Rick Donald

Donald was born in Townsville and he grew up in the suburb of Cranbrook.[1] He is one of four children. His father was a newspaper editor and his mother a ballroom dancer. Donald said his mother named him Rick after an actor on a television show.[2] Donald attended Kirwan State High School,[3] where his mother encouraged him to take drama classes.[2] He later studied performance at James Cook University,[3] and attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) for three years.[1]

Donald has been married to fellow actor Catherine Mack-Hancock since 2016.[4] A photograph of them embracing in their wedding attire in Yosemite National Park as the sun went down went viral shortly after.[5] The couple have a daughter.[6]

Donald's first television acting role was a guest appearance in a 2007 episode of Sea Patrol, opposite lead actress Lisa McCune.[1][2] He told Sarah Nealon of The TV Guide that he did not sleep the night before filming and spent the day worrying about the camera and whether he was speaking too loud for the microphone.[2] In February 2010, Donald starred in a 30-second advertisement for Libra menstrual pads that went viral. Fans of the ad created Facebook pages about Donald's character and made parody videos on YouTube.[1] The following year, Donald appeared in the television miniseries Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo, legal drama Crownies,[3] and true-crime television film Blood Brothers, based on the Gilham family murders.[7] He also had guest roles in soap opera Home and Away as "bad boy" Dean O'Mara,[4] and Underbelly: Razor as Barney Dalton.[8]

Donald appeared alongside David Wenham and Louise Lombard in the UKTV telemovie Dripping in Chocolate in April 2012.[9] The following year, Donald joined the second season of House Husbands as school teacher Mr. Tuck.[10] He also played Constable Daniel Parks in the first season of The Doctor Blake Mysteries.[11] Donald admitted that he was "devastated" about leaving Doctor Blake to move to the United States, as it marked his first major lead role.[11] While filming House Husbands, Donald filmed an audition for American sitcom Friends With Better Lives on his mobile phone. He secured the part of Lowell, an Australian hippy and fiancé of Brooklyn Decker's character Jules.[11] Donald also contributed to the show by writing Lowell's songs.[11] Friends With Better Lives was cancelled after one season. Donald said that while he was disappointed not to be able to hang out with the cast anymore, he had been missing Australia and was happy to return.[11]

Donald began appearing in A Place to Call Home as artist Lloyd Ellis-Parker from the third season, broadcast in 2015. He returned for the fourth season the following year.[2][12] From 2015 to 2018, Donald played carpenter "Woody" in television drama 800 Words, which was filmed in New Zealand.[13] Donald had not been to the country before he was cast.[13] Donald's character proved popular with viewers during season one and his role was expanded in season two, with Woody receiving a love interest and his own storylines.[14] For his work on 800 Words, Donald received a nomination for Most Outstanding Supporting Actor at the 2017 Logie Awards.[3][15] Donald's short film The ATM took the third place prize at the 2016 Tropfest.[16] He also won the Best Male Actor accolade for his role in the film.[17] Donald appeared in the ABC comedy series Back In Very Small Business in 2018.[18]

In 2019, Donald was cast in Wentworth as prison officer Sean Brody. He was offered the role by series producer Pino Amenta, who he worked with on 800 Words. Donald called it "the best role I’ve been able to play yet", as Sean is a more serious character, which meant Donald was able to stretch his acting skills.[19] That same year, his co-star on 800 Words, Jesse Griffin asked him to join the cast of New Zealand comedy series Educators, which is set in a secondary school. Donald plays angry PE teacher Vinnie Thompson and found the role to be "cathartic", as he would never act like Vinnie does in real life.[20] Donald appeared as a police officer in Halifax: Retribution, a 2020 sequel to the 1990s Halifax f.p. crime series starring Rebecca Gibney.[20]

Donald also re-joined the recurring cast of Home and Away as Kieran Baldivis in late 2020.[4] Kieran is Martha Stewart's (Belinda Giblin) estranged and "deeply troubled" son.[4] Donald said he was "instantly keen" when producers told him about the character's story, which includes mental health and addiction issues.[4] Donald was also excited to join the show's Stewart family and work with Ray Meagher and Georgie Parker.[4] As he lives in Palm Beach, where the show is filmed, Donald liked that he was able to walk to work, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In addition to his role on Home and Away, Donald also appears in the 7mate comedy series Australia's Sexiest Tradie, which he created, wrote and directed.[21] Donald stars as Frankie, a plumber who enters a radio contest to find Australia's sexiest tradie in a bid to impress his father.[21]

• Rick Donald at IMDb