Dave Davis (born June 7, 1989) is an American actor, musician and producer based in New Orleans. He is best known for his lead roles in the 2017 film Bomb City and the 2019 horror film The Vigil.
Early life and education Davis was born on June 7, 1989 in Princeton, New Jersey, into a Jewish family. He grew up in New Orleans and had his Bar Mitzvah at Touro Synagogue. He appeared in various productions as a child and attended summer courses in theatre. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School in 2007 following Hurricane Katrina, then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre from Tulane University in 2011. In fulfillment of his thesis, he starred in Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth.
Career Davis spent five years with the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival, culminating with the role of Hamlet in 2012. After graduation, he worked out of New Orleans, appearing in films including Ghost Shark, Red Clover, Ozark Sharks, and several others. He also guest starred in True Detective and The Walking Dead, and acted in The Big Short and Logan. For several years, Davis was a member of the comedy group Bare Handed Bear Handlers, releasing a web miniseries, short films, and a number of music videos. In 2015, he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to work with the comedy group from afar.
In 2017, Davis played the lead role in Bomb City, a film about the life and murder of Brian Deneke. This earned him a Best Actor award and the Special Jury Prize for Performance at the 2017 Nashville Film Festival, followed by a second Best Actor award at the Louisville International Festival of Film. Director Keith Thomas chose him to play the lead in his 2019 horror film The Vigil after seeing him in Bomb City. He played a man tasked with watching over a deceased member of an Orthodox Jewish community. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Horror Movie at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards. Davis returned to New Orleans permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2025, he appeared in and was executive producer of the film Hazard.
Filmography
Film +YearTitleRole Notes Ref 2007 Flakes Stoner #1 Uncredited 2012 Stolen Taylor 2014 Elsa & Fred Photographer Starve Jiminey 2015 The Final Girls 50's Counselor Demonic Tech 1 Get Hard Cross Dresser N.O.L.A Circus Vinny Nocturna Bobby The Big Short Burry's Assistant Daddy's Home Panda Singer #1 2016 The Backup Dancer Rudy Uncredited 2017 Logan Convenience Store Clerk Bomb City Brian Deneke Won two Best Actor awards and one Special Jury Prize for Performance Dark Meridian Tevi Marek Jeepers Creepers 3 SWAT Team One 2018 Laundry Day Ethan The Domestics Flame Gambler 2019 The Vigil Yakov Ronen Nominated for Best Actor in a Horror Movie at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards The True Don Quixote Trout Sunday Girl Jack 2020 Greyhound Boatswain's Mate #1 2022 Emancipation Oliver Presence David Co-producer 2023 Resurrected Father Stanley Martin Associate producer Renfield Mitch 2025 Hazard John Lang Post-production; Executive Producer
Television YearTitleRole Notes Ref 2011 Memphis Beat Bryan Episode: "The Things We Carry" Hide Young Charlie Marvin TV movie 2012 Red Clover Dax Spence American Horror House Lloyd The Walking Dead Gargulio Episode: "Hounded" 2013 Heebie Jeebies Mace TV movie Ladies' Man: A Made Movie Toby Miller Ghost Shark Blaise 2014 True Detective Toby Episode: "After You've Gone" SnakeHead Swamp Chris TV movie 2016 NCIS: New Orleans JJ Taylor Episode: "Help Wanted" Ozark Sharks Harrison TV movie 2018 Bad Stepmother Jonathan Hawking 2019 Lucifer Maury Novak Episode: "Somebody's Been Reading Dante's Inferno" 2021 The Rookie Marvin Reynolds Episode: "Hit and Run" 2023 Tiny Beautiful Things Pablo Episode: "The Ghost Ship" 2024 S.W.A.T. Jeremiah Jacobs Episode: "Left of Boom" 2025 The Greatest Marvin Geller 5 episodes
References
External links
Bear Handed Bear Handlers SoundCloud (2016 archive)