Donato portrayed the character Derek Haig on Degrassi: The Next Generation. Other roles he has played include those in Doc, Locked in Silence, The Blue Butterfly, and, recently, Ethan in The Future Is Wild. He also had small roles as Adam in Pay It Forward, Davey in White Oleander, and as a kid in Adam Sandler's kindergarten class in Billy Madison. He starred in the thriller film The Final.