Martin Donovan (born Carlos Enrique Varela y Peralta Ramos; January 21, 1950)Martin Donovan Biography/Filmography
Videomaniaticos.com is an Argentine screenwriter and film director. Donovan has developed his career working mainly in United Kingdom, and he is mostly recognized as the co-writer and director of the cult film ''

Apartment Zero ''Apartment Zero'', also known as ''Conviviendo con la muerte'' (Spanish: Living with Death),Apartment Zero
Mondo Digital and for his co-written script for ''

Death Becomes Her ''Death Becomes Her'' is a 1992 American satirical black comedy fantasy film directed and produced by Robert Zemeckis. Written by David Koepp and Martin Donovan, it stars Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as rivals who fight for the affections of ...

'' (1992).

Biography

Early life

Martin Donovan was born in the city of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

as Carlos Enrique Varela Peralta Ramos. His great-great-grandfather was

Patricio Peralta Ramos Patricio Peralta Ramos (May 17, 1814April 25, 1887) was an Argentine businessman and landowner prominent in the foundation of the seaside city of Mar del Plata. Life and times Patricio Peralta Ramos was born in the San Nicolás, a Buenos Aires ...

, founder of the city of Mar del Plata. He was also the eldest of seven brothers and one sister, and viewed as the "strange one of the family" since the very beginning. He connected with movies and the theater since he was 6 or 7 years old and he voraciously read everything. His passion for films was shown, for instance, when he became desperate to see ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pers ...

''. The young Martin would cry: "Why can't I see ''A Streetcar Named Desire''?!", to which his mother would reply: "Because you're 8! Go wash your hands and come to the table!". In 1961, at the age of 11, he wrote a letter to renowned filmmaker

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the ...

(addressing the envelope as "Luchino Visconti, Italy, Europe"). Visconti received the letter and replied; 8 years later Martin Donovan would be at his side as his assistant. In 1963 he was sent to boarding school at Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepción in

Santa Fe Province The Province of Santa Fe ( es, Provincia de Santa Fe, ) is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco (divided by the 28th parallel south), Corrientes, Entre R� ...

, where Eduardo Peralta Ramos SJ, Martin's mother's elder brother, was a teacher and the spiritual father of Jorge Bergoglio, known today as

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. Donovan went back home in 1964, and a couple of months later he escaped his parents’ home through a window, leaving a letter to his mother, which read: "Don't cry mama, I need to find myself..." He soon became a runaway in Buenos Aires during summer, with only his maternal grandmother, Celia Lertora de Peralta Ramos - whom Martin called "Mamama" -, as his accomplice. Those summer months in Buenos Aires while the police was searching all over for him became a fundamental period in his life.

Career

Donovan began his career acting in Italian films, such as

Fellini Federico Fellini (; 20 January 1920 – 31 October 1993) was an Italian film director and screenwriter known for his distinctive style, which blends fantasy and baroque images with earthiness. He is recognized as one of the greatest and most i ...

's ''

Satyricon The ''Satyricon'', ''Satyricon'' ''liber'' (''The Book of Satyrlike Adventures''), or ''Satyrica'', is a Latin work of fiction believed to have been written by Gaius Petronius, though the manuscript tradition identifies the author as Titus Petr ...

'' (1969), and assisted

in several films. After traveling to England in the mid-60s he joined a theater company called Nuvact Studio International and collaborated with other directors such as

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...

John Schlesinger John Richard Schlesinger (; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Midnight Cowboy'', and was nominated for the same award for two other films ('' Darling'' an ...

and

Vittorio De Sica Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement. Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...

. At the same time, Donovan consistently participated as a screenwriter and a story/script consultant in many British and American TV series. His first film as a director, ''State of Wonder'' (1984), was featured in the Official Selection at the Berlin Film Festival of that same year.BERLIN 1984 – THE 34TH BERLINALE FILMFESTSPIELE: Zoo Parade, by Harlan Kennedy
American Cinema Papers Donovan's second work as a director, ''

Apartment Zero ''Apartment Zero'', also known as ''Conviviendo con la muerte'' (Spanish: Living with Death),Hart Bochner Hart Matthew Bochner (born October 3, 1956) is a Canadian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He has appeared in films such as ''Breaking Away'' (1979), ''Terror Train'' (1980), '' Rich and Famous'' (1981), '' The Wild Life'' (1984), ...

and a then relatively unknown Colin Firth in one of his first starring roles, together with a mostly Argentine cast. It is a complex suspense story with

psychodrama Psychodrama is an action method, often used as a psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous dramatization, role playing, and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Developed by Jacob L. Moreno and h ...

elements, in the tradition of Joseph Losey and

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a ( né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, tw ...

's movies. The film has gained a strong cult following over the years. His most important work in Hollywood was the screenplay for the classic black comedy ''

'' (1992), which was directed by Robert Zemeckis and starred

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, dancer, producer, and singer. She rose to fame on the NBC sketch comedy program ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (1968–1970), before going on to receive the Academy Award and Go ...

and

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

. In 1996 he wrote and directed ''

Somebody Is Waiting ''Somebody Is Waiting'' is a 1996 American drama film written and directed by Martin Donovan and starring Gabriel Byrne and Nastassja Kinski. Plot Cast *Gabriel Byrne as Roger Ellis * Nastassja Kinski as Charlotte Ellis *Johnny Whitworth as ...

'', a drama starring

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, audiobook narrator, and author. His acting career began in the Focus Theatre before he joined London's Royal Court Theatre in 1979. Byrne's s ...

Nastassja Kinski Nastassja Aglaia Kinski (; , ; born 24 January 1961) is a German actress and former model who has appeared in more than 60 films in Europe and the United States. Her worldwide breakthrough was with ''Stay as You Are'' (1978). She then came to gl ...

and

Johnny Whitworth Johnny Whitworth (born October 31, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as A.J. in ''Empire Records'' (1995), as Donny Ray Black in Francis Ford Coppola's ''The Rainmaker (1997 film), The Rainmaker'' (1997), as Vernon Gant in ''L ...

References

External links

*
Martin Donovan
at

Cinenacional.com Cinenacional.com is a web portal and World Wide Web, web-based database about Cinema of Argentina, Argentine cinema. It is the most comprehensive site for information about the Argentine film industry, with a vast array of information on films, tel ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, Martin 1950 births Living people British male screenwriters People from Buenos Aires Argentine male film actors Argentine film directors Argentine film producers Argentine screenwriters Argentine male writers 20th-century Argentine male actors Writers from Buenos Aires