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David Duchovny

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Biography

Recent Role:
Hank Moody on Californication
Gender:
Male
Born:
8-7-1960
Birthplace:
New York, New York, USA
Birth Name:
David William Ducovny
David Duchovny (August 7, 1960 - ) was born David William Duchovny in New York, New York. Best known for his starring role as Fox Mulder on the FOX sci fi drama series The X-Files and his recurring role as Jake Winters in the series Red Shoe diaries.

He has also starred in the sci fi movie version of The X-Files series also known as The X-Files, the sci fi comedy Evolution, and Playing God. He has also been a guest on several TV Series including Sex and the City, Millennium, and The Simpsons.

Father: Amram (Jewish Heritage)-- Wrote plays, worked as a publicist,



… More editor and writer. Wrote The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald Worked as a publicist/editor on The Wisdom of Spiro T. Agnew. Passed away August 23, 2003 in Paris at the age of 75.

Mother: Margaret (Scottish Heritage)-- Worked as school teacher for 27 years at Grace Church School in Greenwich Village. Now retired and still living in New York.

Siblings: Daniel (Older) and Laurie (Younger)

Wife: Tea Leoni (wed May 6th, 1997) Children: Madeline West Duchovny Born April 24, 1999 and Kyd Miller Duchovny Born June 15th, 2002.

Pets: Blue (Dog)

(NOTE-David's father and brother both chose to use the Ducovny-no "h"- spelling of the family name.)

David's parents divorced in 1971 when he was 11 years old. He and his brother and sister stayed in New York with their mother. Their father moved to Boston and later to Paris, France.

[edit]Education
David won a scholarship to the exclusive and well-known private boy's school, Collegiate School in Manhattan where played basketball and baseball. David excelled in his studies and graduated from Collegiate in 1978 as Validictorian of his class. He was accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Brown. He chose Princeton for undergraduate studies and Yale for graduate studies.

At Princeton he earned his undergraduate degree in English, the title of his senior thesis being: "The Schizophrenic Critique of Pure Reason in Beckett's Early Novels". David's senior thesis advisor, Maria DiBattista, comments on his choice of Beckett's work as the subject for his thesis: "Given what's happened to him with The X-Files , it's stricking to me now that he was drawn to Beckett, who has this slightly maccabre yet comic aspect to his work. David always liked horror films, which I used to tease him about. Sometimes when I watch The X-Files now I can see that deeply comic part of David'd imagination coming out. He was an extremely serious student, one of the best I ever had. I urged him to apply to graduate school, and he followed through on that. Yet I always wondered whether academia was the place for him. There was something too restless about him, some need to have a more varied set of experiences." Note: David graduated from Princeton in 1982. Future Executive Producer and writer on The X-Files , Howard Gordon, graduated from Princeton in 1984.

One of his nicknames was "Scruff" and he is remembered by one of his basketball team mates as "a bright, down-to-earth basketball-playing English major who didn't seem to take himself or anyone else too seriously." David graduated summa cum laude in 1982 and was on his way to Yale on a teaching fellowship.

After graduation David traveled with his best friend for five months, backpacking through Southeast Asia (Thailand, Burma, Maylaysia) where he had some interesting experiences that included "giggling like fools in the corner" with his friends, and having whole conversations with the local pigs.

An accident during a pick-up basketball game when he was 27 years old nearly cost him his sight in his right eye. He suffered a ruptured sphinctor in that eye and developed a cateract. He had to have a synthetic lens put in and now uses eye drops to keep the color right (by allowing the right amount of iris to show) and keep the pupil from dilating too much.


At Yale he worked as a graduate assistant, taught some Literature classes and began work on his doctorate thesis titled, "Magic and Technology in Contemporary American Fiction and Poetry". He has not yet finished his thesis to acquire his PhD in English Literature. His mother recently commented that David's "breast stroke record still stands", so he apparently excelled in swimming at some point during his school years.

[edit]The Beginning - An Acting Career
David began acting in school plays while he was working on his thesis and wanted to land some paid gigs so he could suppliment his summer bartending income. He was 27 when he started acting, a little late for some, but not for David. His acting career pretty much began with his appearances in some Lowenbrau beer commercials and auditions for films like Bull/Durham and Valmont, before finally landing a VERY brief appearance in 1988's Working Girl. Apparently Henry Jaglom saw David's potential and cast him in the latest Jaglom feature, 1989's New Year's Day.

This was followed by another VERY brief appearance in 1990's Bad Influence a 3 episode stint on Twin Peaks in the 1990-1991 Season and a string of roles in 1991, including Julia Has Two Lovers, Denial, Don't Tell Mom The Baby Sitter's Dead, and The Rapture. By 1992 work was really picking up for David with parts in Venice/Venice (his second movie with Henry Jaglom), Chaplin, small roles in the family hit Beethoven and the often overlooked Ruby. He also appeared in the little known TV Movie Baby Snatcher.

Most of his exposure in 1992 came from his role as "Jake" in The Red Shoe Diaries: The Movie which led to continuing the role as narrator/host for the series, and starring in the episode "Jake's Story". By 1993, things seemed to be well under way for David's acting career. That year he appeared with Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis in Kalifornia. Chris Carter saw David's performance and thought he would be right for the lead male role in his new project, a TV series titled The X-Files David showed up at the audition wearing a "pig print tie". "We knew David was it from the start," Carter later said in an Entertainment Weekly interview. "He was just very, very right for the role." [David also once sang Prince's song "If I was your girlfriend" at an audition.]

Within a year, David's "well under way" acting career was suddenly a speeding bullet. David had no idea just how huge the role of Fox Mulder would be. He didn't even expect the show to last one season, so of course he never dreamed it would turn him into a household name. David continued to have fun shocking people with his sexually interesting roles, such as playing himself in The Larry Sanders Show and professing his love for Gary Shandling and as "Gus" in 2002's Full Frontal, who's need for asphixiation during sex turned fatal.

David's off screen love life was something that he kept very private, he was rarely seen on dates or out on the town. He and long time girlfriend, Perry Reeves (Kristen from the The X-Files episode "3"), were seen at a few Hollywood outings, but were not out frequently.

When David appeared briefly in an episode of The X-Files sporting nothing but a pair of skimpy red Speedos he nearly caused a meltdown of the internet. Fans established churches to honor the smart, sexy actor with the odd name and distinct profile. Stars (the kind in the sky, not the kind in Hollywood) were named after their new sex God. Songs pleaded for someone to Love me like I'm David Duchovny or asked David Duchovny, why won't you love me?




[edit]Marriage, Family And A Career
David married actress Tea Leoni on May 6th in a quick, private ceremony in the chapel of Grace Church School, after only four months of dating! David wore sunglasses, a fake mustache and a Yankees ball cap when he went to apply for the marrige license.

Work continued steadily for David, even off The X-Files set. By the mid-90s, the show was a runaway hit and showed no signs of slowing down. Guest appearances, talk shows, commercials and award show appearances began picking up in 1995, and within the next few years, '96, '97 and '98, David began receiving nominations and awards. 1997's Playing God brought David's talents to the big screen in a lead role and X-Philes were waiting breathlessly for 1998 and the release of the first X-Files movie. Although 1995 and 1996 had marked the beginning of David's award nominations for his work on The X-Files he actually only went home with a couple of smaller awards to honor his talents. In '95 he won Sci-Fi Universe Magazine's "Universe Reader's Choice Award" for Best Actor in a genre TV series The X-Files. In '96 he won the UK's National Television Award for Most Popular Actor. Then, in '97, he won big with a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a drama series, The X-Files [he gave his Golden Globe to his mom and she still has it] and GQ magazine awarded him the GQ Man of The Year. Other wins included a Golden Satellite Award for best performance by an actor in a drama series, and the German Bravo Magazine awarded him a Golden Otto. In 1998 the first X-Filesmovie hit the big screen and fans continued to remain loyal to the Sci-Fi show that seemed to become a cult phenominon over night. David, however, was growing tired of playing one role for so long. He was also pushing for a move from the shows shooting location in Vancouver British Columbia to Los Angeles, so he could be closer to his wife and their home in Malibu. In 1999, David once again received several award nominations, but took home only two: a TV Guide Award for Favorite Actor in a drama, and an award that acknowledged David's comedy talents, the American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Guest Appearance for The Larry Sanders Show.

His most valued prize showed up April 24th of that year when Madeline West Duchovny was born. David later got a tattoo of a compass with the "West" being the only direction spelled out, in honor of his daughter. David won the battle of the move and when the show began shooting it's 7th Season, the shooting took place in the show's new locating, L.A. The most shocking move David made in 1999 caused waves throughout the industry. He filed a lawsuite against Fox Studios, including the shows producers and syndicators, become one of the first in the business to attack "corporate synergy". David was alleging that when they sydicated the show, they did so at a price which was unfairly low because the show was being syndicated to the studio's own cable outlet and Fox owned stations. This greatly reduced the fees owed to David who has foregone some of his up-front salary for a "larger piece of the back end". Fox settled the suit for an undisclosed amount, although most rumors put the amout around million dollars.

David had decided that the 1999-2000 season of The X-Files would be his last full season with the show. He would only appear in 11 episodes during the 8th season. This gave him more time to devote to his big screen career and his family. In 2000 David starred opposite Minnie Driver in the romantic comedy Return to Me and began work on two films for 2001, Evolution and Zoolander. He would be co-starring with Julianne Moore in Evolution but was only shooting a small cameo appearance for Zoolander. He also had to meet his obligations for his remaining time on The X-Files. 2001-2002 brought an end to The X-Files. David had very little to do with the shows 9th and final season. He returned min-season to direct and co-write the episode "William" with Chris Carter. Then, to the delight of fans world wide, he returned to star in the two hour series finale, and said that he would do a second X-Files movie if and when the project came up. He also appeared in Full Frontal on the big screen that year, and in Life With Bonnie on the small screen. His character, Johnny Volcano, earned him an Emmy nomination later that year.

On June 15th, 2002, the day before Father's Day, Kyd Miller Duchovny joined the growing Duchovny family. In 2003 David made a guest appearance on yet another TV comedy, Sex In The City. David also began lending his voice to video game characters. The highly popular XIII was released in 2003 with David providing the voice for "Agent XIII". Next came an easy role, the voice of Fox Mulder in The X-Files: Resist or Serve video game, released in 2004, as was he next big screen role in Connie and Carla.

Work began on David's personal project which he would not only star in, but write and direct as well, called House of D which hit theatres April 15th, 2005. Also released in April 2005 was Area 51, another video game. David did the voice of "Ethan Cole".

David's latest projects include:
"Trust The Man", which is due out in limited viewing August 18th.
"The TV Set" which showed June 28th at the LA Film Festival and will be showing at the Traverse City Film Festival.
"The Secret" which has finished filming, but US release date yet.
"Funlady" which he will be producing and his wife Tea will be starring in.
"Things we lost in the fire" which has not began shotting yet.

From the Forums

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  • David in Californication or X-Files?

    I still prefer him from X-Files

    matwamango
    12 comments, last one Sep 21, 2011

  • David Duchovny official facebook

    http://www.facebook.com/DuchovnyDavid :) Finally

    GogoRacki
    1 comments, last one May 13, 2011

  • Person Submission Guidelines

    Kindly read these Person Submission Guidelines prior to submission. Thanks.

    mackymacaspac
    1 comments, last one Aug 5, 2009

  • David Duchovny Quips & Quotes

    TV.com has set a ceiling on the number of quotes that can be submitted to an editorless guide to ten (10). I've set mine to fifteen (15). If you think your potential quote submission is more interesting and/or more up-to-date, PM me first before replacing any existing quote on the guide. … More I've transferred some of the excess quotes from the Quotes Section of the guide. Please feel free to add on quotes to this thread. David : (on his role as Agent Fox Mulder on " The X-Files ") It's pretty workday, people don't seem to realize: You get up, you take a shower, you read the paper, you play Mulder. David : I'm half Jewish, half Scottish. It's hard for me to buy anything. David : I've always been overly concerned about what people think which has resulted in a lot of inner turmoil. I try not to give a damn but inside I'm a huge ball of worry. David : I'm frightened by the possibilities of my own lack of talent. David : I think I'm nice enough to look at, but I think people make a big deal about my appearance. I think it was like hypnosis, like all of the sudden everybody's been trained 'OK, now cluck like a chicken!' 'OK, now say David Duchovny's handsome!' I mean, I was a normal-looking kid, and whoever you are and whatever you look like, there are always things you want to change. I just remember that I wished I was blonde. And I wished that my nose were smaller and my lips were smaller and my eyes were bigger... you know, everything. David : (on " The X-Files ") I get tired of people asking if I believe in what's presented on the show. They don't ask the guys on ER if they believe in euthanasia. David : If I'm not filming, I sit in my trailer on the lot. I haven't bothered to make it feel like home. I come in every morning and think maybe I should, but I never do. Blue sits in his basket and makes it feel right. There's just my stereo playing old rock 'n' roll stuff like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles . David : First thing I do when I get up is walk Blue, my dog. I don't know if he's a baby substitute. He's actually a dog substitute, for the last dog I had. He's a receptacle of love - and love is much easier to give to a dog than to a person. Just look at the reaction he elicits when he's on set with me. He puts things in perspective. David : (when asked is he has ever cried at a movie) Yes, Brian's Song . David : I live on the water in Vancouver. I've got a little tree house, full of a gang of six-year olds, and I have to climb a rope to get down every morning. No, really, it's a simple, small house from around 1910, so nothing as old as you're used to in Britain. But it's right on the ocean. I love seeing the water. Always have. David : (on sex scenes) You always hear actors say that it's not sexy – and it isn't, really, and can be embarrassing and uptight. Tea understands. We've both been on both sides of that issue. David : My first national exposure in role was playing a transvestite in Twin Peaks . But I was worried about my mother, because I had gone from possibly being a teacher to an actor which is not very well respected, at least in my family. And now I'm going to be a woman. Well, a transvestite. So I didn't tell her. I just said, 'Watch Twin Peaks .' The show aired before in the east, I was out west, so I called with trepidation. My mother said, 'You look thin. Are you eating out there?' cause she saw my legs; she was worried about it. David : I grew up on 11th St. and 2nd Ave. right across from the St. Mark's graveyard and Cat Corner or Kitty Corner or whatever it is to the uh, uh, 2nd Ave. Deli. David : I had a delivery boy job when I was 13, delivering meat (is there a more embarrassing job for a 13 year old boy than to have to ride a big ugly silver bike around the city saying 'here's the meat'?) and I thought - they could have that job together. Money, kids always want a little money and independence. For what? A bike - that's what you want before you want a car or a girlfriend. But it's the same freedom and speed. A nice bike. A sexy green bike. Okay. But then a girl gets in the way. A girl in a dress the same color as the bike. The story started coming into focus. David : (comparing himself to his character on " The X-Files ") Well, Mulder doesn't have my money, But I live like Mulder, even though I sleep in a bed, not a futon. David : (on " The X-Files ") I love the show. So when I talk about this 'damn show,' it's like when you hear guys talk about their wives. They complain about them, but they still love them. They're not going to leave - they just need to complain. David : (on why he was drawn to playing Hank Moody on " Californication ") It was more of an adult st yle '70s-movie type comedy rather than what you see in movies today. It was adults acting badly, but like bad adults rather than bad children. It's so much fun to be able to play a guy who really doesn't care what anybody thinks about him.

    mackymacaspac
    1 comments, last one Jul 6, 2009

  • Season 1 of "Californication" is online free

    Those of you w/o Showtime might be interested to know that Fancast is exclusively running the complete Season 1 of "Californication" so if anyone has wanted to see DD in this but doesn't have the service, here's your chance. It's up now at… More http://www.fancast.com/tv/Californication/95876/827891588/PILOT/videos And the season premiere of Season 2 will go online at Fancast on 9/26 - again, totally free - two days before the 9/28 premiere on Showtime. 8)

    fancastfan
    1 comments, last one Sep 11, 2008
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  •  
    10 Perfect
    big there is his official fb page
    http://www.facebook.com/DuchovnyDavid

    I am a huge huge fan. He is very big indeed. I hope that Californication goes for a while. The show is amazing, and Hank is great character for David. It fits 10 hide show

    big there is his official fb page
    http://www.facebook.com/DuchovnyDavid

    I am a huge huge fan. He is very big indeed. I hope that Californication goes for a while. The show is amazing, and Hank is great character for David. It fits 100%.


    big there is his official fb page
    http://www.facebook.com/DuchovnyDavid

    I am a huge huge fan. He is very big indeed. I hope that Californication goes for a while. The show is amazing, and Hank is great character for David. It fits 100%.


    big there is his official fb page
    http://www.facebook.com/DuchovnyDavid

    I am a huge huge fan. He is very big indeed. I hope that Californication goes for a while. The show is amazing, and Hank is great character for David. It fits 100%.

    Do you agree?
     
    Report Abuse
    GogoRacki Added Apr 27, 2011 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    David Duchovny... what an actor!! hide show

    What can I say? David Duchovnys got it all! His portrayl of Fox Mulder on 'The X-Files' was amazing. He made the character so believable and when Mulder cried, a whole nation did. David brings his own charasmatic charm to every role he plays, making his performance so enjoyable to watch! His on screen chemistry with Gillian Anderson still sends shivers down my spine! He is also a great director and writer, writing episodes of both 'X-Files' and 'Californication', as well as his own movie 'House of D'. He's also the only actor in history to win a Golden Globe for both Comedy and Drama. Is there anything this man can't do?

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    Emmma Added Jan 13, 2011 All my reviews
  •  
    9.5 Superb
    What a great actor! hide show

    First offcourse the x-files and other things, but since I saw this guy in Californication i just love the man!
    Maybe it's because I'm a bit jealouse of his way of living ;-)
    Many people may think 'Hank Moody' is a pathetic and very lonely guy, but I can't agree on them. Like I said before, what a great actor! The way he puts down his character is really amazing that it looks a bit like he doens't have to act because that already is his way of living.
    In that case I would really want to trade my life in the Netherlands for his in LA!

    Great respect!

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    gvanderkruijs Added Nov 21, 2008 All my reviews
  •  
    9.5 Superb
    Comedy+Sci-Fi=Duchovny hide show

    David Duchovny uis the guy for the Sci-fi i meet him from The X-Files Spooky Mulder he was the drivin-force of the show Scully was the 10% that the show need David David David i honestly believe that in Californication he made a mistake because he cahnge sic-fi for comedy...
    but i get wrong!!!
    This guy is so awsome obviously every time i see him on television i think its The X-Files his face "is" The X-Files because for over 9 years he was the "believer" the one who never back off and give a lesson: Never give up
    Really a good actor 9/10 :):)

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    Katara0017 Added Sep 2, 2008 All my reviews
  •  
    10 Perfect
    empty hide show

    David is a marvelous and wonderful actor.
    The first time I saw him in Beethoven I didnt know who he was but after I saw Fight the Future and started watching the show I became convinced that he was great.

    With Roles in Evolution and Connie and Carla it only proves he has a great sense of humor and him playing Mulder opposite of Gillian had me dazzled and love the X-Files. I was thrilled when he married Tea and had two kids of his own .

    David you are cool man :)

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    Whiterose44 Added Aug 6, 2008 All my reviews
 

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