Jump to content

Robert Davi: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tag: references removed
Line 12: Line 12:


==Acting Career==
==Acting Career==
Robert Davi made his motion picture debut in Contract On Cherry Street, in which he shared the screen with the Chairman of the Board himself, [[Frank Sinatra]]. Since then he's continued to work with the biggest names in Hollywood – [[Marlon Brando]], [[Clint Eastwood]], [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], [[Benicio Del Toro]], [[James Fraco]], [[Catherine Zeta-Jones]], [[Bruce Willis]], and [[Roberto Benigni]], among others. He's been in such movies as [[The Goonies]], [[Die Hard]], [[Showgirls]], [[Son of the Pink Panther]], and in the [[James Bond (film series)|Bond film]] [[License to Kill]] as the villain Franz Sanchez – which considered one of the three top Bond villains of all time. On TV, he starred as Commander Acastus Kolya on [[Stargate Atlantis]], appeared in two-part episodes of Criminal Minds, and played Agent Baily Malone in 82 episodes of his own [[NBC]] series, ''[[Profiler (TV series)|Profiler]]''. On March 17, 2001, he can be seen with [[Val Kilmer]] and [[Christopher Walken]] in [[Kill The Irishman]], the true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970's. And currently he can be seen in Game of Death with [[Wesley Snipes]].
Davi, who has a classically-trained baritone voice, initially wanted to be an opera singer. A chronic vocal injury caused him to become a movie-actor instead. Davi starred as [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] Task Force director Bailey Malone in [[NBC]]'s ''[[Profiler (TV series)|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 [[Rtas 'Vadumee|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 (film)|In the Mix]]'', which marked the [[R&B]] singer [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]]'s first starring role. In 2005, he recorded a radio spot in support of [[California Proposition 73 (2005)|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.<ref>[http://www.yeson73.net/content/view/35/59 Yes on 73 - News and Editorials<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Davi has played several villain roles during his lengthy career, including [[Franz Sanchez]] in the [[James Bond (film series)|Bond film]] ''[[Licence to Kill]]'' (1989) and gangster Jake Fratelli in ''[[The Goonies]]'' (1985). It was in The Goonies that his character had a habit of singing opera songs; in a sense fulfilling Davi's lifelong ambition.


==Directing Career==
==Directing Career==

Revision as of 18:58, 29 December 2010

Robert Davi
File:DaviSingsSinatra.jpg
Robert Davi, 2010
Born (1953-06-26) June 26, 1953 (age 71)
Astoria, Queens, New York

Robert John Davi (born June 26, 1953)[1] is an American 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. He is best known on television for his role as the recurring character Acastus Kolya in Stargate Atlantis.


Early life

Davi was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, the son of Maria (née Rulli) and Sal Davi.[1] His mother was an Italian American and his father was a native of Southern Italy; Davi spoke Italian during his childhood.[1] 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.

Acting Career

Robert Davi made his motion picture debut in Contract On Cherry Street, in which he shared the screen with the Chairman of the Board himself, Frank Sinatra. Since then he's continued to work with the biggest names in Hollywood – Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Benicio Del Toro, James Fraco, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bruce Willis, and Roberto Benigni, among others. He's been in such movies as The Goonies, Die Hard, Showgirls, Son of the Pink Panther, and in the Bond film License to Kill as the villain Franz Sanchez – which considered one of the three top Bond villains of all time. On TV, he starred as Commander Acastus Kolya on Stargate Atlantis, appeared in two-part episodes of Criminal Minds, and played Agent Baily Malone in 82 episodes of his own NBC series, Profiler. On March 17, 2001, he can be seen with Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken in Kill The Irishman, the true story of Danny Greene, a tough Irish thug working for mobsters in Cleveland during the 1970's. And currently he can be seen in Game of Death with Wesley Snipes.

Directing Career

Davi recently made his directorial debut with The Dukes, a parable for today about how the current economic crisis is affecting the everyman. The story follows the members of a once successful Doo Wop group who, like most of the world, have fallen on hard times. The film is about chasing the American Dream, even when the reality of that dream is changing faster than you can run. The Dukes stars Chazz Palminteri, Robert Davi, and Peter Bogdanovich. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the film “a gem – irresistible.” Jen Johans from Film Intuition said, “Frequently funny yet consistently relatable, especially given our current economic climate – The Dukes is an irresistible feel-great movie that manages to tap right into the resilient, independent, prideful and tough-minded spirit of what it means to be Italian-American. Yet at the same time, Davi's film also celebrates the extraordinary beauty of the culture whether it's in our ability to put family and loyalty first or to sublimate our frustrations into perfect, sweet-sounding musical harmony.”

The Dukes was selected for the premiere section at the Rome Film Festival, along with other filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola, Sean Penn, Robert Redford, Sidney Lumet, and Gavin Hood. Davi was the only first-time director in the premiere section. The film was then invited to the Monte Carlo Comedy Film Festival, where it received awards for best first-time director and best screenplay. Artistic director of the festival was Mario Monicelli (Big Deal On Madonna Street), and president of the jury was Ettore Scola, one of the giants of Italian cinema who has won the Golden Palm several times, an Oscar, Italian Oscars, and French Oscars. Following that, The Dukes was invited to the Alpe d'Huez International Comedy Film Festival in France. The Dukes and Jason Reitman's Juno were the only two American films selected, with The Dukes receiving the special jury prize, The Coup de Coeur: “The Prize of the Heart.”

Recording Career

While most know Davi as an iconic screen presence, not many know that Davi's first passion is singing. As this current quote by jazz great Shelly Berg, Dean of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, may illustrate: "Everyone knew Robert Davi would be great as Lucky Luciano in the new, Phil Ramone-produced musical "Lanza", but what blew the crowd away was Robert singing Sinatra as the encore! In a performance for 600 college students, they leapt to their feet and screamed with delight. The same result was achieved the next night with the "adult" audience. Very few people can sing Sinatra with the voice, authority and phrasing of Robert Davi."

But even as far back as high school, Davi received acclaim for his singing, being awarded first place in the prestigious New York State School Music Association’s – Solo Competition, singing Vincent Youmans’ Without A Song. As a young man, Davi studied under several of the top vocal teachers: Samuel Margolis (the famed singing teacher at the Metropolitan Opera who incidentally taught Robert Merrill the man who Sinatra would sometimes call upon for vocal workshops). Then he studied with Danial Ferro of Juilliard and later opera great Tito Gobbi. While Davi learned a tremendous amount from these men, he always felt something was missing.

It wasn’t until two years ago when it all came together. The first step was to find a teacher, so he asked Bob Cavallo who would be good to study with. Cavallo instantly recommended Gary Catona, the legendary “voice builder to the stars." Davi met with Catona and the two became fast friends. Catona’s revolutionary technique was the vocal approach Davi had always been searching for. Catona says of Davi, “Unlike other singers who are doing the American songbook, Robert truly has ‘the voice,’ a rich, masculine tone and beauty, with a sensitive, artistic heart to match. In this sense, he resembles Sinatra, but does not sound like him. His uniquely colorful baritone voice has a flair for the dramatic that he expresses thoughtfully in his interpretation. All in all, Robert Davi could easily wrestle the Sinatra mantle away from all would-be contenders.”

With a thirty-piece orchestra, Davi recently recorded his first album at the famous Capitol Records Building in Hollywood (where Sinatra recorded on many occasions). The album contains all new arrangements by composer Nic. tenBroek. Phil Ramone, who is one of the industry’s most accomplished and respected music producers achieving, 33 Grammy nominations and 14 Grammy Awards, is overseeing the project. The album, “Davi Sings Sinatra - On The Road To Romance,” will be released in the late spring of 2011 by a major label.

Personal life

Davi is an outspoken conservative and often speaks at Republican gatherings. 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.[2] Davi also spoke at the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington D.C.

Davi is a devout Roman Catholic and regularly speaks of God or relates passages from the Bible in speaking.[3] He is a frequent guest on Fox News's late-night satire program Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.

Other Awards & Recognitions

George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service award Hofstra University Alumni Association. Past recipients include Francis Ford Coppola and William Saphire.

Steering Committee for George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute -- the only actor among 28 members -- who consist mostly of Senators and former heads of the FBI and CIA.

Developed Civilian Patrol 93, which is currently at Homeland Security where a lesson plan is being written.

Named KNX radios' Citizen of the Week Award in 2004 for saving a young girl from a fire in her home.

Sons of Italy, Royal Court of the Golden Lion Award in Sept 2004 ($20,000 was given to a foundation in which he is involved).

Received the 2004 STEP Award in October (Science, Technology and Education Partnership).

Received Man of the Year award from Los Angeles FBI in the year 2000.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ a b c d Cigar Aficionado | People Profile | Robert Davi
  2. ^ Robert Davi Backstage at the Republican National Convention
  3. ^ Washington Times

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robert_Davi&oldid=404854919"