Donovan Jerome Leitch,[1] English-born American actor and a singer, who was born August 16, 1967,[2] further worked as a model. He is the son of the singer-songwriter Donovan and the brother of actress Ione Skye. He was a member of the hard rock band Camp Freddy, was a founding member of neo-glam group Nancy Boy along with Jason Nesmith, the son of Michael Nesmith of The Monkees.[3] As an actor, he is best known for portraying Paul Taylor in the 1988 remake of The Blob.
Donovan Leitch | |
|---|---|
 Leitch at Hollywood Life Magazine's 7th Annual Breakthrough Awards on 9 December 2007 | |
| Born | Donovan Jerome Leitch August 16, 1967 London, England |
| Nationality | British, American |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Ione Skye (sister) |
Career
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2015) |
Leitch appeared in the films Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo (1985), The In Crowd (1988), ...And God Created Woman (1988), The Blob (1988), Glory (1989, portraying Charles Fessenden Morse), Cutting Class (1989), Gas, Food Lodging (1992), Dark Horse (1992), Jack the Bear (1993), Cityscrapes: Los Angeles (1994), I Shot Andy Warhol (1996), One Night Stand (1997) and Love Kills (1998). Leitch was featured as the villain of the week, Malcolm Lagg, an underground fight club coordinator for metahumans in the Birds of Prey episode "Gladiatrix".
In 1986, he auditioned for the role of "Bill S. Preston Esquire" in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure being one of the final picks along with Keanu Reeves,[4] Gary Riley and Matt Adler. The role ultimately went to Alex Winter, who initially read for the part of Ted "Theodore" Logan.
In the early 1990s, Leitch formed Nancy Boy, an alternative rock band with glam rock and Britpop influences.[5] The band also featured guitarist Jason Nesmith, son of Michael Nesmith of The Monkees. The band released two albums, Promosexual in 1995 and Nancy Boy in 1996.[5] Although their second album was issued on major label Elektra Records, it was not a success, and the band fell inactive after Nesmith left the lineup a few years later.[5]
Personal life
editLeitch was born in London, the son of singer/songwriter Donovan and model Enid Karl (née Stulberger).[6][7] He is the brother of actress Ione Skye. His parents separated when he was three and he was raised by his mother in the Hollywood Hills of California.[3] His father is Scottish, of partial Irish descent.[8] His mother was raised in The Bronx, New York City and is Jewish.[9][10]
He married Scottish model Kirsty Hume on September 23, 1997.[11] Their daughter, Violet Jean Leitch, was born March 21, 2004, at home in Los Angeles.[6][12] Leitch and Hume separated in 2011, and Hume filed for divorce in summer 2014.[12][13]
Leitch proposed to actress Libby Mintz two months after Hume filed for divorce.[12] He and Mintz had a son, Donovan Evers Leitch, on April 14, 2015, and were married in a ceremony in Los Angeles on October 3, 2015.[14][12]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filmed 1970 Released 2005 |
There is an Ocean | Himself (at age 3) | |
| 1984 | Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo | Dancer | |
| 1986 | The Education of Allison Tate | Martin Stubbs | |
| 1988 | The In Crowd | Del | |
| And God Created Woman | Peter Moran | ||
| The Blob | Paul Taylor | ||
| 1989 | Rock & Read | The Chaueffeur | Short |
| Cutting Class | Brian Woods | ||
| Glory | Capt. Charles Fessenden Morse | ||
| 1992 | Gas Food Lodging | Darius | |
| Dark Horse | J.B. Hadley | ||
| 1993 | Jack the Bear | Grad Student | |
| 1996 | Cityscrapes: Los Angeles | Troy | |
| Bed, Bath and Beyond | Short | ||
| I Shot Andy Warhol | Gerard Malanga | ||
| The Size of Watermelons | Patrick | ||
| 1997 | One Night Stand | Kevin | |
| Big City Blues | Donovan | ||
| 1998 | Love Kills | Dominique | |
| 1999 | Cherry | Eddie | |
| 2000 | Men Make Women Crazy | Short | |
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | Ward Neeley | Uncredited |
| 2021 | Habit | News Anchor |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Alice | Dono-D | 1 episode, Footloose Mel |
| 1985 | It's Your Move | Boy No. 3 | 1 episode, The Dregs of Humanity: Part 1 |
| 1988 | Rockin' the Night Away | Television film | |
| 1989 | 21 Jump Street | Mike Pratt | 1 episode, Mike's P.O.V. |
| 1990 | Life Goes On | Teddy | 1 episode, The Banquet Room Renovation |
| 1991 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Charlie Tyler | 1 episode, But He Loves Me |
| For the Very First Time | Television film | ||
| 1999 | The '60s | Neal Reynolds | Television film |
| 2000 | Sex and the City | Baird Johnson | 1 episode, Boy, Girl, Boy, Girl... |
| 2002 | The Job | Barry / Crystal | 1 episode, Parents |
| Girls Club | Michael Harrod | 9 episodes | |
| 2003 | Birds of Prey | Malcolm | 1 episode, Gladiatrix |
| 2006 | Grey's Anatomy | Rick Friart | 1 episode, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies |
| 2015–16 | Breaking Band | Producer | 6 episodes |
Nancy Boy discography
editAlbums
edit- Promosexual (Equator, 1995)
- Nancy Boy (Sire Records 1996)
Singles
edit- "Johnny Chrome and Silver" (Equator, 1994)
- "Are "Friends" Electric?" (Equator, 1995)
- "Deep Sleep Motel" (Sire Records 1996)[15]
References
edit- ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.; at ancestry.com
- ^ "Donovan Leitch Jr". AllMusic. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
- ^ a b Gabriel, Trip (July 3, 1994). "Donovan Leitch: He's It! He's Hot! He's ... Who?". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
- ^ Reeves originally read for the role of Bill but was switched to Ted during subsequent auditions.
- ^ a b c "Nancy Boy". AllMusic. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ a b Donovan Leitch at IMDb
- ^ "Ione Skye Biography (1970?–)". Film Reference. September 4, 1970. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
- ^ "How Donovan and Coco, his granddaughter, caught their wind". Independent.ie. April 3, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ "Ione Skye Interview". The Howard Stern Show (Interview). Interviewed by Ione Skye. May 9, 1999.
- ^ Bloom, Nate (December 15, 2011). "Jewish Stars 12/16". Cleveland Jewish News.
Donovan's former wife is an American Jew, and their daughter, actress Ione Skye ("Say Anything"), 41, was once Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz's wife.
- ^ "Model Marriages". People. Vol. 49, no. 24. June 22, 1998. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Campbell, Kathy (October 4, 2015). "Donovan Leitch and Libby Mintz Are Married: See the Photos". Us Magazine. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ Marquina, Sierra (November 28, 2014). "Donovan Leitch's Fiancee Libby Mintz Is Pregnant! Couple Expecting First Child Together". Us Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
- ^ "Donovan Leitch and Libby Mintz Welcome Son Donovan Evers". People. April 23, 2015. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- ^ "Nancy Boy - Nancy Boy". Discogs.