Beloved Australian Actor Terence Donovan Dies Aged 90

Terence Donovan, the veteran actor whose face became a fixture of Australian television across five decades, has died at the age of 90, with his son Jason Donovan announcing the news in an emotional tribute.

Terence passed away peacefully in Melbourne on Saturday night, with Jason confirming the news on Instagram on Sunday alongside his brother Paul. Both sons were by their father’s side in his final days.

“It is with great sadness but also a sense of celebration of a long, full life that myself and my brother Paul announce our father Terence died peacefully last night here in Melbourne,” the brothers said in a joint statement, thanking the staff at Melbourne’s Cabrini Hospital who cared for him.

They remembered their father as an unforgettable presence in their lives. “Our dad was a huge character. Larger than life. He was our best friend … Our world,” they said. “We will desperately miss him but we take comfort knowing we were all here by his side in his final days. 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.”

A career spanning five decades of Australian screens

Born in London in 1935, Terence moved to Australia in the late 1950s, where he began an acting career that would make him one of the most familiar faces in Australian television history. He became especially well known for playing Doug Willis in Neighbours, Al Simpson in Home and Away, Senior Detective Mick Peters in Division 4, and Detective Sergeant Vic Cameron in Cop Shop, alongside roles in other beloved Australian series including The Flying Doctors and Sons and Daughters.

His career extended to the big screen as well, with roles in two of Australia’s most celebrated films, The Man from Snowy River and Breaker Morant. He also shared the screen with his son Jason in the 2003 comedy Horseplay, and appeared in the ABC drama MDA.

Remarkably, Terence continued acting well into his later years, reprising his much-loved role as Doug Willis in Neighbours as recently as 2022 — a fitting final screen credit for a character audiences had followed for decades.

Terence was married to actress and presenter Sue McIntosh, Jason’s mother, from 1965 until 1972. He found love again with his second wife, Marlene Saunders, marrying her in 1981, with the couple welcoming son Paul the following year.

Tributes have flowed in from across the Australian entertainment industry following the news, remembering Terence as a true stalwart of local television and a beloved figure both on screen and off.

Our thoughts are with Jason, Paul and the entire Donovan family at this difficult time.