Jeffrey Donovan, the actor from America best known for his starring role in the popular TV show “Burn Notice,” has made a clear decision about his forthcoming plans: he will remain absent to Los Angeles. The 57-year-old actor, who gained widespread recognition portraying former CIA operative Michael Westen over seven seasons of the spy thriller, has instead dedicated himself to bringing up his children in Colorado. In a recent chat with Fox News Digital, Donovan revealed that his decision to relocate occurred after encountering his wife on a production set, and the couple has since built a life together in the Rocky Mountain state with their three children, with absolutely no desire of ever departing.
A Transformative Encounter in the Mountain Region
The trajectory of Jeffrey Donovan’s life transformed significantly when he met his prospective spouse, Michelle Woods, whilst working on a film project. What began as a fortuitous meeting on set developed into something substantially more important. Woods, a Colorado native, familiarised Donovan with her home state, and he found himself captivated by both the woman and the place. “Once I started visiting there, I continued going back,” Donovan shared during his interview. The couple married in August 2012 in a modest celebration in Santa Barbara, California, just a year after their original introduction in 2011, solidifying a relationship that would ultimately reshape his entire life and career priorities.
Since settling in Colorado, Donovan and Woods have received three children together: Claire, Lucas and Ethan. The actor credits the state’s outstanding climate and family-oriented environment as main factors for his decision to make Colorado a permanent home. Unlike many of his Hollywood colleagues who continue raising families in Los Angeles, Donovan has found that parenting in Colorado involves fewer difficulties. He attributes this partly to the state’s abundant sunshine—more than Arizona and New Mexico, he claims—and its commitment to healthy living. Despite maintaining friendships with colleagues scattered across California, Donovan remains adamant that Colorado offers the perfect environment for his family’s wellbeing and his own satisfaction.
- Met wife Michelle Woods on movie set in 2011
- Wed in Santa Barbara, California in Aug. 2012
- Raising three children: Claire, Lucas and Ethan
- Colorado gets more sunlight than Arizona and New Mexico
The Colorado Advantage for Families
Donovan’s decision to remain in Colorado stems from a pragmatic assessment of what suits his family. Whilst many of his Hollywood contemporaries keep raising children in Los Angeles, the actor has discovered that Colorado presents a fundamentally different—and substantially less demanding—environment for raising children. He acknowledges that raising kids is challenging for everyone, yet he has discovered the experience considerably more manageable in the Colorado mountains. “I find it easier in Colorado, which plays to my ability of raising kids,” he explained candidly. This frank evaluation reveals a man who values his family’s welfare over the glamour and professional connections that Los Angeles offers to established actors.
The actor sustains close friendships with colleagues based throughout California, yet he remains resolute in his commitment to Colorado. Rather than viewing his relocation as a compromise, Donovan presents it as a deliberate choice to improve his standard of living and his children’s upbringing. He has seen directly how his friends in Los Angeles grapple with the demands of parenting in a high-pressure entertainment industry hub. By contrast, Colorado’s relaxed atmosphere and strong community values have offered his family with a sense of balance that would be difficult to replicate on the West Coast. For Donovan, the choice is clear: no amount of work prospects could validate relocating his family from their current home.
Sunlight and Wellness
Colorado’s reputation as a wellness-focused region with an commitment to outdoor activities proved especially attractive to Donovan and his family. The state boasts an exceptional number of sunny days annually—more, Donovan claims, than even traditionally sun-drenched states like Arizona and New Mexico. This profusion of natural light enhances the state’s overall wellness culture, prompting inhabitants to embrace active lifestyles and outdoor recreation. The actor’s remark regarding Colorado being “the sunshine state” rather than Florida, which he jokingly called “the thunderstorm state,” emphasises his regard for the region’s weather benefits and their constructive influence on daily living.
The healthy lifestyle that Colorado promotes matches well with Donovan’s values as a parent and person. The state’s commitment to physical activity, outdoor recreation, and environmental awareness provides an excellent environment for raising children who understand the importance of physical wellbeing and connection to nature. From hiking and skiing to biking and camping, Colorado offers year-round chances for families to engage in wellness activities together. This emphasis on wellness extends beyond simple physical activity, encompassing mental health benefits gained from spending time in mountain environments and communities that emphasise quality of life over material accumulation.
- Colorado enjoys more sunshine than Arizona and New Mexico in total
- State supports physical activity in natural settings and wellness culture
- Family-friendly communities emphasise wellness and outdoor living
From Burn Notice to Biblical Drama
Jeffrey Donovan’s career path has brought him from the fast-paced world of espionage television to exploring deep spiritual stories on screen. His breakout role as Michael Westen in “Burn Notice” catapulted him to widespread recognition in 2007, initiating a seven-season run that proved to be a cultural juggernaut. The role demanded rigorous physical performance and emotional complexity, with Donovan not only starring in the series but also helming several episodes. Despite the gruelling nature of the project, Donovan has expressed gratitude for the opportunity, recognising that without taking on that challenging part, his life trajectory would have been fundamentally different.
Today, Donovan continues to challenge himself with varied and purposeful projects that demonstrate his development as an artist. He has recently taken on the role of Abraham in the three-part series “The Faithful,” which reinterprets the Book of Genesis through the perspectives of five women central to those biblical stories. This shift away from action-driven narratives demonstrates Donovan’s commitment to exploring complex character work and spiritual themes. The shift represents not merely a professional change, but rather a logical evolution for an actor pursuing roles that provide deeper thematic resonance and creative fulfilment beyond the constraints of commercial television.
Representing Abraham along with Establishing Connection
Taking on the role of Abraham in “The Faithful” constitutes a major creative undertaking for Donovan, requiring him to embody one of history’s most pivotal biblical figures. The character requires subtlety and self-reflection, as Abraham must be depicted not as a distant historical figure but as a fully realised human grappling with faith, doubt, and moral ambiguity. Donovan’s background with characters of moral complexity in past work has positioned him strongly for this interpretation. The series’ distinctive method of highlighting women’s voices within these classical narratives introduces further depth, challenging traditional interpretations and encouraging viewers to reassess familiar stories through new perspectives.
For Donovan, exploring material of sacred meaning offers a pleasant departure to the high-energy, action-focused work that defined much of his career. The deliberate, character-driven nature of “The Faithful” allows for the type of reflective performance work that aligns with his present-day values and values. Living in Colorado with his family has provided him the psychological freedom and emotional clarity to pursue projects founded on creative quality rather than market demands. This alignment between his personal choices and work commitments demonstrates how his relocation has brought about not just a shift in how he lives, but a complete reassessment of his priorities as both an creative professional and a human being.
Thoughts on Marriage, Parenthood and Purpose
Jeffrey Donovan’s decision to stay in Colorado rather than chase the conventional Hollywood lifestyle demonstrates a conscious prioritisation of family over professional progression. Encountering his wife Michelle Woods on set in 2011 turned out to be a pivotal moment that significantly altered his life path. The couple’s subsequent marriage in 2012 and the birth of their three children—Claire, Lucas, and Ethan—have solidified Colorado as the family’s primary residence. Donovan’s frank admission that being a parent poses considerable difficulties illustrates his practical approach to family matters, and his belief that Colorado offers an environment where these difficulties feel more manageable says a great deal about his values and what matters most.
The actor’s views regarding bringing up kids in Colorado against Los Angeles demonstrates a thoughtful assessment of quality of life and environmental conditions. Despite keeping friendships with various colleagues in California, Donovan stays firm in his conviction that Colorado delivers better conditions for raising a family. He attributes the state’s generous sunshine—more than Arizona or New Mexico, he asserts—and its advocacy for healthy living as key factors in his decision. His self-aware humour about his parenting abilities, observing that Colorado’s relative simplicity of raising children “plays to my talent level,” reflects both honesty and a admirable willingness to recognise that different environments suit different families.
- Met wife Michelle Woods whilst completing a work assignment in Colorado
- Bringing up three kids in Colorado instead of pursuing Los Angeles opportunities
- Colorado receives more sunshine than Arizona and New Mexico together
- Family values healthy living and quality of life over closeness to entertainment industry hubs
