British-Australian actor Terence Donovan – known for his roles on Neighbours and Home and Away – has died aged 90, his family has said.
His son, the actor Jason Donovan, confirmed his father died peacefully in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday night.
“Our Dad was a huge character, larger than life. He was our best friend … our world! We will desperately miss him but we take comfort knowing we were all here by his side in his final days,” the post said.
London-born Donovan was also popular for his role in Australian police dramas Division 4 and Cop Shop, which aired in the 1970s and 1980s.
Jason’s post, written alongside his brother Paul, said they will take comfort in “knowing that he lived life to the max. Knowing that in life it’s either a daring adventure or nothing at all!”
“How lucky are we to have a Dad like you,” they added.
After moving to Australia as a teenager, Donovan started his career as a singer before he made his screen debut in the early 1960s.
Ten years later, he secured two of his most well-known roles as Detective Mick Peters in Division 4, followed by Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Cameron in Cop Shop.
Donovan joined the cast of Neighbours in the 1990s as Doug Willis, shortly after his son Jason had left the show. He also featured as Al Simpson on Home and Away.
Alongside his six-decade long career in television, his memorable film credits include his role in The Man from Snowy River and Breaker Morant, as well as a number of appearances on stage.
In the tribute, Jason also said his father used his profile during the early 1970s to garner support for an Australian film and television industry after an influx of content from the US and UK.
“The result of that campaign was an obligation on commercial television broadcasters to broadcast Australian stories,” Jason wrote alongside a picture of Donovan marching through the streets of Melbourne under a banner which read ‘T.V. MAKE IT AUSTRALIA NOW’.
“Without people like my Dad we might not have seen the growth in the industry during the 70s and 80s and indirectly, Australian films such as The Man From Snowy River, Breaker Morant, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Priscilla, Muriel’s Wedding, Crocodile Dundee [and] Strictly Ballroom.”
