Bruce Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an
American actor and
director.
Early life
Davison was born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, graduated in 1964 at Marple Newtown Senior High School, the son of Marian E. (
née Holmes), a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and
draftsman for the Army Engineers.
[Bruce Davison Biography (1946-)] His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his mother, and also spent weekends with his father.
[IGN: An Interview with Bruce Davison] Davison entered
Penn State as an art major but stumbled into acting when he accompanied a friend to an audition.
Career
Davison made his
Broadway debut in
Tiger at the Gates in 1968. He also appeared as
John Merrick in
The Elephant Man and in
The Glass Menagerie opposite
Jessica Tandy. Davison was one of a quartet of newcomers including
Barbara Hershey,
Richard Thomas, and
Catherine Burns when he made his film debut in
Last Summer in 1969. In 1970 he played opposite Kim Darby in the iconic film about peaceful student protest and its violent outcome "The Strawberry Statement". Two years later he portrayed the title role in
Willard. He also appeared in
Ulzana's Raid,
Peege,
Mame,
Mother, Jugs & Speed,
Short Eyes,
The Lathe of Heaven, and
Six Degrees of Separation. In 1978 he appeared opposite actor
Richard Hatch in the made-for-tv biopic of 1960s pop duo
Jan & Dean Deadman's Curve, playing the role of
Dean Torrence. The same year, he played the title role in the TV movie adaptation
Summer Of My German Soldier.
In 1983, Davison was cast by
Joseph Papp in the
Public Theater/
New York Shakespeare Festival production of
King Richard III. Additional
off-Broadway credits include
Love Letters,
The Cocktail Hour, and
Paula Vogel's
Pulitzer Prize-winning play
How I Learned To Drive. He also played the role of Ruby in the 1985 comedy "
Spies Like Us" starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase.
His breakthrough role was that of David, a
gay man whose lover is dying of
AIDS, in
Longtime Companion (1990). This film was the first feature film to put a human face on AIDS and people affected by it, which at that time were mostly gay men. The role earned Davison a nomination for the
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Davison went on to appear in other movies addressing AIDS: in 1995's
The Cure, he portrayed a physician sought by a young boy with AIDS in search of medical help. In 1996, Davison appeared in the film
It's My Party, which chronicled the true events of a man dying with AIDS who decides to hold a farewell party for family and friends before taking his own life. Davison's website states he is a spokesperson for many AIDS-related groups and is a board member of the industry AIDS organization
Hollywood Supports.
In Los Angeles, Davison has appeared on stage in
Streamers and
The Normal Heart, winning the
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and
Drama-Logue Award for his performances. Other LA theatre credits include
The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (directed by
Henry Fonda) and a stage adaptation of
To Kill a Mockingbird.
He is familiar to movie audiences for
Runaway Jury,
Apt Pupil, and his role as
Senator Robert Kelly in the
X-Men movie franchise. Though his character died in the
first film, Davison appeared in
X2 as a shapeshifting impostor of Kelly. Davison's many television credits include
Marcus Welby, M.D.,
Love, American Style,
The Waltons,
Lou Grant,
Murder, She Wrote,
Designing Women,
Seinfeld,
Chicago Hope,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,
V: The Series,
Star Trek: Voyager,
Star Trek: Enterprise,
Battlestar Galactica,
Lost,
CSI: Miami, the
Stephen King mini-series
Kingdom Hospital, and a recurring role on
The Practice. Davison also had the recurring role of defense attorney Doug Hellman in the
CBS drama
Close to Home.
In 2001, Davison directed the TV film
Off Season, which starred his
Lovelife co-star
Sherilyn Fenn,
Rory Culkin,
Hume Cronyn, and
Adam Arkin. In 2007, Davidson returned to the big screen, playing Eric O'Neill's father in
Breach. Also in that year, Davison was cast in the role of Charles Graiman; an eccentric physicist who creates the Knight Industries Three Thousand, the second generation
KITT in NBC's revival of the television series
Knight Rider.
Davison also played the role of
Dr. Silberman, the psychiatrist who once tormented
Sarah Connor, in the seventh episode of
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Personal life
Davison was married to Michele Correy on
April 30,
2006 and the two have one daughter, Sophia Lucinda Davison, born
May 29,
2006. From a previous marriage to fellow actor
Lisa Pelikan, Davison also has a son, Ethan, born
April 5,
1996. They reside in
Los Angeles.
Awards
Academy Awards
Golden Globe Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
Daytime Emmy Awards
- (2002) Nominated - Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special / Off Season
National Society of Film Critics' Awards
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
