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Howard Donald
ActorBorn April 28, 1968 (57 years)
Howard Paul Donald (born 28 April 1968) is an English singer, songwriter, drummer, pianist, dancer, DJ and record producer. He is a member of the pop group Take That. He was also judge on the German reality talent show Got to Dance from 2013 to 2014, during a Take That-hiatus.
Donald was educated at Littlemoss High School in Droylsden, gaining no GCSEs, and trained for three years as a vehicle painter, on the Youth Training Scheme (YTS).
A budding DJ, his musical interests were largely informed by his brother Colin's vinyl collection, and included electronic acts such as Kraftwerk, John Foxx, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan. As a teenager Donald became interested in dancing and frequented the burgeoning breakdancing circuit in the Greater Manchester area, where he would first come into contact with future bandmate Jason Orange. He auditioned for Nigel Martin-Smith's new boy band project at his office in Manchester and was selected. The group was eventually named Take That.
Nigel Martin-Smith recruited Donald, along with Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams to form a British boyband, Take That. The band enjoyed five years of success until Williams left in 1995, leaving them to carry on as a quartet. Along with Orange, Donald featured less on lead vocals than Barlow, Owen and Williams during the band's first era, however did sing lead vocal on the single "Never Forget", which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1995.
In early 1996, Donald's bandmates Barlow, Owen and Orange came to the difficult decision that Take That was to split. They told Donald, who was not happy, but went along with their decision. Following the split, Donald attempted a solo career, recording an unreleased single, "Speak Without Words", and returned to DJing. In the 2005 documentary Take That: For the Record, Donald confessed to being unstable enough to have the intention of committing suicide by drowning himself in the River Thames, not long after the split.
In 2005, Take That reformed and announced a reunion tour, The Ultimate Tour in the summer of 2006, following the release of their Greatest Hits album, Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection. The tour was followed in late 2006 by their first studio album since 1995, Beautiful World, and from it they achieved two number ones in "Patience" and "Shine". Beautiful World featured Donald on lead vocals on two tracks; "Beautiful World" and "Mancunian Way". The song "Mancunian Way" is a tribute to the band's hometown of Manchester.
On the 2008 Take That album The Circus, Donald sang lead on two tracks, "What Is Love" and "Here". He also shared lead vocals with the rest of the band on the album's opening track, "The Garden".
On the 2010 Take That album Progress, Donald sang lead vocals on the track "Affirmation". He also played drums on several songs on the Progress album and mixed a B-side track for the second single "Kidz" called "Revenge of the Kidz".
On the 2017 Take That album Wonderland, Donald sang lead vocals on "Every Revolution".
In 2021, Donald appeared on The Masked Dancer, masked as Zip. He reached the final and was unmasked in third place.
Donald was one of the judges on a dancing show Got to Dance in Germany from 2013 to 2014. ...
Source: Article "Howard Donald" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Donald was educated at Littlemoss High School in Droylsden, gaining no GCSEs, and trained for three years as a vehicle painter, on the Youth Training Scheme (YTS).
A budding DJ, his musical interests were largely informed by his brother Colin's vinyl collection, and included electronic acts such as Kraftwerk, John Foxx, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan. As a teenager Donald became interested in dancing and frequented the burgeoning breakdancing circuit in the Greater Manchester area, where he would first come into contact with future bandmate Jason Orange. He auditioned for Nigel Martin-Smith's new boy band project at his office in Manchester and was selected. The group was eventually named Take That.
Nigel Martin-Smith recruited Donald, along with Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams to form a British boyband, Take That. The band enjoyed five years of success until Williams left in 1995, leaving them to carry on as a quartet. Along with Orange, Donald featured less on lead vocals than Barlow, Owen and Williams during the band's first era, however did sing lead vocal on the single "Never Forget", which reached No. 1 in the UK in 1995.
In early 1996, Donald's bandmates Barlow, Owen and Orange came to the difficult decision that Take That was to split. They told Donald, who was not happy, but went along with their decision. Following the split, Donald attempted a solo career, recording an unreleased single, "Speak Without Words", and returned to DJing. In the 2005 documentary Take That: For the Record, Donald confessed to being unstable enough to have the intention of committing suicide by drowning himself in the River Thames, not long after the split.
In 2005, Take That reformed and announced a reunion tour, The Ultimate Tour in the summer of 2006, following the release of their Greatest Hits album, Never Forget: The Ultimate Collection. The tour was followed in late 2006 by their first studio album since 1995, Beautiful World, and from it they achieved two number ones in "Patience" and "Shine". Beautiful World featured Donald on lead vocals on two tracks; "Beautiful World" and "Mancunian Way". The song "Mancunian Way" is a tribute to the band's hometown of Manchester.
On the 2008 Take That album The Circus, Donald sang lead on two tracks, "What Is Love" and "Here". He also shared lead vocals with the rest of the band on the album's opening track, "The Garden".
On the 2010 Take That album Progress, Donald sang lead vocals on the track "Affirmation". He also played drums on several songs on the Progress album and mixed a B-side track for the second single "Kidz" called "Revenge of the Kidz".
On the 2017 Take That album Wonderland, Donald sang lead vocals on "Every Revolution".
In 2021, Donald appeared on The Masked Dancer, masked as Zip. He reached the final and was unmasked in third place.
Donald was one of the judges on a dancing show Got to Dance in Germany from 2013 to 2014. ...
Source: Article "Howard Donald" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
Filmography
| 2023 | Radio 2 In Concert Take That · as Self |
| 2021 | Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2021 | The Holden Girls: Mandy & Myrtle (TV Series) · as Howard Donald |
| 2021 | The Masked Dancer (UK) (TV Series) · as Self - Zip |
| 2020 | Michael McIntyre's The Wheel (TV Series) · as Self - Expert |
| 2019 | Take That - Greatest Hits Live (Concert) · as Self |
| 2019 | Shopping with Keith Lemon (TV Series) · as Self - Special Guest |
| 2018 | Reel Stories (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2017 | Take That: Wonderland Live from the O2 · as Self |
| 2017 | One Love Manchester · as Self |
| 2015 | Take That Live at Apple Music Festival · as Self |
| 2015 | Take That Live 2015 · as Self |
| 2015 | The Late Late Show with James Corden (TV Series) · as Self - Performer |
| 2014 | Die Helene Fischer Show 2014 · as Self - Take That |
| 2014 | Good Morning Britain (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2012 | London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony: A Symphony of British Music · as Self - Take That |
| 2012 | Sunday Brunch (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2011 | Take That: Progress Live · as Self |
| 2011 | The Jonathan Ross Show (TV Series) · as Self - Musical Guest |
| 2010 | Take That: Look Back, Don't Stare · as Self |
| 2010 | Radio 2 In Concert (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | Take That: In Session At Abbey Road · as Self |
| 2009 | Take That: The Circus Live · as Self |
| 2009 | The Project (2009) (TV Series) · as Self - Take That |
| 2009 | Take That: Where Did It All Go Right? · as Self |
| 2009 | Skavlan (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2008 | Take That Come to Town · as Self |
| 2008 | MTV Europe Music Awards Liverpool 08 · as Self - Performer |
| 2008 | Celebrity Juice (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2008 | Take That - Beautiful World Live · as Self |
| 2007 | The Big Fat Quiz of the Year · as Self |
| 2007 | Concert for Diana · as Self - Take That |
| 2007 | Comic Relief 2007: The Big One · as Self - Performer |
| 2007 | The Graham Norton Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2006 | An Audience with Take That: Live! · as Self |
| 2006 | Take That: The Ultimate Tour · as Self |
| 2006 | Take That: The Ultimate Story · as Self |
| 2006 | Beat the Raab (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2006 | The ONE Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2006 | Take That: For the Record · as Self |
| 2006 | Dancing on Ice (TV Series) · as Self - Performer |
| 2004 | The Xtra Factor (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2004 | The X Factor (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2004 | Le grand journal de Canal+ (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2002 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (TV Series) · as Self - Performer |
| 2001 | Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2001 | Lorraine (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 1999 | Loose Women (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1998 | Die Johannes B. Kerner Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1996 | TFI Friday (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1995 | Tough (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1994 | Take That: Live in Berlin · as Self |
| 1993 | Live & Kicking (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1993 | GMTV (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1992 | The Big Breakfast (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1990 | Söndagsöppet (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1990 | Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1990 | The Word (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1989 | Geld oder Liebe (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1988 | This Morning (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1988 | LIVE with Kelly and Mark (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1987 | Going Live! (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1981 | Wetten, dass..? (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1978 | An Audience With (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1964 | Top of the Pops (TV Series) · as Self - Host |
| 1951 | Sanremo Music Festival (TV Series) · as Self - Performer |