Early life

Davison was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Marian E. (née Holmes), a secretary, and Clair W. Davison, a musician, architect, and draftsman for the Army Engineers. His parents divorced when he was three years old. He was raised by his mother, and also spent weekends with his father. He graduated in 1964 at Marple Newtown Senior High School, and entered Penn State as an art major but stumbled into acting when he accompanied a friend to an audition. He attended NYU's Graduate 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 opposite 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 film about peaceful student protest and its violent outcome The Strawberry Statement. A year later he portrayed the title role in the 1971 version of Willard, the first of two, as of the year 2015, to have been 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. In 1978, he appeared as Dean Torrence opposite Richard Hatch in the made-for-TV biopic Deadman's Curve (the story of 1960s pop duo Jan & Dean). The same year, he played the title role in the TV movie 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 gay 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 ultimately devote as much effort to the war on AIDS as its wars against each other. Davison went on to appear in other movies 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's website states he 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 LA theatre credits include The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (directed by Henry Fonda) and a stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.

He is familiar to movie audiences from his roles in Runaway Jury, Apt Pupil, and his role as Senator Robert Kelly in the X-Men movie franchise. Though his character died in the first film, Davison appeared in X2 as a shapeshifting impostor of Kelly. He was the fanatical Reverened Samuel Parris in Arthur Miller's screen adaptation of his play The Crucible. Davison also portrayed a rich philanthropist in the movie 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, Ghost Whisperer, Castle, Hawaii Five-0, the Stephen King mini-series Kingdom Hospital, and a recurring role on The Practice. Davison also had the recurring role of defense attorney Doug Hellman in the CBS drama Close to Home.

In 2001, Davison directed the TV film Off Season, which starred his Lovelife co-star Sherilyn Fenn, Rory Culkin, Hume Cronyn, and Adam Arkin. In 2007, Davison returned to the big screen, playing Eric O'Neill's father 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. In May 2010, Davison was cast to portray art dealer Wilhelm Van Schlagel for several episodes on ABC's General Hospital to begin airing in July, 2010.

In 2010 he starred in the TV movie Titanic II. In 2011 he starred as Police Chief Kirkhoven in the movie "Munger Road". The next year, he appeared in Rob Zombie's The Lords of Salem (2012). In addition, he played Secretary of State William H. Seward in the movie 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 will star as Dr. Stanley Cole in the comedy/fantasy "Abnormal Attraction".

Personal life

Davison married Michele Correy on April 30, 2006, and they have a daughter, Sophia Lucinda Davison, born on May 29, 2006. They reside in Los Angeles, California. Davison also has a son, Ethan, born on April 5, 1996, from a previous marriage to fellow actor Lisa Pelikan.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1969	Last Summer	Dan
1970	The Strawberry Statement	Simon
1971	Willard	Willard Stiles
1971	Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up to Me	Fitzgore
1972	The Jerusalem File	David
1972	Ulzana's Raid	Lt. Garnett DeBuin
1973	Peege	Greg	Short film
1974	Mame	Patrick Dennis
1976	Grand Jury	Bobby Allen
1976	Mother, Jugs & Speed	Leroy
1977	Short Eyes	Clark Davis
1978	Brass Target	Col. Robert Dawson
1978	Deadman's Curve	Dean Torrence	Television film
1978	Summer of My German Soldier	Anton Reiker	Television film
1978	Mourning Becomes Electra	Orin Mannon	Television film
1979	The Lathe of Heaven	George Orr	Television film
1979	The Gathering	George	Television film
1981	The Wave	Ben Ross	Television film
1981	High Risk	Dan
1984	Crimes of Passion	Donny Hopper
1985	Spies Like Us	Ruby
1986	The Ladies Club	Richard Harrison
1987	Wheels of Terror	Corporal Joseph Porta	aka The Misfit Brigade
1989	Longtime Companion	David	Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated—Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
1991	Steel and Lace	Albert Morton
1992	Desperate Choices: To Save My Child	Richard Robbins	Television film
1992	Live! From Death Row	Laurence Dvorak	Television film
1993	A Mother's Revenge	Bill Sanders	Television film
1993	Short Cuts	Howard Finnigan	Golden Globe Award for Best Ensemble Cast
1993	Six Degrees of Separation	Larkin
1995	Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog	John McCormick
1995	The Cure	Dr. Jensen
1995	The Baby-Sitters Club	Watson Brewer
1996	It's My Party	Rodney Bingham
1996	Grace of My Heart	John Murray
1996	After Jimmy	Ward "Sam" Stapp	Television film
1996	The Crucible	Reverend Samuel Parris
1996	Hidden in America	Dr. Michael Millerton	Television film
1997	Lovelife	Bruce
1998	Paulie	Dr. Reingold
1998	Apt Pupil	Richard Bowden
1999	At First Sight	Dr. Charles Aaron
1999	Vendetta	Thomas Semmes	Television film
2000	The King Is Alive	Ray
2000	X-Men	Senator Robert Kelly
2001	Crazy/Beautiful	Tom Oakley
2001	Summer Catch	Rand Parrish
2001	Off Season	Dr. Zimmer	Television film (also director) Nominated—Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special
2002	L.A. Law: The Movie	Lawrence Diebenkorn	Television film
2002	High Crimes	Brigadier General Bill Marks
2002	Dahmer	Lionel Dahmer
2003	X2	Senator Robert Kelly
2003	Runaway Jury	Durwood Cable
2003	Out of the Ashes	Peter Schuman	Television film
2005	Hate Crime	Pastor Boyd
2005	Going Shopping	Adam
2005	8mm 2	Ambassador Harrington	made for video
2006	The Dead Girl	Leah's father
2007	Breach	John O'Neill
2008	The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice	Professor Lazlo / Vlad
2009	La linea	Anthony
2009	MegaFault	Dr. Mark Rhodes	made for video
2009	Christmas Angel	Nick Anderson
2009	A Golden Christmas	Rod
2010	Arctic Blast	Winslaw
2010	Titanic II	James Maine
2010	Camp Hell	Fr. Phineas McAllister
2011	Munger Road	Chief Kirkhoven
2011	Earth's Final Hours	Rothman
2011	Elwood	Congressman Barber	Short film
2012	Return of the Killer Shrews	Jerry Farrell
2012	Bigfoot	Sheriff Walt Henderson	Television film
2012	The Lords of Salem	Francis Matthias
2013	Saving Lincoln	William H. Seward
2013	Words and Pictures	Walt
2013	The Bronx Bull	D. A. Bonomi
2014	Persecuted	Senator Donald Harrison
2015	The Leisure Class		HBO's Project Greenlight season 4 film
2016	Get A Job	Lawrence Wilheimer
2016	Abnormal Attraction	Dr. Cole	Fuzz on the Lens Productions Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970-1979	Insight		4 episodes
1973	Love Story	Jeffrey	Episode "Time For Love"
1974-1978	Police Story		2 episodes
1979	Lou Grant	Andrew Raines	2 episodes
1984	Tales from the Darkside	Richard Hagstrom	Episode: "The Word Processor of the Gods"
1985	V	John Langley	3 episodes
1985-1989	Hunter	Capt. Wyler/Dep. Chief Wyler	16 episodes
1990	Designing Women	Reverend Eugene 'Gene' Chapman	Episode: "Have Faith"
1991-1993	Harry and the Hendersons	George Henderson	72 episodes
1995	The Outer Limits	Harlan Hawkes	Episode: "White Light Fever"
1996	Star Trek: Voyager	Jareth	Episode: "Remember"
1996-1997	Seinfeld	Wyck	3 episodes
1998	Touched by an Angel	Jacob 'Jake' Weiss	Episode: "Elijah" Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
1999-2000	Chicago Hope	Dr. Burt Peters	2 episodes
2000-2001	The Practice	Scott Wallace	9 episodes
2002	Without a Trace	Paul Cartwright	Episode: "Pilot"
2002	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Dr. Graham Mandell	Episode: "Waste"
2002	Star Trek: Enterprise	Menos	Episode: "The Seventh"
2004	Kingdom Hospital	Dr. Stegman	13 episodes
2004	JAG	Dr. Morris Sperling	Episode: "The Man on the Bridge"
2005	Numb3rs	Robert Oliver	Episode: "Sacrifice"
2005	The Triangle	Stan Lathem	3 episodes
2005	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
2007	The L Word	Leonard Kroll	3 episodes
2007	Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)	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
2010	Psych	Walter Snowden	Episode: "Think Tank"
2010	General Hospital	Wilhelm von Schlagel	5 episodes
2011	Castle	Lou Karnacki	Episode: "Law & Murder"
2011	CSI: Crime Scene Investigation	Avery Tinsdale	Episode: "Father of the Bride"
2011	Hawaii Five-0	Steven Carver	Episode: "Ua Lawe Wale"
2011	Childrens Hospital	Narrator	Episode: "Children's Hospital: A Play in Three Acts"
2011	Covert Affairs	Max Langford	Episode: "Horse to Water"
2011-2012	Drop Dead Diva	Judge Cyrus Maxwell	3 episodes
2012	Luck	Hartstone	2 episodes
2012	Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23	Gabe Sharpe	Episode: "Whatever It Takes..."
2012-2013	Last Resort	Admiral Arthur Shepard	6 episodes
2014	Those Who Kill	Howard Burgess	10 episodes
2014	The Legend of Korra	Lord Zuko	6 episodes
2014	Sequestered	TBD	12 episodes
2014	Kingdom	Lisa's father	Episode: "Eat Your Own Cooking"
2015	The Fosters	Stuart Adams	Episode: "More Than Words" & "Lucky"

[ Source: Wikipedia ]