Biography
Bruce Davison is one of Hollywood's hardest-working "chameleons", having turned in dozens of outstanding performances in both lead and character roles on stage, screen and television. During his 30-plus-year career he has played many a villain and hero--tackling the roles of disturbed teenagers, crusading defense attorneys, romantic lovers and put-upon husbands. He has managed to avoid being typed, or when typed, the tag has not stuck long. …
Bruce Davison SlideShow
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Career Milestones
| Caught the acting bug while studying art at Penn State University | ||
| Played recurring role on "The Practice" (ABC) | ||
| Starred as George Henderson in the syndicated comedy series "Harry and the Hendersons"; directed a number of episodes | ||
1967 | Broadway debut, Lincoln Center Repertory production of "Tiger at the Gates" | |
1969 | Feature acting debut, "Last Summer" | |
1971 | First leading role; played a rat-loving social misfit in "Willard" | |
1971 | Made TV acting debut in an episode of the ABC series "Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law" | |
1973 | Featured in episode of "Love, American Style" | |
1974 | Appeared as the grown-up Patrick in Lucille Ball's last film of "Mame" | |
1977 | Had small role in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" | |
1977 | Played a child molester in realistic prison drama, "Short Eyes" | |
1980 | Starred on Broadway in "The Elephant Man"; succeeded original star Philip Anglim in the role of John Merrick | |
1983 | Played Tom, the authorial stand-in, in a Broadway revival of "The Glass Menagerie" with Jessica Tandy | |
1984 | Had leading role on TV in "V: The Series" (NBC) | |
1984 | Portrayed Captain Wyler on the NBC TV series "Hunter" | |
1986 | Played Felix, the journalist who succumbs to AIDS, in the L.A. premiere of Larry Kramer's play "The Normal Heart" | |
1987 | Appeared in the NBC miniseries "Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story" | |
1990 | Received Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a gay man caring for his dying lover in "Longtime Companion" | |
1993 | Acted in four films, including Robert Altman's "Short Cuts" and Fred Schepisi's "Six Degrees of Separation" | |
1996 | Portrayed Reverend Paris in the film adaptation of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" | |
1997 | Returned to the New York stage playing a man who commits incest with his niece in the Off-Broadway play "How I Learned to Drive" | |
1997 | Starred in the controversial Showtime movie "The Color of Justice" | |
1998 | Earned an Emmy nomination for his guest stint on "Touched By an Angel" | |
1998 | Played the father of a troubled teen in the film adaptation of the Stephen King novella "Apt Pupil", directed by Bryan Singer | |
1999 | Guest starred as an arrogant plastic surgeon in the season premiere of "Chicago Hope" (CBS) | |
2000 | Reunited with Singer for the big-screen version of the comic-book adventure "X-Men"; played Senator Kelly, a politician who believed mutants should not be treated like people | |
2000 | Starred in the Dogma 95 production of "The King Is Alive", a drama about passengers who stage "King Lear" after their bus breaks down in the desert; premiered at Cannes | |
2001 | Appeared as Jessica Biel's father in the Freddie Prinze Jr romance "Summer Catch" | |
2001 | Made directorial debut with the Showtime original "Off Season"; also starred | |
2001 | Portrayed yet another parent to a teen, this time a troubled young woman played by Kirsten Dunst in "crazy/beautiful" | |
2004 | Cast as Dr. "Steg" Stegman, the arrogant chief of staff in Stephen King's medical drama "Kingdom Hospital" | |
2005 | Had a recurring role on the CBS drama series, "Close to Home" | |
2007 | Co-starred in "Breach," a thriller about FBI traitor Robert Hanssen played by Chris Cooper | |
Awards
1990 | Academy Award for Actor In a Supporting Role in Longtime Companion |
1990 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Longtime Companion |
1990 | New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor in Longtime Companion |
1991 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male in Longtime Companion |
1998 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor In a Drama Series in Touched By an Angel |