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. 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.
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.
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, Ethan, born April 5, 1996, 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, Sophia, born May 29, 2006. They reside in Woodland Hills, California.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1969 || Last Summer || Dan ||
|-
| 1970 || The Strawberry Statement || Simon ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1971 || Willard || Willard Stiles ||
|-
| Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me || Fitzgore ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1972
| The Jerusalem File || David Armstrong ||
|-
| Ulzana's Raid || Lt. Garnett DeBuin ||
|-
| 1973 || Peege || Greg || Short film
|-
| 1974 || Mame || Patrick Dennis ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1976 || Grand Jury || Bobby Allen ||
|-
| Mother, Jugs & Speed || Leroy Watkins ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1977 || Short Eyes || Clark Davis ||
|-
| The Gathering || George ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1978 || Brass Target || Col. Robert Dawson ||
|-
| French Quarter || Kid Ross / Inspector Sordik ||
|-
|1978
|Summer of My German Soldier
|Anton Friedrich Reiker
|
|-
| 1980|| The Lathe of Heaven||George Orr||
|-
|1981|| 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 Picture<br>Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male<br>New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor<br>National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor<br>Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor<br>Nominated—LA Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
|-
| 1991 || Steel and Lace || Albert Morton ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1993|| Short Cuts || Howard Finnigan || Golden Globe Special Ensemble Cast Award <br>Volpi Cup for Best Ensemble Cast
|-
| Six Degrees of Separation || Larkin ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 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 ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1996 || It's My Party || Rodney Bingham ||
|-
| Grace of My Heart || John Murray ||
|-
| The Crucible || Reverend Samuel Parris ||
|-
| 1997 || Lovelife || Bruce ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1998 || Paulie || Dr. Reingold ||
|-
| Apt Pupil || Richard Bowden ||
|-
| 1999 || At First Sight || Dr. Charles Aaron ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2000 || The King Is Alive || Ray ||
|-
| X-Men || Senator Robert Kelly||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001 || Crazy/Beautiful || Tom Oakley ||
|-
| Summer Catch || Rand Parrish ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2002|| High Crimes || Brigadier General Bill Marks ||
|-
| Dahmer || Lionel Dahmer ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2003 || X2 || Senator Robert Kelly ||
|-
| Willard || Alfred Stiles ||
|-
| Runaway Jury || Durwood Cable ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 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 ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2009 || The Line || Anthony ||
|-
| MegaFault || Dr. Mark Rhodes ||
|-
| Christmas Angel || Nick Anderson ||
|-
| A Golden Christmas || Rod Wright ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 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
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2011 || Munger Road || Chief Kirkhoven ||
|-
| 3 Holiday Tails || Rod Wright ||
|-
| Earth's Final Hours || Rothman ||
|-
| Coffin || Garrison ||
|-
|Elwood|| Congressman Barber || Short film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2012 || Return of the Killer Shrews || Jerry Farrell ||
|-
| The Lords of Salem || Francis Matthias ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2013 || Saving Lincoln || William H. Seward ||
|-
| Words and Pictures || Walt ||
|-
| rowspan="2"|2014 || Persecuted || Senator Donald Harrison ||
|-
| 37 || Psychic ||
|-
| rowspan="3"|2015 || Black Beauty || Grandpa ||
|-
| The Leisure Class || Edward
|
|-
| Oceanus: Act One || Commander Mitch Conrad || Short film
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2016 || The Curse of Sleeping Beauty || Richard Meyers ||
|-
| Get A Job || Lawrence Wilheimer ||
|-
| The Bronx Bull|| D.A. Bonomi ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2017 || 9/11 || Monohan ||
|-
|Yamasong: March of the Hollows || P'Torr The Exile ||
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2018 || Insidious: The Last Key || Christian Rainer ||
|-
| Along Came the Devil || Reverend Michael ||
|-
| Abnormal Attraction || Dr. Cole ||
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2019 || Itsy Bitsy || Walter ||
|-
| Wish Man || Frank Shankwitz Sr. ||
|-
| The Great Alaskan Race || Governor Bone ||
|-
| More Beautiful for Having Been Broken || Colin ||
|-
|rowspan="2"|2020 || We Still Say Grace || Harold ||
|-
| Influence
| Walter Klein
|
|-
| 2021 || The Manor || Roland ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2023 || Condor's Nest || Gerhardt Schrude ||
|-
| Suitable Flesh || Ephraim Waite ||
|-
| 2026
| Casa Grande || ||
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|1970
|Medical Center
|Mickey Peters
|Episode: "A Duel with Doom"
|-
|NBC Experiment in Television
|Young Ishmael
|Episode: "Moby Tick"
|-
| 1970–1979 || Insight || William/Greg/Randy King/Andy Fry
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1971
|Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law
|Raymond 'Cowboy' Leatherberry
|Episode: "A Pattern of Morality"
|-
| 1972
|Marcus Welby, M.D.
| Donald Lorimer
| Episode: "Love Is When They Say They Need You"
|-
|rowspan=5|1973
|Hec Ramsey
|Josh Hollister
|Episode: "The Mystery of Chalk Hill"
|-
|Cops
|Detective Dennis Till
|Television film
|-
|Love, American Style
|David
|Episode: "Love and the Secret Spouse"
|-
|Break Up
|Himself
|Television special
|-
|The Affair
|Jamie Patterson
|Television film
|-
|rowspan=3|1974
|Love Story
| Jeffrey
| Episode: "Time for Love"
|-
|Ma and Pa
|Frank
|Television film
|-
|The Lives of Benjamin Franklin
|William Franklin
|4 episodes
|-
| 1974–1978 || Police Story || Clyde Griffiths/Victor Joe Vero
|2 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2|1975
|The Waltons
|Bob Hill
|Episode: "The Shivaree"
|-
|The Last Survivors
|Michael Larsen
| Television film
|-
| 1976
|Police Woman
|Binns
|Episode: "Bait"
|-
|rowspan=2|1977
|ABC Weekend Specials
|Bruce
|Episode: "Portrait of Grandpa Doc"
|-
|The Gathering
|George
| rowspan="3" | Television film
|-
| rowspan="3" |1978
|Deadman's Curve
|Dean Torrence
|-
|Summer of My German Soldier
|Anton Reiker
|-
|Mourning Becomes Electra
|Orin Mannon
|5 episodes
|-
|rowspan=3|1979
| Mind Over Murder
|Jason
| rowspan="2" | Television film
|-
|The Gathering, Part II
|George
|-
| Lou Grant || Andrew Raines
|2 episodes
|-
| 1980
|The Lathe of Heaven
|George Orr
| rowspan="5" | Television film
|-
|rowspan=2|1981
|The Wave
|Ben Ross
|-
|Incident at Crestridge
|Clint Larsen
|-
| 1982 || The Astronauts
|Technical Officer David Ackroyd
|-
| 1983 || Ghost Dancing
|Calvin Oberst
|-
| 1984 || Tales from the Darkside || Richard Hagstrom || Episode: "The Word Processor of the Gods"
|-
| 1985 || V || John Langley || 3 episodes
|-
| 1985–1989 || Hunter || Captain/Deputy Chief Wyler || 16 episodes
|-
| 1987 || Murder, She Wrote || David Carroll || Episode: "The Cemetery Vote"
|-
| 1990 || Designing Women || Reverend Eugene "Gene" Chapman || Episode: "Have Faith"
|-
| 1991–1993 || Harry and the Hendersons || George Henderson || 72 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" |1992
|Desperate Choices: To Save My Child
|Richard Robbins
| rowspan="4" | Television film
|-
|Live! From Death Row
|Laurence Dvorak
|-
|1993
|A Mother's Revenge
|Bill Sanders
|-
| rowspan="3" |1995
|Down, Out & Dangerous
|Brad Harrington
|-
| The Outer Limits || Dr. McEnerney ||Episode: "White Light Fever"
|-
|Cybill
|Mark Davis
|Episode: "Look Who's Stalking"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1996 || Star Trek: Voyager || Jareth
|Episode: "Remember"
|-
|After Jimmy
|Ward "Sam" Stapp
| rowspan="2" |Television film
|-
|Hidden in America
|Dr. Michael Millerton
|-
| 1996–1997 || Seinfeld || Wyck || 3 episodes
|-
| 1998 || Touched by an Angel || Jacob "Jake" Weiss || Episode: "Elijah"<br>Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
|-
|1999
|Vendetta
|Thomas Semmes
|Television film
|-
| 1999–2000 || Chicago Hope || Dr. Burt Peters || 2 episodes
|-
| 2000–2001 || The Practice || Scott Wallace || 9 episodes
|-
|2001
|Off Season
|Dr. Zimmer
|Television film (also director)<br>Nominated—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2002 || Without a Trace || Paul Cartwright ||Episode: "Pilot"
|-
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit || Dr. Graham Mandell ||Episode: "Waste"
|-
| Star Trek: Enterprise || Menos
|Episode: "The Seventh"
|-
|L.A. Law: The Movie
|Lawrence Diebenkorn
| rowspan="2" |Television film
|-
|2003
|Out of the Ashes
|Peter Schuman
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2004 || Kingdom Hospital || Dr. Stegman || 13 episodes
|-
| JAG || Dr. Morris Sperling ||Episode: "The Man on the Bridge"
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2005 || Numb3rs || Robert Oliver
|Episode: "Sacrifice"
|-
| The Triangle || Stan Lathem || 3 episodes
|-
| Law & Order: Trial by Jury || Peter Betts ||Episode: "Baby Boom"
|-
| 2005–2007 || Close to Home || Attorney Doug Hellman || 13 episodes
|-
| 2006 || CSI: Miami || Dane Daniels ||Episode: "Dead Air"
|-
| 2006–2010 || Lost || Dr. Douglas Brooks || 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2007 || The L Word || Leonard Kroll || 3 episodes
|-
| Battlestar Galactica || Dr. Michael Robert ||Episode: "The Woman King"
|-
| 2008 || Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles || Dr. Peter Silberman
|Episode: "The Demon Hand"
|-
| 2008–2009 || Knight Rider || Dr. Charles Graiman || 11 episodes
|-
| 2009 || Criminal Minds || Father Davison || Episode: "Demonology"
|-
| 2009–2010 || Ghost Whisperer || Josh Bedford || 5 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2010 || Psych || Walter Snowden || Episode: "Think Tank"
|-
| General Hospital || Wilhelm von Schlagel || 5 episodes
|-
| rowspan="5" | 2011 || Castle || Lou Karnacki || Episode: "Law & Murder"
|-
| CSI: Crime Scene Investigation || Avery Tinsdale
|Episode: "Father of the Bride"
|-
| Hawaii Five-0 || Steven Carver
|Episode: "Ua Lawe Wale (Taken)"
|-
| Childrens Hospital || Narrator
|Episode: "Childrens Hospital: A Play in Three Acts"
|-
| Covert Affairs || Max Langford
|Episode: "Horse to Water"
|-
| 2011–2012 || Drop Dead Diva || Judge Cyrus Maxwell || 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" |2012
|Bigfoot
|Sheriff Walt Gunderson
|Television film (also director)
|-
| Luck || Hartstone || 2 episodes
|-
| Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 || Gabe Sharpe || Episode: "Whatever It Takes..."
|-
| 2012–2013 || Last Resort || Admiral Arthur Shepard || 6 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2014 || Those Who Kill || Howard Burgess || 10 episodes
|-
| The Legend of Korra || Zuko|| Voice, 6 episodes
|}