After Jason Donovan’s triumphant Doin’ Fine 25 tour of the UK and Ireland, the multitalented star has announced a 16-date extension. Doin’ Fine Encore is a spectacular celebration of his long career in music, theatre, film and TV, taking place this February and March.
Road To Fame
Jason landed his first acting role aged nine, with his big break coming in the Australian TV series, ‘Neighbours’. His character Scott Robinson’s romance with Charlene, played by Kylie Minogue, made him a global star. The pair went on to release the 1988 hit, ‘Especially For You’, which featured on his debut album, ‘Ten Good Reasons’. It was the biggest-selling album of 1989, generating two other UK number one singles, ‘Sealed with a Kiss’ and ‘Too Many Broken Hearts’.
He was born in June 1968 to actor Terence Donovan and Sue Menlove, in Malvern, Australia. But his parents soon separated, and Terence took charge of Jason in 1972. Jason has stated that he has since had no contact with his birth mother and he has spoken frankly about his battle with drugs.
Family First
One of his favourite stage roles is that of Frank ‘n’ Furter in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’. It was during a UK touring production of the show in 1998 that he met Angela Malloch, a stage manager. But they went their separate ways, only for Angela to discover she was pregnant. An ultimatum followed. “If I was going to have any involvement in the life of our child, I would have to give up the self-indulgent hedonistic lifestyle of the 90s and take greater control of my life. And I did,” recalls Jason.
Jason quit drugs after the birth of their first child, daughter Jemma, in 2000. Son Zac was born the following year. The couple married in 2008 and welcomed Molly in 2011.
“My kids are very aware of what I’ve done in my life, or rather what I shouldn’t have done,” Jason, 57, has revealed. “You can only lead by example. I educate my children to hopefully make the right choices. If they don’t, I will support them along the way.”
Based in the UK, Jason makes regular return visits to his homeland. When on tour, he tries to get home at weekends and not spend more than four weeks away at a time. “I have reached a point of great contentment,” he says. “As long as I have my family and my health, as long as I have my work-life balance, I’m happy.”
