Jeffrey Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is an American actor. He played Michael Westen in the television series Burn Notice, and appeared in films such as Hitch, Believe in Me, Changeling, and Come Early Morning. He played Robert F. Kennedy in Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar (2011) and his brother John F. Kennedy in Rob Reiner's LBJ (2016). He had a recurring role in the second season of the TV series Fargo (2015). In 2022, he began starring as NYPD Detective Frank Cosgrove on the revival of the NBC crime drama Law & Order.
Early life
Donovan was born the middle of three boys to Nancy Matthews (1946–2010); his older brother was Michael Donovan (c. 1965) and his younger brother is Sean (1970-1987). Donovan’s mother raised her sons alone on welfare after their father abandoned the family. They moved several times before settling in Amesbury, Massachusetts.
At Amesbury High School, Donovan was mentored by a teacher who helped him start a drama club and find a private scholarship, enabling him to participate in a summer program that helped him start his acting career. He attended Bridgewater State College before transferring to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in drama.
