Photo: Nick Step / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Donovan is an actor's actor, and his long collaboration with Hal Hartley is the heart of why I respect him. Across Trust, Simple Men, Amateur and more, he mastered Hartley's deadpan, emotionally precise register, even playing Jesus in The Book of Life with remarkable restraint. That ability to anchor an auteur's vision matters more to me than blockbuster fame. His Peter Scottson on Weeds proved he could bring that same gravity to mainstream television. Born Martin Paul Smith in Reseda, he strikes me as a quietly indispensable craftsman, the kind directors build whole films around.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Martin Donovan
- Name (Japanese)
- マーティン・ドノヴァン
- Reading
- まーてぃん・どのゔぁん
- Born
- August 19, 1957 (age 68)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Rooster
- Origin
- Reseda, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / screenwriter / stage actor / television actor / film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Martin Donovan born?
Born August 19, 1957 (age 68).
Where is Martin Donovan from?
Martin Donovan is from Reseda, California, United States.
What does Martin Donovan do?
Martin Donovan works as actor, screenwriter, stage actor, television actor, film actor.
Actor — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.