Jeremy Davies
Birthdate: Oct 8, 1969
Birthplace: Saugus, California, USA
A stylish and expressive actor who has worked in ensembles of many crucial films and TV series over the past three decades, Jeremy Davies (birthname: Jeremy Boring) has worked with such filmmakers as David Lynch, Werner Herzog, Steven Spielberg, Lars von Trier, Steven Soderbergh, Wim Wenders, and David O. Russell. He appeared opposite Ethan Hawke in Scott Derrickson’s child abduction thriller, The Black Phone (2022), with Madeleine McGraw and James Ransone.
Jeremy Davies made his feature debut in Guncrazy (1992), with Drew Barrymore, based on the Joseph Lewis classic and the debut film directed by Tamra Davis. Ironically, Davies was nominated for an Indie Spirit award for debut performance for his second feature role in Russell’s dark comedy, Spanking the Monkey (1994), in which Davies starred with Alberta Watson and Carla Gallo.
In the same year, Davies made a striking impression opposite Jodie Foster and Liam Neeson in Michael Apted’s Nell (1994). Davies followed with Jan de Bont’s effects-driven blockbuster, Twister (1996), with Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton; co-starring in Mark Pellington’s debut feature, Going All Way (1997), with Ben Affleck, Rachel Weisz, and Rose McGowan; and John Patrick Kelley’s The Locusts (1997), co-starring with Vince Vaughn and Kate Capshaw.
Jeremy Davies earned considerable attention and acclaim as one of the grunts in Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan (1998), with Tom Hanks and Matt Damon. He followed with striking performances in Antonia Bird’s Donner Party-inspired Western thriller, Ravenous (1999), with Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle; co-starring in Wenders’ Los Angeles drama, The Million Dollar Hotel (2000), with Mel Gibson and Milla Jovovich; starring in Roman Coppola’s Cannes-competing directing debut, CQ (2001), with Gerard Depardieu, Giancarlo Giannini, and Jason Schwartzman; co-starring with Tilda Swinton in artist-filmmaker Lynne Hershman Leeson’s Teknolust (2002), with Karen Black; and opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Spader in the office drama, Secretary (2002).
Jeremy Davies joined Steven Soderbergh for his stylish remake of Andrei Tarkovsky’s sci-fi classic, Solaris (2002), with George Clooney and Natascha McElhone, gaining a Satellite Award nomination for best supporting actor. He began a fascinating collaboration with Danish film provocateur Lars von Trier on Dogville (2003), with Nicole Kidman.
Davies followed up in the Dogville sequel, Manderlay (2005), with Bryce Dallas Howard, and continued with Von Trier on the shocking serial killer drama, The House That Jack Built (2018), with Matt Dillon. Between these projects, Davies worked under legendary German director Werner Herzog in the Vietnam War drama, Rescue Dawn (2006), with Christian Bale.
In recent years, Davies has made a successful jump to prestige television, beginning with his recurring role as Dr. Daniel Faraday in Lost (2009-2010); his Emmy-winning turn as Dickie Bennett in Justified (2012-2015), based on Elmore Leonard’s Raylan Givens stories; in Fox’s Sleepy Hollow (2017); and David Lynch’s groundbreaking limited series, Twin Peaks (2017).
Davies appears opposite Guy Pearce in writer-director Andrew Hunt’s thriller The Infernal Machine (2022), followed by Matt Osterman’s bitcoin thriller, Bitcon (2022), with Noah Anderson and Frank Whaley, and in David Slade’s version of Norman Partridge’s Halloween monster novel, Dark Harvest (2022).
Personal Details
Born in the northern Los Angeles town of Saugus, Jeremy Davies and his family moved to Traverse City, Mich. when he was young. After his parents’ divorce, he and his brother Joshua lived with his mother, who died of lupus in the mid-70s. He then lived with his father, children’s book author Melvin Lyle “Mel” Boring, his stepmother, and half-siblings Zachery and Katrina in Santa Barbara, Calif., and then moved to Rockford, Iowa.
After graduating from high school in Rockford, he studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles, graduating in 1990. Rather than being known as an actor as “Jeremy Boring,” Jeremy Davies adopted his mother’s family name as his professional name. His height is 5’ 9”.
Filmography
actor
Previous (3)
- 2022 | The Black PhoneasTerrence
The Black Phone
After being abducted by a child killer and locked in a soundproof basement, a 13-year-old boy starts receiving calls on a disconnected phone from the killer's previous victims.
- 2018 | The House That Jack BuiltasAl
The House That Jack Built
In five episodes, failed architect and vicious sociopath Jack recounts his elaborately orchestrated murders -- each, as he views them, a towering work of art that defines his life's work as a serial killer in the Pacific Northwest.
- 1998 | Saving Private RyanasCorporal Upham
Saving Private Ryan
Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.
Some Facts About Jeremy Davies
Deep Research: To research his role as Dr. Faraday on Lost, Jeremy Davies studied physics and mathematics, drawing up his own equations that he included in his dialogue.
