Dave Davis (actor)

Last updated

Dave Davis
Born
David Randolph-Mayhem Davis [1]

(1989-06-07) June 7, 1989 (age 36)
Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
Education Tulane University (BFA)
OccupationActor

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]

Contents

Early life and education

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]

Career

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]

Personal life

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]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef
2007 Flakes Stoner #1Uncredited [8]
2012 Stolen Taylor [8]
2014 Elsa & Fred Photographer [8]
StarveJiminey [8] [19]
2015 The Final Girls 50's Counselor [8]
Demonic Tech 1 [8]
Get Hard Cross Dresser [8]
N.O.L.A CircusVinny [8]
NocturnaBobby [8]
The Big Short Burry's Assistant [6] [8]
Daddy's Home Panda Singer #1 [8]
2016 The Backup Dancer RudyUncredited
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 MeridianTevi Marek [8]
Jeepers Creepers 3 SWAT Team One [8]
2018 Laundry Day Ethan [8]
The Domestics Flame Gambler [8]
2019 The Vigil Yakov RonenNominated for Best Actor in a Horror Movie at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards [3] [14] [15] [16]
The True Don QuixoteTrout [8]
Sunday GirlJack [8]
2020 Greyhound Boatswain's Mate #1 [8] [6]
2022 Emancipation Oliver [8]
PresenceDavidCo-producer [8]
2023ResurrectedFather Stanley MartinAssociate producer [20] [8]
Renfield Mitch [8]
2025 Hazard John LangPost-production; Executive Producer [21] [5]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotesRef
2011 Memphis Beat BryanEpisode: "The Things We Carry" [8]
HideYoung Charlie MarvinTV movie [8]
2012 Red Clover Dax Spence [2] [8]
American Horror HouseLloyd [8]
The Walking Dead GargulioEpisode: "Hounded" [8] [5] [2]
2013 Heebie Jeebies MaceTV movie [8]
Ladies' Man: A Made MovieToby Miller [8]
Ghost Shark Blaise [8] [2]
2014 True Detective TobyEpisode: "After You've Gone" [8] [2]
SnakeHead SwampChrisTV movie [8]
2016 NCIS: New Orleans JJ TaylorEpisode: "Help Wanted" [8] [2]
Ozark Sharks HarrisonTV movie [2]
2018Bad StepmotherJonathan Hawking [8] [22]
2019 Lucifer Maury NovakEpisode: "Somebody's Been Reading Dante's Inferno" [8]
2021 The Rookie Marvin ReynoldsEpisode: "Hit and Run" [8]
2023 Tiny Beautiful Things PabloEpisode: "The Ghost Ship" [8]
2024 S.W.A.T. Jeremiah JacobsEpisode: "Left of Boom" [8]
2025 The Greatest Marvin Geller5 episodes [8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Tulane University awards nearly 2,300 degrees today". NOLA.com. May 12, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "NOLA's Davis stars in Jewish horror film "The Vigil"". Southern Jewish Life. March 5, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Mintzer, Jordan (September 12, 2019). "'The Vigil': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 Smason, Alan (2021). "Local actor Dave Davis scores major film role in 'The Vigil'". Crescent City Jewish News. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Coviello, Will (March 8, 2025). "New Orleans actor Dave Davis stars in Appalachian drama 'Hazard' at Zeitgeist Theatre". NOLA.com. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dave Davis". Philadelphia Jewish Film + Media. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Summer action hero? Tulane Shakespeare Fest opens with a Hamlet out for revenge". NOLA.com. June 28, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 "Dave Davis - Credits". TV Guide. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  9. ↑ Woodward, Alex (December 16, 2014). "Watch: Bare Banded Bear Handlers return with a Christmas rap video". NOLA.com. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Taylor, Alex (January 2015). "The Jingle Boyz: Boyz, Beer and Borrowed Time". Antigravity. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  11. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (November 22, 2017). "Gravitas Ventures Acquires Punk Rock Crime Drama 'Bomb City'". Deadline. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  12. 1 2 "Nashville Film Festival Announces: 2017 Feature Award Winners". Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 Self, Brooke (September 20, 2017). "'Bomb City' continues conquering film festival circuit". ABC 7 News. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Kohn, Eric (September 12, 2019). "'The Vigil' Review: 'The Conjuring' With an Orthodox Jewish Twist That Could Birth a Franchise". IndieWire . Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Lipsett, Joe (September 13, 2019). "[TIFF Review] 'The Vigil' Introduces a New Kind of Jewish Horror". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  16. 1 2 "Nominations Announced for 2nd Annual Critics Choice Super Awards Honoring Superhero, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, and Action Movies and Series". Critics Choice Association. February 22, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  17. ↑ Albert, Maddy (February 26, 2021). "This Groundbreaking Yiddish Film Is Deeply Jewish (and Seriously Scary)". Kveller . Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  18. ↑ Bolton-Fasman, Judy (February 16, 2021). "New Jewish Horror Film Steeped in Ancient Jewish Lore and Demonology". Jewish Boston. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  19. ↑ Miska, Brad (September 24, 2014). "Exclusive Poster Debut for 'Starve' (Sitges)". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  20. ↑ Miska, Brad (June 22, 2021). "'Resurrected': The Vatican Bring the Dead to Life in Timur Bekmambetov-Produced Thriller!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  21. ↑ Davanzo, Serena (January 16, 2025). "Hazard the Movie helps bring awareness and support with the opioid crisis". ABC 4 WOAY. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Bad Stepmother". Lifetime. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
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