Terence Donovan, the British-Australian actor who starred in Neighbours and Home and Away, has died, aged 90.
The news was announced by his actor and singer son, Jason Donovan, who said he died peacefully on Saturday (18 July) in Melbourne, Australia.
“Our Dad was a huge character, larger than life,” Jason said in a post shared alongside his brother, Paul. “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.”
They said they also take comfort “knowing that he lived life to the max” and “knowing that in life it’s either a daring adventure or nothing at all”.
“How lucky are we to have a Dad like you,” the pair added.
Terence, who was born in England, started as a singer in the 1960s before embarking on an acting career, joining police series Division 4 as Detective Mick Peters in 1969 and drama Cop Shop as Detective Senior Sergeant Vic Cameron in 1977.
One year after a role in Home and Away in 1989, he joined Neighbours – just months following his son Jason’s departure – playing Doug Willis. He appeared in 624 episodes overall and left in 1994 – but returned for several guest appearances over the decades until 2022.
His film credits include Breaker Morant (1980) and The Man from Snowy River (1982).
In his tribute to his father, Jason noted that Terence helped the Australian film industry grow during the 1970s and 1980s thanks to a campaign that combatted the heavy reliance on TV shows and films from the UK and US.
“The result of that campaign was an obligation on commercial television broadcasters to broadcast Australian stories,” Jason said. He also shared a photo of his father protesting with a banner emblazoned with the word: ‘TV MAKE IT AUSTRALIA NOW.”
Jason added: “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.”
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Dannii Minogue led the tributes to Terence, writing to Jason: “I am so sorry you have lost your father. I love to hear about his achievements – this one here is incredible and it is lovely to how proud you are.”
Broadcaster Gaby Roslin wrote: “I am so sorry Jason for your loss. Sending you and your family my deepest sympathies and love and strength and he’ll always be on your heart.”