Dave Davis | |
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Born | David Randolph-Mayhem Davis [1] June 7, 1989 Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
Education | Tulane University (BFA) |
Occupation | Actor |
Dave Davis (born June 7, 1989)[ citation needed ] is an American actor, musician and producer based in New Orleans. [2] He is best known for his lead roles in the 2017 film Bomb City and the 2019 horror film The Vigil . [3] [4]
Davis was born on June 7, 1989[ citation needed ] in Princeton, New Jersey, into a Jewish family. He grew up in New Orleans and had his Bar Mitzvah at Touro Synagogue. [2] [4] [5] 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, [5] [2] then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre from Tulane University in 2011. [1] [6] [5] In fulfillment of his thesis, he starred in Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth . [2]
Davis spent five years[ citation needed ] with the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival, culminating with the role of Hamlet in 2012. [7] [6] [5] After graduation, he worked out of New Orleans, appearing in films including Ghost Shark , Red Clover , Ozark Sharks , and several others. [2] [8] He also guest starred in True Detective and The Walking Dead , and acted in The Big Short and Logan . [6] [5] 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. [9] [10] In 2015, he moved to Los Angeles, [2] where he continued to work with the comedy group from afar. [10]
In 2017, Davis played the lead role in Bomb City , a film about the life and murder of Brian Deneke. [11] This earned him a Best Actor award and the Special Jury Prize for Performance at the 2017 Nashville Film Festival, [12] [6] [13] followed by a second Best Actor award at the Louisville International Festival of Film. [13] [6] Director Keith Thomas chose him to play the lead in his 2019 horror film The Vigil after seeing him in Bomb City. [4] He played a man tasked with watching over a deceased member of an Orthodox Jewish community. [3] [14] [15] He was nominated for Best Actor in a Horror Movie at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards. [16] Davis returned to New Orleans permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic. [2]
In 2025, he appeared in and was executive producer of the film Hazard . [5]
Davis is a descendant of Holocaust survivors and also Jews who escaped earlier from growing antisemitism in Europe. For his role in the 2019 horror film The Vigil , Davis learned to speak Yiddish, immersing himself in an intensive course. [17] [18]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | Flakes | Stoner #1 | Uncredited | [8] |
2012 | Stolen | Taylor | [8] | |
2014 | Elsa & Fred | Photographer | [8] | |
Starve | Jiminey | [8] [19] | ||
2015 | The Final Girls | 50's Counselor | [8] | |
Demonic | Tech 1 | [8] | ||
Get Hard | Cross Dresser | [8] | ||
N.O.L.A Circus | Vinny | [8] | ||
Nocturna | Bobby | [8] | ||
The Big Short | Burry's Assistant | [6] [8] | ||
Daddy's Home | Panda Singer #1 | [8] | ||
2016 | The Backup Dancer | Rudy | Uncredited | |
2017 | Logan | Convenience Store Clerk | [8] | |
Bomb City | Brian Deneke | Won two Best Actor awards and one Special Jury Prize for Performance | [12] [13] | |
Dark Meridian | Tevi Marek | [8] | ||
Jeepers Creepers 3 | SWAT Team One | [8] | ||
2018 | Laundry Day | Ethan | [8] | |
The Domestics | Flame Gambler | [8] | ||
2019 | The Vigil | Yakov Ronen | Nominated for Best Actor in a Horror Movie at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards | [3] [14] [15] [16] |
The True Don Quixote | Trout | [8] | ||
Sunday Girl | Jack | [8] | ||
2020 | Greyhound | Boatswain's Mate #1 | [8] [6] | |
2022 | Emancipation | Oliver | [8] | |
Presence | David | Co-producer | [8] | |
2023 | Resurrected | Father Stanley Martin | Associate producer | [20] [8] |
Renfield | Mitch | [8] | ||
2025 | Hazard | John Lang | Post-production; Executive Producer | [21] [5] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Memphis Beat | Bryan | Episode: "The Things We Carry" | [8] |
Hide | Young Charlie Marvin | TV movie | [8] | |
2012 | Red Clover | Dax Spence | [2] [8] | |
American Horror House | Lloyd | [8] | ||
The Walking Dead | Gargulio | Episode: "Hounded" | [8] [5] [2] | |
2013 | Heebie Jeebies | Mace | TV movie | [8] |
Ladies' Man: A Made Movie | Toby Miller | [8] | ||
Ghost Shark | Blaise | [8] [2] | ||
2014 | True Detective | Toby | Episode: "After You've Gone" | [8] [2] |
SnakeHead Swamp | Chris | TV movie | [8] | |
2016 | NCIS: New Orleans | JJ Taylor | Episode: "Help Wanted" | [8] [2] |
Ozark Sharks | Harrison | TV movie | [2] | |
2018 | Bad Stepmother | Jonathan Hawking | [8] [22] | |
2019 | Lucifer | Maury Novak | Episode: "Somebody's Been Reading Dante's Inferno" | [8] |
2021 | The Rookie | Marvin Reynolds | Episode: "Hit and Run" | [8] |
2023 | Tiny Beautiful Things | Pablo | Episode: "The Ghost Ship" | [8] |
2024 | S.W.A.T. | Jeremiah Jacobs | Episode: "Left of Boom" | [8] |
2025 | The Greatest | Marvin Geller | 5 episodes | [8] |