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. His breakthrough role was as Willard Stiles in the 1971 cult horror film Willard. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and won a Golden Globe Award and an Independent Spirit Award for his performance in Longtime Companion (1989).
Davison is also known for his roles as George Henderson on the television sitcom Harry and the Hendersons (1991–93), Captain Wyler on the crime drama series Hunter (1985–89), Howard Finnegan in Robert Altman's Short Cuts, Reverend Samuel Parris in the 1996 film adaptation of The Crucible, and as Senator Robert Kelly in the superhero films X-Men (2000) and X2 (2003). He is both a Daytime Emmy and a Primetime Emmy Award nominee.
Early life Davison was born in 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his mother and spent weekends with his father.
He graduated in 1964 from Marple Newtown Senior High School, entered Penn State as an art major, and then stumbled into acting when he accompanied a friend to an audition. He attended New York University's acting program, graduating in 1969.
Career
Davison made his Broadway debut in Tiger at the Gates in 1968. He also appeared as John Merrick in The Elephant Man, and starred in The Glass Menagerie with 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 Strawberry Statement, a film about peaceful student protest and its violent outcome. A year later he portrayed the title role in the 1971 version of Willard, based on the novel Ratman's Notebooks. He also appeared in Ulzana's Raid; Peege; Mame; Mother, Jugs & Speed; Short Eyes; The Lathe of Heaven and Six Degrees of Separation.
Davison was an uncredited extra in Steven Spielberg's Close 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 in Close Encounters of the Third Kind because we were friends. I got off the mothership as one of the pilots."
Davison has worked extensively in television. In 1973, he played the brother of a crippled Natalie Wood in the made-for-TV movie The Affair on ABC. In 1978, Davison appeared as Dean Torrence with Richard Hatch in the biopic Deadman's Curve (the story of 1960s pop duo Jan & Dean). The same year, he played the title role in the television film adaptation Summer of My German Soldier.
In 1981, he had the lead role in The Wave based on real events, starring as a history teacher who had conducted an experiment in Nazi philosophy on his own students.
Davison also starred in Tales from the Darkside (Season 1, Episode 8) and played the role of the father in the short-lived Harry and the Hendersons TV series.
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.
In 1990, he portrayed a homosexual man whose lover is dying of AIDS in Longtime Companion. The role earned Davison a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture. He concluded his Golden Globe acceptance speech 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'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 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 theatre credits include The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (directed by Henry Fonda) and a stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Davison had roles in Runaway Jury and Apt Pupil, as well as the X-Men film franchise as Robert Kelly in the first film and Mystique impersonating Kelly in X2. He was the fanatical Reverend Samuel Parris in Arthur Miller's screen adaptation of his play The Crucible. Davison also portrayed a rich philanthropist in the film Christmas Angel. Davison's many television credits include Hunter (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; the Stephen King mini-series Kingdom Hospital; and a recurring role on The Practice. He played Mark Davis, a therapist who was a love interest for Cybill Shepherd's character in a Season 1 episode ("Look Who's Stalking") of her sitcom Cybill. Davison also had the recurring role of defense attorney Doug Hellman in Close to Home.
In 2001, Davison directed the TV film Off Season, which starred Sherilyn Fenn, Rory Culkin, Hume Cronyn and Adam Arkin. In 2007, Davison returned to the big screen as the father of Eric O'Neill in Breach. 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, 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. He portrayed Nick Anderson (a secret Santa Claus) in the television film Christmas Angel in 2009. In May 2010, Davison was cast to portray art dealer Wilhelm Van Schlagel for several episodes on General Hospital to begin airing in July 2010.
In 2010, he starred in the television film Titanic II. In 2011, he starred as Police Chief Kirkhoven in the film Munger Road, and appeared in the Christmas film 3 Holiday Tails. In 2012, he appeared in Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem. In addition, he played Secretary of State William H. Seward in the film Saving Lincoln.
He played the role of Rear Admiral Arthur Shepard, Lieutenant Grace Shepard's father, in the short-stint TV series Last Resort.
In 2016, Davison starred as Dr. Stanley Cole in the comedy/fantasy Abnormal Attraction.
On December 12, 2025, Bruce guest-starred in the "Heaven and Nature" episode of NCIS as Lester Burm.
Personal life From 1969 to 1971, Davison had an unpublicized affair with married actress Sondra Locke. In 2017, one year before Locke's death, Davison acknowledged their affair on the DVD commentary for Willard.Bruce Davison, DVD audio commentary, 2017, Shout! Factory
Davison has been married three times and has two children. He married actress Jess Walton on May 20, 1972, but the marriage was annulled in March 1973. He was engaged to actress Karen Austin. He has a son from his marriage to actress Lisa Pelikan. They were married from July 4, 1986 until their divorce in April 2006. Davison and Michele Correy married on April 30, 2006. They have a daughter, and reside in Woodland Hills, California.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1969 Last Summer Dan 1970 The Strawberry Statement Simon 1971 Willard Willard Stiles Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me Fitzgore 1972 The Jerusalem File David Armstrong Ulzana's Raid Lt. Garnett DeBuin 1973 Peege Greg Short film 1974 Mame Patrick Dennis 1976 Grand Jury Bobby Allen Mother, Jugs & Speed Leroy Watkins 1977 Short Eyes Clark Davis The Gathering George 1978 Brass Target Col. Robert Dawson French Quarter Kid Ross / Inspector Sordik 1978Summer of My German SoldierAnton Friedrich Reiker 1980 The Lathe of HeavenGeorge Orr1981 High Risk Dan 1983 Lies Stuart Russell 1984 Crimes of Passion Donny Hopper 1985 Spies Like Us Ruby 1986 The Ladies Club Richard Harrison 1987 The Misfit Brigade Corporal Joseph Porta 1989 Longtime Companion David Elders Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion PictureIndependent Spirit Award for Best Supporting MaleNew York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting ActorNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated—LA Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor 1991 Steel and Lace Albert Morton 1993 Short Cuts Howard Finnigan Golden Globe Special Ensemble Cast Award Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble Cast Six Degrees of Separation Larkin 1995 Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog John McCormick Widow's Kiss Justin The Cure Dr. Jensen The Baby-Sitters Club Watson Brewer 1996 It's My Party Rodney Bingham Grace of My Heart John Murray The Crucible Reverend Samuel Parris 1997 Lovelife Bruce 1998 Paulie Dr. Reingold Apt Pupil Richard Bowden 1999 At First Sight Dr. Charles Aaron 2000 The King Is Alive Ray X-Men Senator Robert Kelly 2001 Crazy/Beautiful Tom Oakley Summer Catch Rand Parrish 2002 High Crimes Brigadier General Bill Marks Dahmer Lionel Dahmer 2003 X2 Senator Robert Kelly Willard Alfred Stiles Runaway Jury Durwood Cable 2005 Hate Crime Pastor Boyd Going Shopping Adam 8mm 2 Ambassador Harrington 2006 The Dead Girl Leah's Father 2007 Breach John O'Neill 2008 The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice Professor Lazlo / Count Dracula 2009 The Line Anthony MegaFault Dr. Mark Rhodes Christmas Angel Nick Anderson A Golden Christmas Rod Wright 2010 Arctic Blast Winslaw Titanic II James Maine Camp Hell Father Phineas McAllister Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths President Slade Wilson Voice, direct-to-video A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. 2011 Munger Road Chief Kirkhoven 3 Holiday Tails Rod Wright Earth's Final Hours Rothman Coffin Garrison Elwood Congressman Barber Short film 2012 Return of the Killer Shrews Jerry Farrell The Lords of Salem Francis Matthias 2013 Saving Lincoln William H. Seward Words and Pictures Walt 2014 Persecuted Senator Donald Harrison 37 Psychic 2015 Black Beauty Grandpa The Leisure Class Edward Oceanus: Act One Commander Mitch Conrad Short film 2016 The Curse of Sleeping Beauty Richard Meyers Get A Job Lawrence Wilheimer The Bronx Bull D.A. Bonomi 2017 9/11 Monohan Yamasong: March of the Hollows P'Torr The Exile 2018 Insidious: The Last Key Christian Rainer Along Came the Devil Reverend Michael Abnormal Attraction Dr. Cole 2019 Itsy Bitsy Walter Wish Man Frank Shankwitz Sr. The Great Alaskan Race Governor Bone More Beautiful for Having Been Broken Colin 2020 We Still Say Grace Harold Influence Walter Klein 2021 The Manor Roland 2023 Condor's Nest Gerhardt Schrude Suitable Flesh Ephraim Waite 2026 Casa Grande
Television