Person Details

Birthday:

Aliases: How , DJ HD , Take That

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Droylsden, Lancashire, England, UK

Homepage: http://www.howarddonald.de/

Movie Involvements: 39

TV Involvements: 3


Most Famous Work

Biography

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.

Most Famous Work

Blauer Panther – TV & Streaming Award
Average
0
Michael McIntyre's The Wheel
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6

Michael McIntyre's The Wheel

(2020) Self - Expert
One Love Manchester
Average
9

One Love Manchester

(2017) Self
The Coronation Concert
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6
London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony: A Symphony of British Music
Average
7
Concert for Diana
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8

Concert for Diana

(2007) Self
The 90s: Ten Years That Changed the World
Average
9

The 90s: Ten Years That Changed the World

(2015) Self (archive footage)
Take That Live 2015
Average
10

Take That Live 2015

(2015) himself

Acting

Year Character Movie/Tv
2023 Self
Self
Train Busker
Self
2020 Self - Expert
2019 Self
Self - Special Guest
Self
2018 Self
Self (archive footage)
2017 Self
Self
Self
2016 Self
2015 Self
Self
Self
Self (archive footage)
2014 Self - Take That
2012 Self - Take That
2011 Self
2010 Self
Self
2009 Himself
Self
Self
Self - Guest
2008 Self
Self
Self
Self
2007 Self - Take That
Self
Self
Self - Musical Guest
Self - Take That
2006 Self
Self
Self
2005 Self (archive footage)
2004 Self
2002 Self - Performer
1995 Self
Self
1994 Self
Self
Self
1993 Self
Self
1992 Self
1989 Self
1988 Self
1987 Self - Take That
1978 Self
Self
Himself
Year Character Movie/Tv

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