David Duchovny
David Duchovny | |
|---|---|
 Duchovny at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | David William Duchovny August 7, 1960 New York, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Princeton University Yale University |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, producer, writer, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
David William Duchovny (born August 7, 1960) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for playing FBI Agent Fox Mulder on the sci-fi horror action drama show The X-Files and writer Hank Moody on the comedy-drama series Californication, both of which have earned him Golden Globe awards.[1] Duchovny appeared in both of the two X-Files films, the 1998 science fiction-thriller of the same name and the supernatural-thriller The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). As of May 2015, he has been executive producing and starring in the historically based cop drama Aquarius.
Duchovny has a B.A. in English Literature from Princeton University, an M.A. in English Literature from Yale University, and has since published two books, Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale in 2015 and Bucky F*cking Dent in 2016.
Early life and education
Duchovny was born in New York, New York, in 1960.[2] He is the son of Margaret "Meg" (née Miller), a school administrator and teacher, and Amram "Ami" Duchovny (1927–2003), a writer and publicist who worked for the American Jewish Committee.[3][4][5] Duchovny's mother is a Lutheran emigrant from Aberdeen, Scotland.[6][7][8] His father was Jewish; Duchovny's paternal grandfather was from Berdychiv, Russian Empire (now in Ukraine), and Duchovny's paternal grandmother was born in Russian Poland (now in Poland).[9][10][11][12] His father dropped the h in his last name to avoid the sort of mispronunciations he encountered while serving in the Army.[3][13][14]
Duchovny attended Grace Church School and The Collegiate School For Boys; both are in Manhattan. He graduated from Princeton University[4] in 1982 with a B.A. in English Literature. He was a member of Charter Club, one of the university's eating clubs. In 1982, his poetry received an honorable mention for a college prize from the Academy of American Poets. The title of his senior thesis was The Schizophrenic Critique of Pure Reason in Beckett's Early Novels.[15] Duchovny played a season of junior varsity basketball as a shooting guard and centerfield for the varsity baseball team.
He received a Master of Arts in English Literature from Yale University and subsequently began work on a Ph.D. that remains unfinished.[4] The title of his uncompleted doctoral thesis was Magic and Technology in Contemporary Poetry and Prose. At Yale, he was a student of popular literary critic Harold Bloom.
Acting
Duchovny appeared in an advertisement for Löwenbräu beer in 1987. The next year he appeared in two scenes in Working Girl (1988). He had a recurring role as a transvestite DEA agent on the series Twin Peaks and played the narrator and host in the long-running Showtime erotica/soft-core TV series Red Shoe Diaries. In 1992, he played the role of Rollie Totheroh, in the biographic film Chaplin, directed by Richard Attenborough and based on the life of Charlie Chaplin. In 1993, Duchovny began starring in the science fiction series The X-Files as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder, a conspiracy theorist who believed his sister had been abducted by aliens.[4] The show evolved into a cult hit and quickly became one of The Fox Network's first major television hits. According to X-Files creator Chris Carter, Duchovny turned out to be one of the best-read people he knew.[16] After getting the role, Duchovny thought the show would not last for long or that it wouldn't make as much impact as it did. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz called Duchovny "amazingly smart." Spotnitz further stated that Duchovny was behind some of the main characteristic ideas behind Mulder.[17] Also in 1993, Duchovny was cast alongside Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis, in the Dominic Sena-directed thriller Kalifornia.
During The X-Files run, in between the fifth and sixth seasons, Duchovny co-starred alongside Gillian Anderson in The X-Files: Fight the Future, a 1998 motion picture that continued the X-Files storyline.[4] He remained with the series until quitting in 2001, partly because of a contract dispute that occurred after season seven finished filming.[19] Duchovny appeared in half of the season eight episodes, but did not appear in season nine until the series finale in 2002. He also provided the voice for a parody of his Mulder character in, the episode "The Springfield Files" of the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Duchovny has been nominated for four Emmy Awards.[20]
Duchovny caused controversy when it became public that he was the primary reason for which filming of The X-Files series was moved from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Los Angeles in 1998. Many residents of Vancouver were upset with Duchovny over scripted jokes on Late Night with Conan O'Brien about the city's heavy rainfall; he joked, "Vancouver is a very nice place, if you like 400 inches of rainfall a day." (Duchovny's character Mulder would later reference this joke in the Season 5 episode "Schizogeny".) He also stated, "Of course, I'm tired of the rain. But if I wasn't married to a woman that lives in L.A. I'd stay in Vancouver. It's a lovely city."[21] During the run of The X-Files, he also made several guest appearances in the cult TV satire The Larry Sanders Show, playing himself, but adding a strong attraction to Sanders. In the final episode of the series, he performed a parody of Sharon Stone's 'flashing' scene from Basic Instinct and a parody of Dr. Hannibal Lecter being introduced to Agent Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs.
Duchovny has guest hosted Saturday Night Live twice (May 13, 1995 and May 9, 1998). Both shows were season finales. In 2000 he starred in the feature film Return to Me, a romantic comedy/drama directed by Bonnie Hunt and co-starring Minnie Driver and Carroll O'Connor. In 2001, Duchovny starred as Ira Kane in the sci-fi comedy film Evolution, alongside Seann William Scott, and had a cameo as hand model J.P. Prewitt in the Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander. He appeared in a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in May 2000. He got to the $250,000 question, but answered his $500,000 question incorrectly and lost $218,000, leaving him with $32,000. He appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 1995 and 2010.
Duchovny provided the voice of Ethan Cole in the 2005 video game Area 51, as well as that of the title character "XIII" in the 2003 video game XIII. In 2003 Duchovny starred in the 84th[22] episode of the HBO show Sex and the City. He played the role of Jeremy, Carrie Bradshaw's high-school ex-boyfriend, who has committed himself to a Connecticut mental health facility. In 2005 Duchovny, who had already made his directorial debut with an episode of The X-Files, wrote, directed, and appeared in the feature film House of D.[4] The film starred Anton Yelchin, Robin Williams, and Duchovny's wife Téa Leoni in a coming-of-age tale.[4] It received mostly poor reviews[23] and little box office success.[24] Duchovny also directed "Judas on a Pole", an episode of Bones, during the show's second season.
Duchovny has played Hank Moody, a troubled, womanizing, novelist in Showtime's series Californication. The portrayal landed him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical in 2007.[25]
In March 2014, NBC announced that a new TV series, entitled Aquarius, would be produced starring Duchovny. Duchovny portrays a 1960s police sergeant investigating small-time criminal and budding cult leader Charles Manson.[26]
In March 2015, Duchovny was announced as returning in a six-episode continuation of The X-Files.[27][28]
Writing
Duchovny wrote his first book in 2015, titled Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale ISBN 0-37-417207-2.[29]
His second novel is Bucky F*cking Dent (Spring 2016)
Music
On May 12, 2015, Duchovny released his first music album named Hell or Highwater, which consists of 12 songs.[30][31][32]
Personal life
Duchovny married actress Téa Leoni on May 13, 1997.[33] In April 1999, Leoni gave birth to a daughter, Madelaine West Duchovny. Their second child, a son, Kyd Miller Duchovny, was born in June 2002. Duchovny is a former vegetarian and, as of 2007, is a pescetarian.[34][35]
On August 28, 2008, Duchovny announced that he had checked himself into a rehabilitation facility for treating sex addiction.[36][37] On October 15, Duchovny's and Leoni's representatives issued a statement revealing they had separated several months earlier.[38] A week later, Duchovny's lawyer said that he planned to sue the Daily Mail over an article it ran that claimed he had had an affair with Hungarian tennis instructor Edit Pakay while married to Leoni, a claim that Duchovny has denied.[39] On November 15, 2008, the Daily Mail retracted their claims.[40] After getting back together, Duchovny and Leoni once again split on June 29, 2011.[41] In 2012, he declared he was still married to her, though they were separated.[42] Their divorce was finalized in June 2014.[43]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Working Girl | Tess's Friend | |
| 1989 | New Year's Day | Billy | |
| 1990 | Denial | John | |
| 1990 | Bad Influence | Club Goer | |
| 1991 | Julia Has Two Lovers | Daniel | |
| 1991 | Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead | Bruce | |
| 1991 | The Rapture | Randy | |
| 1992 | Ruby | Officer Tippit | |
| 1992 | Beethoven | Brad | |
| 1992 | Red Shoe Diaries | Jake Winters | |
| 1992 | Venice/Venice | Dylan | |
| 1992 | Chaplin | Roland "Rollie" Totheroh | |
| 1993 | Kalifornia | Brian Kessler | |
| 1997 | Playing God | Dr. Eugene Sands | |
| 1998 | The X-Files: Fight the Future | FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder | |
| 2000 | Return to Me | Bob Rueland | |
| 2001 | Evolution | Dr. Ira Kane | |
| 2001 | Zoolander | JP Prewitt | |
| 2002 | Full Frontal | Bill / Gus | |
| 2004 | Connie and Carla | Jeff | |
| 2004 | House of D | Tom Warshaw | Writer, director |
| 2005 | Trust the Man | Tom | |
| 2006 | Queer Duck: the Movie | Tiny Jesus | |
| 2006 | The TV Set | Mike Klein | |
| 2007 | Things We Lost in the Fire | Brian Burke | |
| 2007 | The Secret | Dr. Benjamin Marris | |
| 2007 | Quantum Hoops | Narrator | |
| 2008 | The X-Files: I Want to Believe | FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder | |
| 2009 | The Joneses | Steve Jones | |
| 2012 | Goats | The Goat Man | |
| 2013 | Phantom | Bruni | |
| 2013 | Louder Than Words | John Fareri |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990–1991, 2017 | Twin Peaks | DEA Agent Denise/Dennis Bryson | 3 episodes |
| 1992 | Baby Snatcher | David Anderson | Movie |
| 1992–1997 | Red Shoe Diaries | Jake Winters | 10 episodes |
| 1993–2002, 2016 | The X-Files | FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder | 182 episodes (seasons 1–9) 6 episodes (season 10) |
| 1995, 1996 | The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 1995, 1998 | Saturday Night Live | Host / himself | 2 episodes |
| 1995 | Eek! The Cat | FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder | Episode: "Eek Space 9" |
| 1996 | Frasier | Caller | Episode: "Frasier Loves Roz" |
| 1996 | Space: Above and Beyond | Handsome Alvin | Episode: "R&R" |
| 1997 | The Simpsons | FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder | Episode: "The Springfield Files" |
| 1997 | Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man | Richard | Episode: "The Girls of Route Canal" |
| 1998 | Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Himself | Episode: "Metaphors" |
| 2001 | The Lone Gunmen | FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder | 1 Episode: #12 All About Yves |
| 2002 | Primetime Glick | Himself | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Life with Bonnie | Johnny Volcano | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Sex and the City | Jeremy | Episode: "Boy, Interrupted" |
| 2007–2014 | Californication | Hank Moody | 84 episodes (season 1–7) |
| 2015–present | Aquarius | Sam Hodiak | 13 episodes (season 1–present) |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The X-Files Game | Fox Mulder | |
| 2003 | XIII | Jason Fly | |
| 2004 | The X-Files: Resist or Serve | Fox Mulder | |
| 2005 | Area 51 | Ethan Cole | |
| 2015 | Call of Duty: Black Ops III | Echo Squad Walter |
Other works
- 2011: Introduction to Coach: 25 Writers Reflect on People Who Made a Difference [44]
- 2015: Audiobook To Legend He Goes: A Tale from The Legend of Drizzt [45]
- 2015: Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale, Farrar, Straus and Giroux ISBN 978-0374172077
- 2016: Bucky F*cking Dent, Farrar, Straus and Giroux ISBN 978-0374110420
Awards and nominations
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (May 2015) |
References
- ^ "The best of Hank Moody: Quotes & clips". Cuzoogle. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly. No. 1271. August 9, 2013. p. 22.
- ^ a b Hecker, Don R. (September 2, 2003). "Amram Ducovny, 75, Late-Blossoming Novelist". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio
- ^ "David Duchovny Biography (1960-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "Craig Ferguson 8/10/10C Late Late Show David Duchovny". Youtube.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
"... my father being a Russian Jew ..."
- ^ "My Kind of Day - David Duchovny". Radio Times. December 1995.
My relatives are Scottish, so I think my Scottish audience is important. Some are in Glasgow, but my mum's from Aberdeen. I hear it's grey there - like my mum. The name's Russian, but New York is my home. That's where I'm from.
- ^ "David Duchovny DuchovnyNet - Article: A Man and His 'X'". Duchovny.net. October 26, 1997. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
"I like that I look like my father and mother put together--that's a Russian Jew and a Scottish Lutheran, and I like that it all looks mixed up. . . . I'm sure my nose wasn't an asset until I was David Duchovny. Before that, it was, like, 'Yeah, that kind of Jewish-looking guy with the kind of big nose.' "
- ^ "Was David Duchovny's Family From Ukraine or Russia?". Huffington Post. July 30, 2014.
- ^ "David Duchovny Interview for "Phantom"". facebook.com.
- ^ "Five Minutes With David Duchovny". Gothamist.
- ^ "A Literary Classic of Coney Island Comes to Digital Life". thebrooklynink.com.
- ^ "David Duchovny DuchovnyNet - Article: Cult Times 1997". Duchovny.net. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ Peter Canavese. "Groucho Reviews: Interview: David Duchovny—House of D, Twin Peaks—03/30/05". GrouchoReviews.
- ^ Duchovny, David William. The Schizophrenic Critique of Pure Reason in Beckett's Early Novels. 1982.
- ^ Carter, Chris. "Casting Mulder". BBC News. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
- ^ Spotnitz, Frank. "Amazingly Smart". BBC News. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
- ^ Schaefer, Glen (March 12, 2008). "Filming of the X-Files sequel wraps". Vancouver Province. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
- ^ "Duchovny quits X-Files". BBC News. May 18, 2001. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ David Duchovny at Emmys.com
- ^ "Mike Roberts, Vancouver Province". Mjq.net. October 16, 1997. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "Boy, Interrupted". Hbo.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "House of D". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ Business info for The House of D at Internet Movie Database
- ^ "Hollywood Foreign Press Association 2008 Golden Globe Awards For The Year Ended December 31, 2007". HFPA. 2007. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
- ^ Bibel, Sara (March 31, 2014). "NBC Greenlights 13 Episodes of 'Aquarius', Starring David Duchovny as a Cop Tracking Charles Manson (Updated)". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
- ^ "David Duchovny Calls Mulder "the Worst F.B.I. Agent of All Time"". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Fox Confirms 'X-Files' Reboot Talks, David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson To Return: Update". Deadline. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Holy Cow: A Novel: David Duchovny: 9781427261717: Amazon.com: Books". amazon.com.
- ^ Dawn, Randee (May 12, 2015). "David Duchovny excited for 'X-Files' return, 'heavily medicated' for music performance". Today.com. NBC News. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Farber, Jim (May 11, 2015). "David Duchovny's 'Hell or Highwater' album review: 'The X-Files' actor makes a credible rock album". New York Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Lynch, Joe (May 6, 2015). "David Duchovny Premieres Self-Penned 'Let It Rain (Acoustic)': Exclusive". Billboard magazine. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Gliatto, Tom (May 19, 1997). "Altared State: David Duchovny and Téa Leoni Tie the Knot". People. Vol. 47, no. 19. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ He stated on the November 16, 2007 episode of Live with Regis and Kelly that he is no longer vegetarian but still does not consume red meat.
- ^ Hochman, David. "The X-Man Cometh". Men's Health.
- ^ "David Duchovny's Sex Rehab Not Because Of Affair: Report". Huffington Post. February 10, 2008.
- ^ "Duchovny enters rehab for sex addiction". MSNBC. August 28, 2008.
- ^ Fleeman, Mike (October 15, 2008). "David Duchovny & Téa Leoni Separated 'For Several Months'". People.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
- ^ "The Ex Files: David Duchovny Sues Paper over Affair Story". TV Guide. October 21, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
- ^ "David Duchovny". London: The Daily Mail. November 15, 2008. Retrieved November 17, 2008.
- ^ "David Duchovny & Tea Leoni Separate Ways—Again". People. 18 July 2011. Retrieved March 2012.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "David Duchovny talks about 'Californication' and Marilyn Manson". Retrieved April 2014.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Leon, Anya (August 9, 2014). "David Duchovny and Téa Leoni Are Divorcing". People. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ "Coach: 25 Writers Reflect on People Who Made a Difference (Excelsior Editions): Andrew Blauner, David Duchovny, Bill Bradley: 9781438437347: Amazon.com: Books". amazon.com.
- ^ "To Legend He Goes: A Tale from The Legend of Drizzt: R. A. Salvatore, David Duchovny: 9781501257933: Amazon.com: Books". amazon.com.
External links
- David Duchovny at IMDb
- Washington Post Interview with David Duchovny, April 2007 David Duchovny and the Drama of Television
- David Duchovny at Emmys.com
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- 1960 births
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American male actors
- American film directors
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American people of Polish-Jewish descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
- American television directors
- American television producers
- Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- Best Musical or Comedy Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- Collegiate School (New York) alumni
- Film directors from New York City
- Living people
- Male actors from New York City
- People from Fire Island, New York
- People from Manhattan
- Princeton University alumni, 1980–89
- Yale University alumni