Daisy Donovan
Born
Daisy Constance Donovan

(1973-07-23) 23 July 1973
London,[1] England
NationalityBritish
Alma materLondon Academy of Music and Dramatic Art
Spouse
​
(m. 2005)​
Children2

Daisy Constance Donovan[2] (born 23 July 1973)[1][3][4] is an English television presenter, actress and writer.

Early life

Donovan was born in London.[1] Her father was fashion photographer and film director Terence Donovan; her mother, Diana (née St. Felix Dare),[5] was chairwoman of the English National Ballet School. She is sister to Rockstar Games co-founder Terry Donovan and half-sister to Big Audio Dynamite keyboard player Dan Donovan – and former sister-in-law of Patsy Kensit.[3] Donovan went to the independent St Paul's Girls School in Hammersmith, London. She started reading Classics at the University of Cambridge before switching to study English at the University of Edinburgh, where she performed with the Drama Society.[6] She then studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[7]

Career

Donovan became a receptionist,[4] and then a runner on the first series of The Eleven O'Clock Show. The producers were looking for a female interviewer who would act straight but use comedic lines, and searched everywhere – until they tried their receptionist, the rather posh-talking Donovan. She made occasional appearance as "It Girl" Pandora Box-Grainger. In the second series she presented shorts, 'Angel of Delight', in which she interviewed politicians (she once asked Denis Healey whether he would ever give Margaret Thatcher a "pearl necklace")[8] and got the co-host job with Iain Lee from late 1999–2000.

In 2000, Donovan was featured prominently in series one of sitcom My Family, playing Brigitte, Ben's annoying, superstitious dental assistant.

In 2002 she played Laura in Debbie Isitt's The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband while it ran at The Ambassadors Theatre in The West End.[9]

Donovan subsequently hosted quiz shows: Does Doug Know? and the eponymous Daisy Daisy, which she also wrote and produced. In 2006, Donovan presented the British Fashion awards and later presented one series of a programme based in America called Daisy Does America.

Since 2006 she has concentrated on writing screenplays and acting in minor roles. Donovan appeared in Death at a Funeral (2007),[10] Wild Child (2008) and I Give it a Year (2012).[4]

Personal life

In 2005 she married her longtime boyfriend, Dan Mazer, a comedy writer and producer, in Morocco.[11] They have two daughters, Maisy[10] and Mini Ivy.[12]

She lives in West London.[8]

Filmography

Title Role Year Notes
Spiceworld: The Movie Reporter 1997 uncredited
Still Crazy Female Reporter 1998
Parting Shots 1998
The Eleven O'Clock Show Presenter 1998–2000
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax Alexanda/Marina 1999
My Family Brigitte 2000 BBC television comedy series 1
Daisy, Daisy Host 2001
Does Doug Know? Host 2002
Second Nature Kristina Kane/Amy O'Brien 2003
Poirot Cornelia Robson 2004 Death on the Nile
Coming Up Jen 2004 Episode "Pillow Talk"
Millions Dorothy 2004
Angel's Hell Polly 2005
Daisy Does America Host 2005
Death at a Funeral Martha 2007
Wild Child Miss Rees-Withers 2008
The Greatest Shows on Earth Host 2013 [13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "My Week: Daisy Donovan". The Guardian (30 April 2006). Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "GLOBOMAZERCOMULTRACORP LTD people - Find and update company information". Find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  3. 1 2 Leith, William (30 March 2002)."Queen of Cringe". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Power, Vicki (10 June 2013). "Daisy Donovan: 'I still can't believe I asked Denis Healey if he'd given Margaret Thatcher a pearl necklace'". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  5. ↑ "Terence Donovan, 60, Society Photographer – New York Times". The New York Times. 25 November 1996. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  6. ↑ "It's funny how being a mum changed Daisy Donovan". Daily Record. 20 May 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
  7. ↑ "Daisy Does America – Daisy Donovan". Tbs.com. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  8. 1 2 Liam O'Brien (22 June 2013). "The Conversation: Daisy Donovan, TV presenter – Profiles – People". The Independent. London. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  9. ↑ "Theatre review: The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband at New Ambassadors". British Theatre Guide. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Daisy's blooming". Mirror.co.uk. 2 November 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion". Women.timesonline.co.uk. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
  12. ↑ Jones, Alice (27 January 2016). "Dan Mazer interview: Sacha Baron Cohen's partner in crime on Dirty Grandpa and the new Bridget Jones film". The Independent. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  13. ↑ Eames, Tom (10 June 2013). "Daisy Donovan makes TV comeback". Digitalspy.com. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
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