Name
William B. Davis
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1938-01-13 (88 years old)
Place of Birth
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Biography
William Bruce Davis (born January 13, 1938) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as The Smoking Man on The X-Files. He has also appeared in Stargate SG-1 as Damaris, a Prior of the Ori and as Mayor Tate on Smallville. Most recently he has appeared in FOX's Human Target as an aging mobster.
Davis was born in Toronto, Ontario, to an attorney father and psychologist mother. In 1959, he graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in philosophy. Afterwards, he went on to become a drama professor at Bishop's University. He is also the founder of the William Davis Centre for Actors Study acting school in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is also a former national champion water skier. Despite being known for his smoking character, Davis actually quit smoking in the 1970s; when The X-Files started up, he was given a choice between herbal cigarettes and actual cigarettes. At first he chose the actual cigarettes, but switched to herbal shortly after for fear of becoming addicted again while playing the Cigarette Smoking Man.
He voiced the antagonist Colonel Whitley of the game The Thing. Davis had a co-starring role in a 2001 episode of The Outer Limits revival series, playing the ruthless director of a secret scientific project, in an episode entitled "Worlds Within."
Davis also hosts and narrates the series Critical Eye on the Science Channel. In 2011, he will also co-star in The Tall Man.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Known For
6.913
Mulder and Scully, now taken off the FBI's X Files cases, must find a way to fight the sha...
6.439
When Jay and Silent Bob learn that their comic-book alter egos, Bluntman and Chronic, have...
7.014
Johnny Smith is a schoolteacher with his whole life ahead of him but, after leaving his fi...
6.293
After a single, career-minded woman is left on her own to give birth to the child of a mar...
5.47
Three friends are on the verge of getting their video game financed when their benefactor ...
5.744
When the Solomons trade in the craziness of big-city life for the quiet of a North Dakota ...
- 1998 The X-Files as Carl Busch
- 2001 The Proposal as Agent Frank Gruning
- 1983 The Dead Zone as Ambulance Driver
- 2009 Damage as Veltz
- 2014 Focus as Mr. Grant
- 2002 Saint Sinner as Father Michael
- 2007 The Messengers as Colby Price
- 2009 Possession as Hypnotist
- 2008 Passengers as Jack
- 2004 Snakehead Terror as Doc Jenkins
- 2004 Packing Up as Jenkins
- 2008 Reverse as Chris
- 2010 Medium Raw as Dr. Robert Parker
- 1995 Dangerous Intentions as Group Leader
- 2006 Her Fatal Flaw as Richard O'Brien
- 2011 Behemoth as William Walsh
- 2012 The Tall Man as Sheriff Chestnut
- 2004 The Cradle Will Fall as Alex Myerson
- 2009 Something Evil Comes as Mr. Dutton
- 1988 Midnight Matinee as Heath Harris
- 2001 Science Of Death as Narrator
- 2002 100 Days in the Jungle as Ambassador Shear
- 2013 Singularity Principle as Lawrence Cason
- 2010 Amazon Falls as Calvin
- 2013 Stonados as Ben
- 2023 It's a Wonderful Knife as Roger Evans
- 2006 Dark Storm as General Killion
- 1991 The Hitman as Dr. Atkins
- 2017 Death Note as Radio Host
- 2009 The Thaw as Ted
- 1987 Deadly Deception as Lawyer
- 1996 Unforgettable as Doctor
- 2000 Becoming Dick as Dr. Hardwin
- 2024 Better Off as Self
- 1995 Circumstances Unknown as Gene Reuschel
- 1995 When the Vows Break as Dr. Alexander
- 2007 Numb as Peter Milbank
- 1994 Don't Talk to Strangers as Huddleston
- 2002 Aftermath as Deputy Director Edwards
- 1987 Sworn to Silence as Peter Massio
- 2007 Judicial Indiscretion as Senator Garland Wolf
- 2001 Anthrax as Tye Crow
- 2012 The Mountain Runners as Henry Engberg
- 1994 Heart of a Child as Vern
- 2015 Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Truth Be Told as Harper
- 2015 Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Impossible Dream as Harper
- 1998 Inside The X-Files as Self
- 2006 Sisters as Dr. Lucas Bryant
- 1990 Anything to Survive as Dr Reynolds
- 2001 Mindstorm as Parish
- 2001 Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back as Cigarette Smoking Man (uncredited)
- 1991 Omen IV: The Awakening as Lawyer (uncredited)
- 2018 The Doctor's Case as Doctor Watson
- 1999 Killing Moon as Ed
- 2017 Residue as Lamont
- 2016 Abduct as Zane
- 2012 The Package as Dr. Willhelm
- 2018 Game Over, Man! as Ray - Security
- 2015 The Real 'X-Files'? as Himself
- 2016 2BR02B: To Be or Naught to Be as Granddad
- 2006 The Secret of Hidden Lake
- 2000 Perpetrators of the Crime as Henderson
- 2018 Bad Times at the El Royale as Judge Gordon Hoffman
- 1999 Murder Most Likely as Detective Inspector
- 1989 Look Who's Talking as Drug Doctor
- 2019 Phil as Father Grant
- 2004 The Murdoch Mysteries: Except the Dying as Alderman Godfrey Shepcote
- 1995 Not Our Son as Police Chief
- 2011 Rise of the Damned as Doctor
- 1985 Head Office as University Dean
- 2005 Max Rules: Adventures of a Super Spy as Rick Brinkley
- 1998 Voyage of Terror as Dr. Norman Ellisy
- 2024 Bribe, Inc. as Figaro (voice)
- 2005 Dark Pines as Shannon Fraser
- 2010 Flowers for Norma as Older Gentleman #2
- 2003 Word of Honor as Lewis Kaplan - Tyson's Boss
- 1995 Secrets of the X-Files as Self
- 1996 More Secrets of the X-Files as Self
- 2001 Out of Line as Russell
- 2010 Web of Desire as Dr. Charles Friedman
- 2006 Goose on the Loose as Alphonse David
- 2008 In Sickness and in Health as Father Chris
- 1985 The Cuckoo Bird as Ted
- 2007 Exhuming 'The Messengers' as Self
- 1987 21 Jump Street ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Weidlin
- 1984 Airwolf ( 2 episodes ) as F.I.R.M. Official
- 1991 The Commish ( 2 episodes )
- 2007 Masters of Science Fiction ( 1 episode )
- 2000 Andromeda ( 1 episode ) as Professor Logitch
- 2005 Robson Arms ( 26 episodes )
- 1993 The X-Files ( 37 episodes ) as Cigarette Smoking Man
- 2001 Smallville ( 2 episodes ) as William Tate
- 1997 Stargate SG-1 ( 3 episodes ) as Damaris
- 1992 Nightmare Cafe ( 1 episode ) as Doctor
- 1987 Wiseguy ( 2 episodes )
- 2008 Fear Itself ( 1 episode ) as Father Chris
- 1993 The X-Files ( 1 episode ) as Cancer Man
- 2010 Human Target ( 1 episode ) as Whitey Doyle
- 1995 The Outer Limits ( 1 episode ) as John Wymer
- 2020 50 States of Fright ( 2 episodes ) as Frank
- 2012 Continuum ( 10 episodes ) as Future Alec Sadler
- 1993 The X-Files ( 1 episode ) as SS Oberfuehrer / Smoking Man
- 1993 The X-Files ( 3 episodes ) as CGB Spender
- 2005 Supernatural ( 1 episode ) as College Professor
- 1995 The Outer Limits ( 1 episode ) as Dr. Frank Biemler
- 1995 The Outer Limits ( 1 episode ) as Ed
- 1985 Danger Bay ( 1 episode ) as Norris
- 2001 MythQuest ( 1 episode ) as Drossos
- 2005 Tilt ( 1 episode ) as Father Luke
- 1984 Airwolf ( 2 episodes ) as Newman
- 1995 Sliders ( 1 episode ) as Prof. Myman
- 1990 It ( 2 episodes ) as Mr. Gedreau
- 1987 21 Jump Street ( 1 episode ) as Mr. Wickenton
- 2010 R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour ( 1 episode ) as Plumberg
- 2010 R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour ( 1 episode ) as Grandfather
- 1985 MacGyver ( 1 episode ) as Judge
- 1996 Poltergeist: The Legacy ( 1 episode ) as Dr. Bill Nigel
- 2010 Caprica ( 1 episode ) as Minister Chambers
- 2018 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ( 2 episodes ) as Methuselah
- 2020 Upload ( 16 episodes ) as David Choak
- 1987 21 Jump Street ( 1 episode ) as Judge Harrison
- 1998 First Wave ( 1 episode ) as Sagon
- 2001 Broken Saints ( 7 episodes ) as Benjamin Palmer (voice)
- 2024 Murder in a Small Town ( 1 episode ) as Captain Darcy Stewart
