Richard Louis Donato (born June 24, 1963) is a bar manager and
podcaster from
Los Angeles, California whose nickname is Evel Dick. He was the winner of the
reality game show ''
Big Brother 8''. He and his daughter, Daniele Donato, are the only family member pair to win the American ''Big Brother'' program's top two prizes in the same competition. Dick holds the record as the show's oldest winner (age 44 at the time), and Daniele is the youngest person (having turned 21 during the competition) ever to win one of the American program's top two prizes. Dick returned for
Season 13 of ''Big Brother'' as a team with his daughter Daniele, but departed the show citing "personal reasons" during the first week. In 2014, Donato announced that the reason he departed the show was due to a positive
HIV diagnosis.
Biography
Donato was a
stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup.
Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production.
Stand-ins a ...
for
Keith Richards in the 2007 motion picture ''
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End''. Because of Donato's claims to have met, known, or even dated various celebrities, he has been accused of lying just to drop names. However,
Dizzy Reed of the rock band
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
says that Donato is not a name dropper, that people drop his name. The nickname "Evel Dick" originated with an email address Donato once made up. Donato is the father of Vincent and Daniele Donato.
After ''Big Brother''
Donato said he planned to use a portion of the $500,000 to pay for his daughter's college education. Although directly splitting prize winnings was banned by contest rules, he could pay for his daughter's education and buy presents. On Wednesday, March 19, 2008, episode of ''
Big Brother 9'', Donato revealed that he had taken Daniele to Europe and bought her a red car with his prize money.
Donato was nominated for and won the Golden Realitini for Favorite Reality Performer in the Fox Reality Really Awards for 2007 against
Len Goodman,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
,
Sanjaya Malakar
Sanjaya Joseph Malakar (born September 10, 1989) is an American singer, who was a finalist on the sixth season of ''American Idol''. He gained national attention on the series, controversially advancing to 7th place with public votes, despite bei ...
,
Ant (comedian), and
Christopher Knight Christopher or Chris Knight may refer to:
Film and television
*Christopher Knight (actor) (born 1957), American actor
* Christopher Knight (filmmaker), blogger and filmmaker
* Chris Knight (''Neighbours''), fictional character in the soap opera '' ...
&
Adrianne Curry. He was also nominated for Best Winner, Favorite Villain (which he also won), Favorite Potty Mouth, and Best Fight for his confrontation with
Jen Johnson.
Fox Reality Channel recorded the ceremony on October 2, 2007, and aired it on October 13.
In 2009, ''
TV Guide'' Named "Evel Dick" Donato on the list of "Evil Reality TV Villains" placing him on the list next to 12 others including
Simon Cowell and
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay (; born ) is a British chef, restaurateur, television personality and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall; it currently holds a tot ...
In 2011, Donato returned to ''Big Brother'' on
the thirteenth season of the American ''Big Brother'' alongside his daughter despite reports they had not spoken to each other for three years. He left the house on day 6 of the show stating that something bad had happened to someone close to him. It was later revealed that the show's medical staff had discovered that he was HIV positive and provided that information to him in the Diary Room.
Donato was a cast member on Season 5 of ''
Couples Therapy'' on VH1 with Dr. Jenn Berman. On October 1, 2014, Donato revealed on the show that he has been living with HIV since 2011. He told ''People'' magazine he does not know how he contracted the disease, but he suspects that it happened during unprotected sex with a stripper in Las Vegas after a long night of drinking.
References
External links
"Evel" Dick Donato on MySpace*
Photo Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donato, Dick
1963 births
Living people
American atheists
American expatriates in Ireland
American people of Italian descent
Big Brother (American TV series) winners
People from Los Angeles
People with HIV/AIDS