Walter Donovan

A wealthy hunter whose desire for immortality cost him his life.

Walter Donovan is a wealthy American businessman and self-proclaimed grail hunter who initiates the quest for the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. As his father's financial backer, he tasks Indiana Jones with finding both the missing Henry Jones Sr. and the Grail. While he appears as a legitimate patron of archaeology, Donovan is secretly working with the Nazis. His primary motivation is achieving immortality through the power of the Grail. Portrayed by Julian Glover, who originally auditioned for the role of Ernst Vogel, Donovan adopted an American accent for the film, though the actor expressed dissatisfaction with the final result.

Quick Facts

First appears: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Motivation: Immortality via the Holy Grail

Lore & Background

Donovan acts as the financial backer for Henry Jones Sr.'s original search for the Holy Grail. He tasks Indiana Jones with locating both Henry and the artifact after Henry's disappearance in 1938. Donovan collaborates closely with Dr. Elsa Schneider, an Austrian art professor who poses as a scholar but is actually a Nazi agent. Henry is held at Brunwald Castle in Austria, which is under Nazi control commanded by Standartenführer Ernst Vogel. At the castle, Elsa reveals herself and Donovan to be Nazi collaborators and takes Henry's diary. Walter Donovan, Henry's financial backer, tasks Indy with finding both his father and the Grail.

Reader's Guide

Walter Donovan is the deceptive financier of the Grail hunt. He is distinct from the Nazi military command, though he works in tandem with them. Elsa deliberately gives him the wrong cup, and he dies of rapid aging after drinking from it. Julian Glover was dissatisfied with his American accent for the role. Donovan's demise is swift: after Elsa gives him the incorrect cup, he suffers rapid aging upon drinking from it, proving the Grail cannot be used for selfish immortality by those unworthy.