BRUCE DAVISON

'Bruce Davison' (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Career

Personal life

References

External links

Biography

Early life

Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Marian E. and Clair W. Davison, who divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his mother, a secretary, and also spent weekends with his father, who was an architect and draftsman for the Army Engineers.^[1] 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. Two years later he portrayed the title role in ''Willard''. He also appeared in ''Mame'', ''Mother, Jugs & Speed'', ''The Lathe of Heaven'', ''Six Degrees of Separation''.
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''.
His breakthrough role was the portrayal of 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'', '', ''V'', '', '', ''Battlestar Galactica'', ''Lost'', '', the Stephen King mini-series ''Kingdom Hospital'', and a recurring role on ''The Practice''. At present Davison appears in 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.

Personal life

Davison was married to Jess Walton before marrying Lisa Pelican in 1986. Ten years later, on April 5, 1996, the couple welcomed a baby son named Marian E. Davison. Pelican filed for divorce on March 24, 2003. Bruce married his current wife, Michele Correy, on April 30, 2006. They reside in Los Angeles.

References

1. http://movies.ign.com/articles/399/399893p1.html

External links

★ Official website

★ Lortel Archives listing

★ Internet Broadway Database listing

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