Bruce Davison | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Davison in 2015 | |
| Born | (1946-06-28)June 28, 1946 (age 79) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Pennsylvania State University, University Park(BA) New York University(MFA) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Bruce Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor who has appeared in more than 270 films, television and stage productions since his debut in 1968.[1] His breakthrough role was as Willard Stiles in the 1971 cult horror filmWillard. He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and won aGolden Globe Award and anIndependent Spirit Award for his performance inLongtime Companion (1989).
Davison is also known for his roles as George Henderson on the television sitcomHarry and the Hendersons (1991–93), Captain Wyler on the crime drama seriesHunter (1985–89), Howard Finnegan inRobert Altman’sShort Cuts,Reverend Samuel Parris in the1996 film adaptation ofThe Crucible, and asSenator Robert Kelly in thesuperhero filmsX-Men (2000) andX2 (2003). He is both aDaytime Emmy and aPrimetime Emmy Award nominee.
Davison was born in 1946 inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his mother and spent weekends with his father.[2]
He graduated in 1964 fromMarple Newtown Senior High School, enteredPenn State as an art major, and then stumbled into acting when he accompanied a friend to an audition. He attendedNew York University's acting program, graduating in 1969.[3][4]
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Davison made his Broadway debut inTiger at the Gates in 1968. He also appeared asJohn Merrick inThe Elephant Man, and starred inThe Glass Menagerie withJessica Tandy.[3] Davison was one of a quartet of newcomers, includingBarbara Hershey,Richard Thomas, andCatherine Burns, when he made his film debut inLast Summer in 1969. In 1970, he played oppositeKim Darby inThe Strawberry Statement, a film about peaceful student protest and its violent outcome.[5] A year later he portrayed the title role in the 1971 version ofWillard, based on the novelRatman's Notebooks. He also appeared inUlzana's Raid;Peege;Mame;Mother, Jugs & Speed;Short Eyes;The Lathe of Heaven andSix Degrees of Separation.
Davison was an uncredited extra inSteven Spielberg'sClose Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). He recalled, "Steven Spielberg was a great friend, although I never got to work with him, except for playing an extra inClose Encounters of the Third Kind because we were friends. I got off the mothership as one of the pilots."[6]
Davison has worked extensively in television. In 1973, he played the brother of a crippledNatalie Wood in the made-for-TV movieThe Affair onABC. In 1978, Davison appeared asDean Torrence withRichard Hatch in the biopicDeadman's Curve (the story of 1960s pop duoJan & Dean). The same year, he played the title role in the television film adaptationSummer of My German Soldier.
In 1981, he had the lead role inThe Wave based onreal events, starring as a history teacher who had conducted an experiment in Nazi philosophy on his own students.
Davison also starred inTales from the Darkside (Season 1, Episode 8) and played the role of the father in the short-livedHarry and the Hendersons TV series.
In 1983, Davison was cast byJoseph Papp in thePublic Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival production ofKing Richard III. AdditionalOff-Broadway credits includeLove Letters,The Cocktail Hour andPaula Vogel'sPulitzer Prize-winning playHow I Learned to Drive. He also played the role of Ruby in the 1985 comedySpies Like Us, starringDan Aykroyd andChevy Chase.
In 1990, he portrayed a homosexual man whose lover is dying of AIDS inLongtime Companion. The role earned Davison a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor and aGolden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture. He concluded his Golden Globe acceptance speech[7] with the hope that humankind would devote as much effort to the war on AIDS as its wars against each other. Davison appeared in other films addressing AIDS: in 1995'sThe Cure, he portrayed a physician sought by a young boy with AIDS in search of medical help. In 1996, Davison appeared in the filmIt'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 is a spokesperson for many AIDS-related groups and is a board member of the industry AIDS organization Hollywood Supports.[3]
In Los Angeles, Davison has appeared on stage inStreamers andThe Normal Heart, winning the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award andDrama-Logue Award for his performances. Other theatre credits includeThe Caine Mutiny Court Martial (directed byHenry Fonda) and a stage adaptation ofTo Kill a Mockingbird.[3]
Davison had roles inRunaway Jury andApt Pupil, as well as theX-Men film franchise asRobert Kelly in thefirst film andMystique impersonating Kelly inX2. He was the fanatical ReverendSamuel Parris inArthur Miller's screen adaptation of his playThe Crucible. Davison also portrayed a rich philanthropist in the filmChristmas Angel. Davison's many television credits includeHunter (in which he was a semi-regular for at least one season);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;Supernatural;Ghost Whisperer;Castle;Hawaii Five-0; theStephen King mini-seriesKingdom Hospital; and a recurring role onThe Practice. He played Mark Davis, a therapist who was a love interest forCybill Shepherd's character in a Season 1 episode ("Look Who's Stalking") of her sitcomCybill. Davison also had the recurring role of defense attorney Doug Hellman inClose to Home.
In 2001, Davison directed the TV filmOff Season, which starredSherilyn Fenn,Rory Culkin,Hume Cronyn andAdam Arkin. In 2007, Davison returned to the big screen as the father of Eric O'Neill inBreach. Also in that year, Davison was cast in the role of Charles Graiman, a protege of Wilton Knight who was the creator of the Knight Industries Three Thousand, inNBC's revival of the television seriesKnight Rider.
Davison also played the role of Dr. Silberman, the psychiatrist who once tormentedSarah Connor, in the seventh episode ofTerminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. He portrayed Nick Anderson (a secret Santa Claus) in the television filmChristmas Angel in 2009. In May 2010, Davison was cast to portray art dealer Wilhelm Van Schlagel for several episodes onGeneral Hospital to begin airing in July 2010.
In 2010, he starred in the television filmTitanic II. In 2011, he starred as Police Chief Kirkhoven in the filmMunger Road, and appeared in the Christmas film3 Holiday Tails. In 2012, he appeared inRob Zombie'sThe Lords of Salem. In addition, he played Secretary of StateWilliam H. Seward in the filmSaving Lincoln.
He played the role ofRear Admiral Arthur Shepard,Lieutenant Grace Shepard's father, in the short-stint TV seriesLast Resort.
In 2016, Davison starred as Dr. Stanley Cole in the comedy/fantasyAbnormal Attraction.[8]
On December 12, 2025, Bruce guest-starred in the "Heaven and Nature" episode ofNCIS as Lester Burm.
From 1969 to 1971, Davison had an unpublicized affair with married actressSondra Locke. In 2017, one year before Locke's death, Davison acknowledged their affair on the DVD commentary forWillard.[9]
Davison has been married three times and has two children. He married actressJess Walton on May 20, 1972, but the marriage was annulled in March 1973. He was engaged to actressKaren Austin.[10] He has a son, Ethan, born April 5, 1996, from his marriage to actressLisa Pelikan. They were married from July 4, 1986 until their divorce in April 2006.[11] Davison and Michele Correy married on April 30, 2006. They have a daughter, Sophia, born May 29, 2006. They reside inWoodland Hills, California.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Medical Center | Mickey Peters | Episode: "A Duel with Doom" |
| NBC Experiment in Television | YoungIshmael | Episode: "Moby Tick" | |
| 1970–1979 | Insight | William/Greg/Randy King/Andy Fry | 4 episodes |
| 1971 | Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law | Raymond 'Cowboy' Leatherberry | Episode: "A Pattern of Morality" |
| 1972 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Donald Lorimer | Episode: "Love Is When They Say They Need You" |
| 1973 | Hec Ramsey | Josh Hollister | Episode: "The Mystery of Chalk Hill" |
| Cops | Detective Dennis Till | Television film | |
| Love, American Style | David | Episode: "Love and the Secret Spouse" | |
| Break Up | Himself | Television special | |
| The Affair | Jamie Patterson | Television film | |
| 1974 | Love Story | Jeffrey | Episode: "Time for Love" |
| Ma and Pa | Frank | Television film | |
| The Lives of Benjamin Franklin | William Franklin | 4 episodes | |
| 1974–1978 | Police Story | Clyde Griffiths/Victor Joe Vero | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | The Waltons | Bob Hill | Episode: "The Shivaree" |
| The Last Survivors | Michael Larsen | Television film | |
| 1976 | Police Woman | Binns | Episode: "Bait" |
| 1977 | ABC Weekend Specials | Bruce | Episode: "Portrait of Grandpa Doc" |
| The Gathering | George | Television film | |
| 1978 | Deadman's Curve | Dean Torrence | |
| Summer of My German Soldier | Anton Reiker | ||
| Mourning Becomes Electra | Orin Mannon | 5 episodes | |
| 1979 | Mind Over Murder | Jason | Television film |
| The Gathering, Part II | George | ||
| Lou Grant | Andrew Raines | 2 episodes | |
| 1980 | The Lathe of Heaven | George Orr | Television film |
| 1981 | The Wave | Ben Ross | |
| Incident at Crestridge | Clint Larsen | ||
| 1982 | The Astronauts | Technical Officer David Ackroyd | |
| 1983 | Ghost Dancing | Calvin Oberst | |
| 1984 | Tales from the Darkside | Richard Hagstrom | Episode: "The Word Processor of the Gods" |
| 1985 | V | John Langley | 3 episodes |
| 1985–1989 | Hunter | Captain/Deputy Chief Wyler | 16 episodes |
| 1987 | Murder, She Wrote | David Carroll | Episode: "The Cemetery Vote" |
| 1990 | Designing Women | Reverend Eugene "Gene" Chapman | Episode: "Have Faith" |
| 1991–1993 | Harry and the Hendersons | George Henderson | 72 episodes |
| 1992 | Desperate Choices: To Save My Child | Richard Robbins | Television film |
| Live! From Death Row | Laurence Dvorak | ||
| 1993 | A Mother's Revenge | Bill Sanders | |
| 1995 | Down, Out & Dangerous | Brad Harrington | |
| The Outer Limits | Dr. McEnerney | Episode: "White Light Fever" | |
| Cybill | Mark Davis | Episode: "Look Who's Stalking" | |
| 1996 | Star Trek: Voyager | Jareth | Episode: "Remember" |
| After Jimmy | Ward "Sam" Stapp | Television film | |
| Hidden in America | Dr. Michael Millerton | ||
| 1996–1997 | Seinfeld | Wyck | 3 episodes |
| 1998 | Touched by an Angel | Jacob "Jake" Weiss | Episode: "Elijah" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series |
| 1999 | Vendetta | Thomas Semmes | Television film |
| 1999–2000 | Chicago Hope | Dr. Burt Peters | 2 episodes |
| 2000–2001 | The Practice | Scott Wallace | 9 episodes |
| 2001 | Off Season | Dr. Zimmer | Television film (also director) Nominated—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special |
| 2002 | Without a Trace | Paul Cartwright | Episode: "Pilot" |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Dr. Graham Mandell | Episode: "Waste" | |
| Star Trek: Enterprise | Menos | Episode: "The Seventh" | |
| L.A. Law: The Movie | Lawrence Diebenkorn | Television film | |
| 2003 | Out of the Ashes | Peter Schuman | |
| 2004 | Kingdom Hospital | Dr. Stegman | 13 episodes |
| JAG | Dr. Morris Sperling | Episode: "The Man on the Bridge" | |
| 2005 | Numb3rs | Robert Oliver | Episode: "Sacrifice" |
| The Triangle | Stan Lathem | 3 episodes | |
| Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Peter Betts | Episode: "Baby Boom" | |
| 2005–2007 | Close to Home | Attorney Doug Hellman | 13 episodes |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Dane Daniels | Episode: "Dead Air" |
| 2006–2010 | Lost | Dr. Douglas Brooks | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | The L Word | Leonard Kroll | 3 episodes |
| Battlestar Galactica | Dr. Michael Robert | Episode: "The Woman King" | |
| 2008 | Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles | Dr. Peter Silberman | Episode: "The Demon Hand" |
| 2008–2009 | Knight Rider | Dr. Charles Graiman | 11 episodes |
| 2009 | Criminal Minds | Father Davison | Episode: "Demonology" |
| 2009–2010 | Ghost Whisperer | Josh Bedford | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | Psych | Walter Snowden | Episode: "Think Tank" |
| General Hospital | Wilhelm von Schlagel | 5 episodes | |
| 2011 | Castle | Lou Karnacki | Episode: "Law & Murder" |
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Avery Tinsdale | Episode: "Father of the Bride" | |
| Hawaii Five-0 | Steven Carver | Episode: "Ua Lawe Wale (Taken)" | |
| Childrens Hospital | Narrator | Episode: "Childrens Hospital: A Play in Three Acts" | |
| Covert Affairs | Max Langford | Episode: "Horse to Water" | |
| 2011–2012 | Drop Dead Diva | Judge Cyrus Maxwell | 3 episodes |
| 2012 | Bigfoot | Sheriff Walt Gunderson | Television film (also director) |
| Luck | Hartstone | 2 episodes | |
| Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 | Gabe Sharpe | Episode: "Whatever It Takes..." | |
| 2012–2013 | Last Resort | Admiral Arthur Shepard | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Those Who Kill | Howard Burgess | 10 episodes |
| The Legend of Korra | Zuko | Voice, 6 episodes[12] | |
| Sequestered | Mr. Firman | 12 episodes | |
| 2014–2016 | Kingdom | Ron Prince | 4 episodes |
| 2015–2018 | The Fosters | Stuart Adams | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | The Exorcist | Pope Sebastian | Episode: "Chapter Ten: Three Rooms" |
| TripTank | Daytona Jack | Voice, episode: "Buck Wild"[12] | |
| 2017 | Love Locks | Hugo Blanchet | Television film |
| 2018 | Mozart in the Jungle | Hesby | 3 episodes |
| Forgive Me | Archbishop | Episode: "With the Help of Your Grace To Sin No More" | |
| 2019 | Creepshow | Avery "Whitey" Whitlock | Episode: "Night of the Paw/Times is Tough in Musky Holler" |
| The Son | Roy Endicott | Episode: "Legend"[citation needed] | |
| Defrost: The Virtual Series | Michael Garrison | Television film | |
| Christmas at the Plaza | Reginald Brookwater | Television film | |
| 2020 | The Gift of Christmas | Bob Rodgers | Television film |
| 2022 | Ozark | Sen. Randall Schafer | 6 episodes |
| The Lincoln Lawyer | Judge Walter Abrams | Episode: "The Brass Verdict" | |
| 2022–2023 | 1923 | Arthur | 2 episodes |
| 2023– 2025 | Bosch: Legacy | James Rafferty | 2 episodes[14] |
