The younger brother of actor Guy Donato, he studied in San Beda from grade 2 until he graduated from college.
He made his first movie with Charito Solis and Diomedes Maturan in Rose Tattoo ng Buhay Ko (Rose Tattoo of my Life). He made several pictures for Licensed Vocational Nursing before the company closed in 1961. His second role was a rock star contestant in Combo Festival in which he was first paired with future wife Luz Valdez.
On July 8, 2015, he suffered a heart attack due to complications from colon cancer.