Jemma Donovan
Actress
2010–present
- Jason Donovan (father)
- Terence Donovan (grandfather)
- Sue McIntosh (grandmother)
- Stephanie McIntosh (aunt)
Early life[edit]
Donovan was born and raised in London, England.[2] She is the daughter of actor and singer Jason Donovan and his wife Angela Malloch. She has a younger brother and sister.[3] Her grandfather is actor Terence Donovan and her grandmother is actress and presenter Sue McIntosh. Her aunt Stephanie McIntosh is also an actor and singer.[3] Donovan realised she wanted to pursue a career in the entertainment industry while she was in school.[3] She began attending drama classes when she was 10 years old.[4]
Career[edit]
Donovan was 12 years old when she appeared as bully Pippa in the BBC television film Mr Stink, which was adapted from the David Walliams book of the same name.[1][5] Donovan said working on the film made her fall in love with acting.[1] In 2015, Donovan played Maddy Bastière in the French-American dark comedy-drama series Spotless, which was distributed by Netflix internationally.[3] She spent six months filming the series and she called it one of the best experiences of her life, as it taught her a lot about the industry. She admitted that she did not want to go back to school afterwards.[1] Donovan relocated to Australia in 2018, where she went on a number of auditions arranged by her father's agent, including for Home and Away.[4][6]
Donovan's final audition was for the long-running soap opera Neighbours. Her father, grandfather, and aunt had all previously starred in the serial.[3][4] She originally auditioned for the role of Roxy Willis, but producers felt she was not right for the part and it eventually went to Zima Anderson.[3][6] Donovan was also unsure about being able to portray Roxy having read the "raunchy" scripts.[6] Producers later created the character of Harlow Robinson and Donovan was cast in the role. Harlow's storyline resembled Donovan's own move from the UK to Australia.[3] Of joining the cast, Donovan commented "I am so happy and very honoured to be a part of a series which has been enjoyed by generations. I really like my character Harlow. She is very headstrong, and I enjoy playing that type of character, who's not so intense, knows what she is doing and likes to get involved and Harlow seems to have those qualities."[7] Donovan later admitted that she had not watched the show before she was cast.[3] She made her debut as Harlow in July 2019.[7] That same year, she also appeared in the spin-off series Neighbours: Erinsborough High.[8] In 2021, Donovan returned to the UK to film a special storyline for her character, alongside Amanda Holden.[9] Donovan's departure from Neighbours was confirmed in May 2022. She returned to the UK permanently after filming her final scenes, which were broadcast that July.[10]
In October 2022, Donovan joined the main cast of British soap opera Hollyoaks as Rayne Royce.[11] Donovan's character was part of a new group of 20-somethings living in a share house, which harks back to the serial's student-focused earlier years. Rayne was billed as a "party girl" and "a social media sensation."[11] Of her casting, Donovan stated "I am thrilled to be joining the cast of Hollyoaks! I'm so grateful for this opportunity to be able to bring something unique and fun to a new role and I can't wait to be a part of the Hollyoaks family."[11] Donovan made her first appearance on 17 January 2023.[12] On 13 September 2023, it was announced that the character would be murdered as part of a whodunit storyline with her final scenes airing on 26 September 2023.[13]