Robert Creel Davis (November 6, 1949 – September 8, 1991), known professionally as Brad Davis, was an American actor. For his debut film role as Billy Hayes in the 1978 film Midnight Express, he won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor and was nominated for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama, along with BAFTA Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.
Brad Davis | |
|---|---|
 Davis as Philip Caputo in A Rumor of War (1980) | |
| Born | Robert Creel Davis November 6, 1949 Tallahassee, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | September 8, 1991 (aged 41) Studio City, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | American Academy of Dramatic Arts |
| Years active | 1974–1991 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Davis subsequently played the title role in the Rainer Werner Fassbinder film Querelle (1982), and appeared in such films as A Small Circle of Friends (1980), Chariots of Fire (1981), and Cold Steel (1987). He also starred in television films and miniseries.
Davis, who struggled with substance abuse issues throughout his adult life, was diagnosed with HIV in 1985 and died of AIDS-related illness in 1991.
Biography
editEarly life
editHe 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. Davis was known as Bobby during his youth, but took Brad as his stage name in 1973.[1] He attended and graduated from Titusville High School.
According to a 1997 New York Times interview with his widow Susan Bluestein, Davis suffered physical abuse from his father and sexual abuse from his mother. As an adult, Davis was an alcoholic and an intravenous drug user, then became sober in 1981.[1] Davis was bisexual.[2][3]
Early acting roles
editAt 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.[4]
In 1976, he was cast in the television mini-series Roots, then as Sally Field's love interest in the television film Sybil. The same year, he married casting director Susan Bluestein. They would have one child together, Alex Blue Davis (b. 1983), a musician and actor.[1][5]
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.[6][7]
Midnight Express and stardom
editHis 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).[8]
In 1980, Davis would play war correspondent Phil Caputo in the biographical made-for-television film A Rumor of War. The same year, he would be top-billed for his role in the film A Small Circle of Friends.
In 1981, he played American track star Jackson Scholz in the Academy Award-winning film Chariots of Fire.
In 1982, Davis played the title role of Georges Querelle in the film film Querelle, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's final film before his death by a drug overdose.
Supporting roles and television films
editDavis played the lead role of Ned Weeks in The Normal Heart (1985), Larry Kramer's play about AIDS.
While continuing to play supporting roles in theatrical films, Davis appeared regularly in made-for-television films, including Chiefs, Robert Kennedy & His Times, The Rainbow Warrior Conspiracy, and The Plot to Kill Hitler. He played Queeg in a 1988 television adaptation of The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, directed by Robert Altman, opposite Eric Bogosian and Jeff Daniels.
Illness and death
editDiagnosed with HIV in 1985, Davis kept his condition private until shortly before his death at age 41 on September 8, 1991, in Los Angeles. In 1997, his wife Susan revealed that he probably contracted HIV through intravenous drug use, and that he committed assisted suicide by a drug overdose.[9][10] It was revealed in a book proposal that Davis had written before his death that he had to keep his HIV-positive status a secret to be able to continue to work and support his family.[11]
He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.[12]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Eat My Dust! | Bit role | Charles B. Griffith | Uncredited |
| 1978 | Midnight Express | Billy Hayes | Alan Parker | |
| 1980 | A Small Circle of Friends | Leonardo da Vinci Rizzo | Rob Cohen | |
| 1981 | Chariots of Fire | Jackson Scholz | Hugh Hudson | |
| 1982 | Querelle | Querelle | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | |
| 1984 | Terror in the Aisles | Himself | Andrew J. Kuehn | Documentary; appears in archive footage |
| 1987 | Heart | Eddie | James Lemmo | |
| 1987 | Cold Steel | Johnny Modine | Dorothy Ann Puzo | |
| 1989 | Rosalie Goes Shopping | Ray "Liebling" Greenspace | Percy Adlon | |
| 1991 | Hangfire | Sheriff Ike Slayton | Peter Maris | |
| 1992 | The Player | Himself | Robert Altman | Posthumous release
Cameo appearance |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | How to Survive a Marriage | Alexander Kronos | Unknown episodes |
| 1976 | The American Parade | Streetcar Conductor / Thomas Nast | Episodes: "Song of Myself", "Stop Thief" |
| Sybil | Richard J. Loomis | Miniseries | |
| The Secret Life of Ol' John Chapman | Andy | TV movie | |
| 1977 | Roots | George "Ol' George" Johnson | Miniseries |
| Baretta | Ray | Episode: "Guns and Brothers" | |
| 1980 | The Greatest Man in the World | Jimmy Schmurch | TV movie |
| 1980 | A Rumor of War | Lieutenant Phil Caputo | |
| 1981 | BBC2 Playhouse | Young American | Episode: "Mrs. Reinhardt" |
| 1983 | Chiefs | Sonny Butts | Miniseries |
| 1985 | Robert Kennedy & His Times | Robert F. Kennedy | Miniseries |
| The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Arthur | Episode: "Arthur, or the Gigolo" | |
| 1986 | The Twilight Zone | Arthur Lewis | Episode: "Button, Button" |
| Blood Ties | Julian Salina | TV movie | |
| Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo | Tony Cimo | ||
| 1987 | The Hitchhiker | Jerry Rulac | Episode: "Why Are You Here?" |
| When the Time Comes | Dean | TV movie | |
| 1988 | The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial | Lieutenant Commander Phillip Francis Queeg | |
| 1989 | The Rainbow Warrior Conspiracy | Neil Travers | |
| The Edge | Kenny | ||
| 1990 | Unspeakable Acts | Joseph Braga | |
| The Plot to Kill Hitler | Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg | ||
| 1991 | Child of Darkness, Child of Light | Dr. Phinney | |
| 1992 | The Habitation of Dragons | George Tolliver | Posthumous release
TV movie |
Awards and nominations
edit| 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
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Hinson, Mark (October 2, 2021). "Keeping it cool in Tallahassee with the Brad Davis family fridge". Tallahassee Democrat. Gannett Company. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ Stevenson, Alexander (September 25, 2014). "Our ten favorite bisexuals ever". Logo TV. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
- ^ "Brad Davis". Lortel Archives. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ The Sheila Variations: Feb. 19/20 at The Knitting Factory: Alex Davis: Man of the Year [1]
- ^ "First Blood". catalog.afi.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
- ^ "Ten actors that almost portrayed John Rambo on screen". Prime Movies. July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role#1970s
- ^ Suffering a secret: Brad Davis and AIDS
- ^ For the Widow of Brad Davis, Time Cannot Heal All the Wounds
- ^ 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
