Brad Davis (actor)
Brad Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis in A Rumor of War | |
| Born | Robert Creel Davis November 6, 1949 Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | September 8, 1991 (aged 41) Studio City, California, U.S. |
| Education | American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Years active | 1974–1991 |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Bluestein (1976–1991; his death) |
| Children | Alex Blue Davis (b. 1983) |
Robert Creel Davis (November 6, 1949 – September 8, 1991), known professionally as Brad Davis, was an American actor, known for starring in the 1978 film Midnight Express, Chariots of Fire and the 1982 film Querelle.
Early life[]
He was born in Tallahassee, Florida to Eugene Davis, a dentist whose career declined due to alcoholism, and his wife, Anne (née Creel) Davis. His brother Gene is also an actor. According to an article in The New York Times published in 1987, Davis suffered physical abuse and sexual abuse at the hands of both parents. As an adult, he was an alcoholic and an intravenous drug user, then became sober in 1981.[1] Davis was known as Bobby during his youth, but took Brad as his stage name in 1973.[1] Davis attended and graduated from Titusville High School.
Career[]
At 16, after winning a music-talent contest, Davis worked at Theater Atlanta. He later moved to New York City and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and the American Place Theater where he studied acting. After a role on the soap opera How to Survive a Marriage, he performed in Off-Broadway plays.
In 1976, he was cast in the television mini-series Roots, then as Sally Field's love interest in the television film Sybil. In 1977 he was cast as John Rambo in First Blood when John Frankenheimer was scheduled to direct the film before it was cancelled due to Orion Pictures' acquisition of Filmways.[2] In 1981, he played American track star Jackson Scholz in the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire. He played the lead role in The Normal Heart (1985), Larry Kramer's play about AIDS. His most successful film role was as the main character Billy Hayes in Midnight Express (1978), for which he won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Acting Debut – Actor. He was nominated for a similar award at that year's BAFTA Awards, in addition to receiving Best Actor nominations at both ceremonies (Richard Dreyfuss won for The Goodbye Girl).[3]
Personal life[]
Davis married Susan Bluestein, an Emmy Award-winning casting director, in 1976. They had one child, Alex Blue Davis, a musician and actor on Grey’s Anatomy.[1][4]
Death[]
Diagnosed with HIV in 1985, Davis kept his condition a secret until shortly before his death at age 41 on September 8, 1991 in Los Angeles. It was revealed in a book proposal that Davis had written before his death that he had to keep his medical condition a secret to be able to continue to work and support his family.[5] He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).[6] Later, his wife Susan revealed that he committed assisted suicide by a drug overdose.[7][8]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Eat My Dust! | Uncredited | |
| 1976 | Song of Myself | Streetcar Conductor | Short film |
| 1976 | The Secret Life of Ol' John Chapman | Andy | TV Movie |
| 1978 | Midnight Express | Billy Hayes | Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated—BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama |
| 1980 | A Small Circle of Friends | Leonardo da Vinci Rizzo | |
| 1980 | The Greatest Man in the World | Jimmy Schmurch | TV Movie |
| 1980 | A Rumor of War | Lt. Philip 'Phil' Caputo | TV Movie |
| 1981 | Chariots of Fire | Jackson Scholz | |
| 1982 | Querelle | Querelle | |
| 1984 | Terror in the Aisles | Himself | |
| 1986 | Blood Ties | Julian Salina | TV Movie |
| 1986 | Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo | Tony Cimo | TV Movie |
| 1987 | When the Time Comes | Dean | TV Movie |
| 1987 | Heart | Eddie | |
| 1987 | Cold Steel | Johnny Modine | |
| 1988 | The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial | Lt. Cmdr. Phillip Francis Queeg | TV Movie |
| 1989 | Rosalie Goes Shopping | Ray "Liebling" Greenspace | |
| 1989 | The Rainbow Warrior Conspiracy | Neil Travers | TV Movie |
| 1989 | The Edge | Kenny | TV Movie |
| 1990 | Unspeakable Acts | Joseph Braga | TV Movie |
| 1990 | The Plot to Kill Hitler | Count Claus von Stauffenberg | TV Movie |
| 1991 | Hangfire | Sheriff Ike Slayton | Alternative title: First Blood Commando |
| 1991 | Child of Darkness, Child of Light | Dr. Phinney | TV Movie |
| 1992 | The Habitation of Dragons | George Tolliver | TV Movie screened posthumously |
| 1992 | The Player | Himself | Non-speaking cameo released posthumously |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | How to Survive a Marriage | Alexander Kronos | Unknown episodes |
| 1976 | The American Parade | Streetcar conductor | Episode: "Song of Myself" |
| 1976 | The American Parade | Thomas Nast | Episode: "Stop Thief" |
| 1976 | Sybil | Richard J. Loomis | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | Roots | Ol' George Johnson | 2 episodes |
| 1977 | Baretta | Ray | Episode: "Guns and Brothers" |
| 1981 | BBC2 Playhouse | Young American | Episode: "Mrs. Reinhardt" |
| 1983 | Chiefs | Sonny Butts | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Robert Kennedy & His Times | Robert F. Kennedy | 3 Episodes, miniseries |
| 1985 | The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Arthur | Episode: "Arthur, or the Gigolo" |
| 1986 | The Twilight Zone | Arthur Lewis | Episode: "Button, Button" |
| 1987 | The Hitchhiker | Jerry Rulac | Episode: "Why Are You Here?" |
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | Midnight Express | Won |
| 1979 | BAFTA Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | |
| Best Newcomer | Nominated | |||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
| New Star of the Year – Actor | Won |
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Witchel, Alex. (April 16, 1997) "For the Widow of Brad Davis, Time Cannot Heal All the Wounds", The New York Times; accessed July 31, 2007.
- ^ "First Blood". catalog.afi.com. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
- ^ BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role#1970s
- ^ The Sheila Variations: Feb. 19/20 at The Knitting Factory: Alex Davis: Man of the Year [1]
- ^ Fox, David (1991-09-22). "How Much Does Hollywood Really Care About AIDS?". LA Times.
- ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 11241). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition
- ^ Suffering a secret: Brad Davis and AIDS
- ^ For the Widow of Brad Davis, Time Cannot Heal All the Wounds
External links[]
- Brad Davis at AllMovie
- Brad Davis at IMDb
- Brad Davis at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Brad Davis at Find a Grave
| show Authority control  |
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- 1949 births
- 1991 suicides
- 20th-century American male actors
- Male actors from Tallahassee, Florida
- People with HIV/AIDS
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
- American people of Welsh descent
- New Star of the Year (Actor) Golden Globe winners
- Titusville High School alumni
- Drug-related suicides in California