Jason Donovan

A popular London-based, Australia-born singer and television, film and stage actor, Jason Donovan first found success in the Aussie soap opera Neighbors, before embarking on a prosperous music career. The child of actor Terence Donovan and TV presenter Sue MacIntosh, Donovan's career has successfully run the gamut of show business, embracing soap opera, film, music, and theater, both in his native Australia and in the U.K. Neighbors, one of the most popular shows in Australia and the U.K., brought Donovan, as well as co-star Kylie Minogue, to the attention of music producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. They turned Donovan into a teen-idol and he had several hits during the late '80s and early '90s. Four Top Ten hits in Australia (including the number one duet with Kylie Minogue, "Especially for You") paled in comparison to his U.K. successes, which included three consecutive number one singles -- his debut album, Ten Good Reasons, peaked at number five in Australia. The early '90s marked a change of direction for Donovan as he took several parts in both film and mini-series including Blood Oath, The Heroes, and Shadows of the Heart. Stage musicals Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Rocky Horror Picture Show followed, with the former role yielding the number one single "Any Dream Will Do." 1993 saw the release of All Around the World, his first album for Polydor Records, but it would be his last studio effort for 15 years, as he shifted his focus almost entirely to acting. After starring in a host of musicals and television programs, Donovan resumed his music career with 2008's Let It Be Me, a collection of cover versions of classic songs from the '50s and '60s. Another covers outing, 2012's Soundtrack of the 80s, found Donovan tackling some of his favorite songs from that decade, but also included three original cuts. ~ Brendan Swift, Rovi