be a down-under cousin of Robert Redford or Brad Pitt”.
Jason co-starred with Koji Taamaki on the joint Australian/Japanese feature film “The Last Bullet” to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of the ending of World War II then alongside Angie Dickinson in the upbeat Irish drama “The Sun, The Moon, The Stars” which was shot on location in Dublin during the autumn of 1995.
Despite by now being in the throes of a potentially fatal, yet self induced cocaine addiction, Jason was still working constantly in the theatre and in 1996, played the rogue knight “Mordred” to great personal acclaim in the musical “Camelot” directed by Frank Dunlop for 1996’s Covent Garden Festival. Other theatre outings around this time included roles in ‘Night Must Fall’, the ‘Fantasticks’ (first multiracial cast in S Africa) and in 1998/99, he played Frank ‘N’ Furter (again, the critics loved him) in the 25th Anniversary Tour of ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ which went on to enjoy a long west end run.
Around this time, Jason met his long time partner, Angela Malloch. They went on to have two children, Gemma and Zac. By his own admittance, fatherhood was the wake up call Jason needed, to clean himself up and get off the drugs once and for all.
By 2002, lots of Australian work beckoned and Jason and the family moved temporarily down under so that Jason could star in first series of MDA (‘Medical Defence Associates’) playing an attorney for ABC. This went to a second series. He also filmed “Loot”, again for ABC, playing a forensic accountant to great acclaim, his new ‘occupation’ in this role was picked up by the press and “Accountancy Age”.
In 2004, Jason took the role of Caractacus Potts in “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” for 6 weeks. Such was his popularity, he returned to the role later that year for 6 months.
In the autumn of 2006, Jason was invited to take part in ITV’s ‘I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’. The British public were once again reminded of Jason’s big smile and appetite for life – he came third (very close to David Gest and Matt Willis’ second and first) and on his return, Jason was once again back in our lives.
Thereafter, a plethora of TV appearances followed. Jason undertook a sell out tour of the UK, released an autobiography, ‘Between The Lines’ (that went on to be a best seller) and spent the summer months in Cornwall recording an ITV1 primetime ‘docusoap’ called ‘Echo Beach’.
2008, Jason’s 40th year, has even more planned. A networked radio show, more TV, theatre, another tour and an album is planned. Life has begun again.