Robert Davi

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Robert Davi
Born June 26, 1951 (1951-06-26) (age 58)
Astoria, Queens, New York

Robert Davi (born June 26, 1951)[1] is an American character actor. Davi is best remembered for his role as the villain Franz Sanchez in the James Bond film Licence to Kill, but also played roles such as Vietnam veteran and Special Agent Johnson in Die Hard and the villainous, singing Fratelli brother, Jake, in The Goonies. He also had roles in movies such as Predator 2 (as the frustrated by-the-book Police Chief Philip Heinemann), and Showgirls.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Davi was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, the son of Maria (née Rulli) and Sal Davi. His mother was an Italian American and his father was a native of Southern Italy; Davi spoke Italian during his childhood. He attended Seton Hall, a Catholic high school in Patchogue (Long Island), New York.[1] He graduated from Hofstra University, the same alma mater as fellow James Bond villain Christopher Walken. Davi was drawn to Hofstra because of the school's Shakespearean 'round' theatre.

[edit] Career

Davi starred as FBI Task Force director Bailey Malone in NBC's Profiler and has a recurring role as the erstwhile Genii military leader, Commander Acastus Kolya, on Stargate Atlantis. He is the only actor to appear in all three of MGM's biggest franchises: James Bond, The Pink Panther and Stargate.

In 2004, he voiced the Covenant Elite, known as Spec-Ops Command Leader Half-Jaw in the game Halo 2. He reprised the role in Halo 3 (by which point his character had been promoted to Ship Master). He also co-starred in In the Mix, which marked the R&B singer Usher's first starring role. In 2005, he recorded a radio spot in support of California Proposition 73, the pro-life proposition that would have required that a physician notify in writing a parent or guardian at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor girl.[2]

Davi has played several villain roles during his lengthy career, including Franz Sanchez in the Bond film Licence to Kill (1989) and gangster Jake Fratelli in The Goonies (1985).

He directed his first feature film, a doo-wop/heist movie called The Dukes, receiving great acclaim at film festivals in the fall of 2007. The film co-stars Chazz Palminteri and Peter Bogdanovich and introduced film newcomer Greg London. [3]

[edit] Personal life

Davi is particularly outspoken about his Republican political views and demonstrates an intelligent understanding of politics. He has been invited to comment on numerous political shows and backed John McCain during his presidential campaign. He narrated several film montages that aired during the 2008 Republican National Convention.[4]Davi also spoke at the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C. Davi is also a devoted Christian and regularly speaks of God or relates passages from the Bible in speaking.[5]He is a cousin of fellow actor and animal rights activist Leo Grillo and Davi has supported him in voicing his views on animal rights and taxes.[6]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Cigar Aficionado | People Profile | Robert Davi
  2. ^ Yes on 73 - News and Editorials
  3. ^ The Dukes: Official Movie Site
  4. ^ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7boz9c5A20 Robert Davi Backstage at the Republican National Convention]
  5. ^ Washington Times
  6. ^ ABC News

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Davi"