Bruce Davison

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Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison (born 28 June 1946; age 77) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor who played Jareth in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Remember". He later portrayed Menos in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "The Seventh". His boots from the latter appearance were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

Davison first gained attention for playing the title role in the 1971 film Willard, and has since become known for his roles in such films as X-Men, Short Cuts, and Longtime Companion (for which he received an Academy Award nomination). He is also known for his regular and recurring roles in such television series as Hunter, Harry and the Hendersons, The Practice, Cold Case, and the recent Knight Rider. In addition to his Oscar nomination, he is the recipient of such accolades as two Golden Globes, an Independent Spirit Award, and an Emmy Award nomination.

Early life and career

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Davison began acting in the 1960s. He first gained recognition for his role in the 1969 teen drama Last Summer, which marked his film debut. He followed this with the lead role opposite TOS guest actress Kim Darby in the 1970 drama The Strawberry Statement, and the following year, he starred in the cult horror movie Willard. He played the title character in this film – a social misfit who uses rats to terrorize people – a role for which he is still well known.

Davison continued to act steadily throughout the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on both film and television and amassing some 60 credits in the process. Among his most notable films during this time period were the 1972 Western Ulzana's Raid, the 1974 musical Mame (starring Lucille Ball and featuring Barbara Bosson), the 1976 comedy Mother, Jugs & Speed, the 1984 drama Crimes of Passion, the 1985 comedy Spies Like Us (co-starring Bernie Casey), and the 1987 war movie The Misfit Bridgade, in which he had the lead role opposite Keith Szarabajka. Also during this time, he made appearances on such popular TV shows as Marcus Welby, M.D., Police Story, The Waltons, Lou Grant, V, and Murder, She Wrote (in an episode with Ed Lauter and John McLiam).

In 1980, Davison starred as John Merrick in the Broadway production of The Elephant Man, taking over the role from Philip Anglim. That same year, Davison gained much acclaim for his lead role as George Orr in the 1980 made-for-TV movie adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's science fiction work The Lathe of Heaven, where he starred along with Kevin Conway (who also participated in Broadway's The Elephant Man).

During the 1985-1986 TV season, Davison was a regular on the NBC police drama series Hunter, in which he played Captain Wyler. James Whitmore, Jr., was also a regular on this series at the time. Davison made several return appearances to the show in later seasons.

1990s

Davison received an Academy Award nomination as Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of a gay man whose lover is dying of AIDS in the 1990 drama Longtime Companion. He also won a Golden Globe, an Independent Spirit Award, a National Society of Film Critics Award, and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for his performance in Longtime Companion.

Davison became a regular on the TV series Harry and the Hendersons, which aired for three seasons from 1991 through 1993. He then had a major role in the 1993 ensemble drama Short Cuts, which won awards at the Golden Globes and the Venice Film Festival for Best Ensemble Cast. Others who were a part of that cast include fellow Voyager guest actor Charles Rocket and fellow Enterprise guest actor Zane Cassidy, the latter of whom played Davison's son in the film.

Davison later had roles in such films as Six Degrees of Separation (1993, with J.J. Abrams), The Cure (1995, with John Carroll Lynch and Mary McCusker), It's My Party (1996, with Sally Kellerman), The Crucible (1996, with Winona Ryder), Apt Pupil (1998, directed by Bryan Singer), and At First Sight (1999, co-starring Steven Weber). He also continued acting on television, including multiple appearances as Wyck Fayer on Seinfeld (starring Jason Alexander) and an Emmy Award-nominated performance in a 1998 episode of Touched by an Angel.

2000s

Davison is currently best known for playing Senator Robert Kelly in X-Men in 2000, working alongside Star Trek: The Next Generation actors Patrick Stewart and Famke Janssen. Although his character died in that movie, Davison returned for its sequel in 2003 to play the role of a mutant shape-shifter who had taken Senator Kelly's form.

His other film credits following the turn of the century include 2001's Crazy/Beautiful (in which he played the father of Kirsten Dunst's character), 2002's High Crimes (working alongside Ashley Judd and co-starring Jude Ciccolella and Enterprise star John Billingsley), 2003's Runaway Jury (with Bruce McGill, Leland Orser, and Henry Darrow), 2006's The Dead Girl (featuring Eva Loseth and Amy Benedict), and 2007's Breach.

Davison had a recurring role as an investment banker accused of murdering his wife on the TV series The Practice, co-starring such Star Trek alumni as Rene Auberjonois, Jerome Butler, Daniel Davis, Bruce French, Zach Grenier, Dakin Matthews, Tracy Middendorf, Randy Oglesby, Steve Rankin, and Jeremy Roberts. In 2002, Davison appeared in the pilot episode of the crime drama Without a Trace, on which Enrique Murciano is a regular. That same year, Davison was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for directing the children's movie Off Season. He also starred in the movie.

Davison and Ed Begley, Jr. were among those who starred in the thirteen-episode mini-series Kingdom Hospital, which aired in early 2004. From 2005 through 2007, Davison had a recurring role as defense attorney Doug Hellman on Close to Home, working with Erich Anderson, Ann Cusack, Jennifer Hetrick, Thomas Kopache, John Carroll Lynch, and Anne Ramsay. In 2007, Davison also had a recurring role on the Showtime series The L Word, which featured Kristanna Loken.

Other TV shows he has appeared on recently include JAG (in an episode with Michael Reilly Burke, Scott Lawrence, and Zoe McLellan), Numb3rs (with Elizabeth Dennehy), J.J. Abrams' Lost (starring Daniel Dae Kim and Terry O'Quinn), and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (starring Thomas Dekker and featuring location work by Scott Trimble) as Doctor Peter Silberman taking over the role played in the original trilogy by Earl Boen. He even appeared on Ronald D. Moore's popular re-imagining of the classic science fiction series Battlestar Galactica, which aired on the Sci-Fi Channel.

Davison had a supporting role in the 2008 TV movie The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice, directed by Jonathan Frakes. During the 2008-2009 television season, Davison was a regular on NBC's revival of the 1980s series Knight Rider.

External links

• Bruce Davison at Wikipedia
• Template:IMDb-link
• Bruce Davison at Battlestar Wiki