Martin Donovan

He made his writing/directorial debut with the film Collaborator (2011). Donovan played Detective Hap Eckhart in Christopher Nolan's psychological thriller Insomnia (2002) and the protagonist's CIA handler, Fay, in Nolan's science-fiction thriller Tenet (2020).

• Name — Martin Donovan • Birth Name — Martin Paul Smith • Born — 19 August 1957 • Birthplace — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Children — 2 • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1982–present

Donovan was born Martin Paul Smith in Los Angeles, California, one of four children in an Irish Catholic family. He was raised in Reseda and graduated from Crespi Carmelite High School and attended Pierce College for two years. He attended American Theater Arts, a combined conservatory and theater company in Los Angeles, where he appeared in the plays Richard's Cork Leg by Brendan Behan and Private Life of the Master Race by Bertold Brecht. In 1983, he met his future wife, Vivian, and he moved to New York City. He joined the off-off-Broadway Cucaracha Theater on Greenwich Street.

Donovan had a long collaboration with director Hal Hartley, appearing in many of his films, including Trust (1990), Surviving Desire (1991), Simple Men (1992), Amateur (1994), Flirt (1995), and The Book of Life (1998), starring as Jesus Christ in the latter. Donovan has appeared in 14 episodes of the Showtime television series Weeds, which stars Mary-Louise Parker, for which he was nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. He has also acted with Parker in Saved!, Pipe Dream, and The Portrait of a Lady. For the latter, he won the National Society of Film Critics' Award for best supporting actor.

Donovan married actress Vivian Lanko in 1984; they have two sons. They lived in New York City for many years before relocating to Vancouver.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1987 — At Mother's Request — Detective Rogen — Television movie • 1993 — Scam — Gordon Wexler — Television movie • South Beach — Spencer Robinson — Episode: "School for Scandal" • The Adventures of Pete & Pete — Episodes: "Apocalypse Pete" and "Space, Geeks, and Johnny Unitas" • 1997 — Night Sins — Paul Garrison — Television movie • 1998 — Rescuers: Stories of Courage - Two Couples — Aart Vos — TV movie Segment: "Aart and Johtje Vos" • When Trumpets Fade — Captain Roy Pritchett — Television movie • 1999 — The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer — Richard DiBenedetto — Television movie • 2000 — The Great Gatsby — Tom Buchanan — Television movie • Custody of the Heart — Dennis Raphael — Television movie • Wonderland — Dr. Neil Harrison — 8 episodes • 2001 — Amy & Isabelle — Peter Robertson — Television movie • 2001–2002 — Pasadena — Will McAllister — 13 episodes • 2002 — RFK — John F. Kennedy — Television movie • 2003 — Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Dr. Archibald Newlands — Episode: "Serendipity" • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — Howard Delhomme — Episode: "After the Show" • 2004 — Traffic — Brent Delaney — Television miniseries • Dark Shadows — Roger Collins — Unaired TV pilot • 2005–2006 — Weeds — Peter Scottson — 14 episodes Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2005) • 2006 — Law & Order — Robert White — Episode: "Cost of Capital" • 2007 — The Dead Zone — Malcolm Janus — 6 episodes • Masters of Horror — Cliff Addison — Episode: "Right to Die" • Ghost Whisperer — Tom Gordon — 4 episodes • 2010 — Unnatural History — Bryan Bartlett — 13 episodes • 2011–2012 — Boss — Ezra Stone — 10 episodes • 2012 — The Firm — Kevin Stack — Recurring role • The Listener — Michael Morrissey — Episode: "Cold Case Blues" • The Selection — King Clarkson — Television movie • 2013 — King & Maxwell — Robert A. Scott — 5 episodes • 2013–2015 — Rogue — Richard Campbell — 11 episodes • 2013 — Homeland — Leland Bennett — 3 episodes • 2014 — The Lottery — Darius Hayes — 10 episodes • 2016 — Legends of Tomorrow — Zaman Druce — Recurring role 4 episodes • 2017 — Conviction — President Theodore Morrison — Episode: "Enemy Combatant" • 2017–2018 — Lethal Weapon — Grant Davenport — Episode: "Wreck the Halls" and "One Day More" • 2017–2018 — Beyond — Isaac Frost — 5 episodes • 2017 — The Lost Wife of Robert Durst — Detective Struk — Television movie • 2018 — Electric Dreams — Odin — Episode: "Safe and Sound" • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Captain Logan Carter — Episode: "Flight Risk" • Carter — Hamilton Gerard — Episode: "The Ring" • 2019 — Big Little Lies — Martin Howard, Father of Bonnie — 3 episodes • 2019–2020 — Nancy Drew — Everett Hudson — 3 episodes • 2020 — Dead Still — Bushrod Whacker — 3 episodes • 2021 — Firefly Lane — Wilson King — 2 episodes • 2022 — Archive 81 — Virgil Davenport — Main role • 2023 — Special Ops: Lioness — Errol Meade — Recurring role • 2023 — Sealed with a List — Silas Redmond — Television film