His parents were enthusiastic amateur actors, and he had an inclination for theatre from an early age.

He studied at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts (in Czech: JAMU).

During his studies he already appeared in the Brno theatre Husa na provázku, where he was engaged after he graduated at JAMU in 1973.

[2] Donutil collaborated with directors Petr Scherhaufer, Eva Tálská and Zdeněk Pospíšil, and performed in approximately 50 plays in Husa na provázku.

[2] Since 1978 he began to deal with film, and his first promising role was Nikola Šuhaj in Balada pro banditu (1978).