Rick Donald is an Australian actor, producer, writer and director. He was born in Townsville, Queensland and he grew up in the suburb of Cranbrook. He attended Kirwan State High School, where his mother encouraged him to take drama classes. He later studied performance at James Cook University, and attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) for three years.
Donald made his screen debut in the 2007 television series Sea Patrol. This was followed by recurring or guest roles in Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo (2011), Crownies (2011), Underbelly: Razor (2011), and Home and Away (2011) as Dead O'Mara. Donald played Mr. Tuck in House Husbands (2013) and Constable Daniel Parks in The Doctor Blake Mysteries (2013-2017), before relocating to the United States where he starred in the 2014 sitcom Friends with Better Lives.
When Friends with Better Lives was cancelled after one season, Donald returned to Australia where he joined the casts of A Place to Call Home (2015-2016) as Lloyd Ellis-Parker and 800 Words (2015-2018) as Jeff "Woody" Woodson, which earned him a Logie Award nomination. In 2019, Donald played prison officer Sean Brody in Wentworth and appeared in the New Zealand comedy series Educators (2019-2020). From 2020 to 2011, Donald had a recurring role in Home and Away as Kieran Baldivis (his second role in the series).
Donald is also a producer, writer and director. He produced, wrote and directed the short film The ATM, which was entered into the 2016 Tropfest, where it placed third in the competition. Donald won the Best Male Actor award for his performance in the film. He also wrote songs for his Friends with Better Lives character. Donald also appears in the 2021 7mate comedy series Australia's Sexiest Tradie, which he created, produced, wrote and directed. He stars as Frankie, a plumber who enters a radio contest to find Australia's sexiest tradie in a bid to impress his father. In 2024, Donald appeared in the 7plus streaming series Roast Night which he also created, produced, wrote and directed. In 2024, Donald appeared in the comedy crime mystery series Population 11 on Stan.
Donald has been married to fellow actor Catherine Mack-Hancock since 2016.
