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Jemma Donovan
Born
Jemma Donovan

(2000-03-28) 28 March 2000 (age 24)[1]
London, England, United Kingdom
OccupationActress
Years active2010–present
FatherJason Donovan
Relatives

Jemma Donovan (born 28 March 2000) is a British-Australian actress. She made her on-screen debut in the BBC television film Mr Stink when she was 12 years old. In 2015, Donovan played Maddy Bastière in the French-American series Spotless. After relocating to Australia, Donovan joined the regular cast of Neighbours as Harlow Robinson. Three members of her family had previously starred in the soap opera, including her father Jason Donovan. She made her debut in July 2019 and also appeared in the spin-off series Neighbours: Erinsborough High. She left the serial in July 2022. Shortly after moving back to the United Kingdom, Donovan secured the role of "party girl" Rayne Royce who died from being pushed in her swimming pool by Romeo Nightingale in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks.

Early life

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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

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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]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
2012 Mr Stink Pippa Television film
2015 Spotless Maddy Bastière Main role
2019–2022 Neighbours Harlow Robinson 374 episodes
2019 Neighbours: Erinsborough High Main role
2023–2024 Hollyoaks Rayne Royce 86 episodes

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2023 National Television Awards Rising Star Hollyoaks Nominated [14]
2023 Inside Soap Awards Best Newcomer Hollyoaks Nominated [15]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "You ask... they answer Jemma Donovan Neighbours' Harlow Robinson ...faces your questions!". Inside Soap. No. 18. 2–8 May 2020. pp. 50–51.
  2. ^ "My life in 10 pictures – Jemma Donovan". New Idea. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2022 – via PressReader.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Jason Donovan's daughter Jemma joins cast of Neighbours". The Daily Telegraph. 6 July 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Dunk, Tiffany (27 February 2020). "Exclusive: Jason Donovan on daughter Jemma following in her father's footsteps and starring on Neighbours". Woman's Weekly. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Donovan family tradition continues as Jemma heads to Ramsay Street". Mediaweek. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Lee, Jess (9 April 2020). "Neighbours star Jemma Donovan reveals she nearly played a different character". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  7. ^ a b Epstein, Jackie (27 March 2019). "Jason's family makes good Neighbours". Herald Sun. Retrieved 18 November 2022 – via PressReader.
  8. ^ Munn, Patrick (27 October 2019). "My5 Sets Premiere Date For Neighbours: Erinsborough High'". TVWise. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  9. ^ Lee, Jess (7 October 2021). "Neighbours casts Britain's Got Talent judge Amanda Holden for special London storyline". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  10. ^ Warner, Sam; Kilkelly, Daniel (17 May 2022). "Neighbours confirms exit for Harlow Robinson ahead of show finale". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Kilkelly, Daniel (12 October 2022). "Hollyoaks casts Neighbours star Jemma Donovan for exciting new character group". Digital Spy. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  12. ^ Tyler, Laura-Jayne (22–28 October 2022). "From Neighbours to Hollyoaks!". Inside Soap. No. 43. p. 13.
  13. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel. "Hollyoaks airs Rayne Royce's exit scene in Channel 4 streaming episode". Digital Spy. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  14. ^ Mata, William (23 May 2023). "National Television Awards 2023: Full list of nominations and how to vote". Evening Standard. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  15. ^ "The Inside Soap Awards 2023 - cast your vote now!". Inside Soap. 4–10 July 2023.
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