Fred O'Donovan

Fred O'Donovan (1930 – 14 May 2010) was an Irish theatre producer and businessman.

O'Donovan served as Chairman of the RTÉ Authority between 1981 and 1985. He was a co-founder of the Irish Cancer Society with Austin Darragh, an achievement he expressed his fondness for before he died.

On 23 January 2010, in an interview with Fiona McCann for The Irish Times, he vowed never to write a memoir, though admitted making an attempt only for former taoiseach Charles Haughey to "put me off". He ominously expressed his disbelief that he had made it to his eightieth year — "I can't get used to the fact that I'm alive", he remarked, whilst reflecting on his previous near brush with death. Tributes came from people including Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, veteran broadcaster Gay Byrne, and Tom Savage, who was RTÉ Authority chairman at the time of his death.