Robert Davi
| Robert Davi | |
|---|---|
 Davi performing in Long Island in August 2013 | |
| Born |
Robert John Davi June 26, 1953 Astoria, Queens, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor, singer, writer, director |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Jan Borenstein (m. 1971; div. 1980) Jeri McBride (m. 1980; div. 1990) Christine Bolster (m. 1990) |
| Children | 5 |
|
Musical career | |
| Genres | traditional pop, Great American Songbook |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Website | Davi Sings Sinatra |
Robert John Davi (born June 26, 1953) is an American actor, singer, writer, and director.[1] Over the course of his acting career, Davi has performed in more than 130 films. Among his most recognized roles are opera-singing heavy Jake Fratelli in The Goonies (1985), Vietnam veteran and FBI Special Agent Big Johnson in Die Hard (1988), Bond villain Franz Sanchez in Licence to Kill (1989), police captain Phil Heinemann in Predator 2 (1990), strip club manager Al Torres in Showgirls (1995) and Albanian mob boss Goran Vata in The Expendables 3 (2014). On television, he portrayed FBI Special Agent Bailey Malone in the NBC television series Profiler (1996-2000).
Classically trained as a singer, Davi launched his professional singing career in 2011.[2][3] His first album, Davi Sings Sinatra -- On The Road To Romance, hit #6 on the Billboard jazz charts. Praised for his voice and vocal interpretations, Davi debuted as a headliner at The Venetian, Las Vegas, Nevada, six months after the record was released.[4]
In 2016, Davi replaced the late Jerry Doyle as radio host for a nationally syndicated radio program on Talk Radio Network.[5]
Early life
Davi was born in Astoria, Queens, New York, the son of Maria (née Rulli) and Sal Davi.[2] His mother was an Italian American whose family came from Nusco and his father was a native of Torretta, Palermo, Sicily;[6]
Davi spoke Italian during his childhood.[2] He attended Seton Hall, a Roman Catholic high school in Patchogue, New York.[2] He has two sisters, Yvonne Davi (deceased), and Mrs. Michelle Queal. He graduated from Hofstra University, which he attended due to that university's strong drama department as well as its unique reproduction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater.[7]
Film career
Acting career
Davi made his motion picture debut in Contract On Cherry Street, in which he shared the screen with Frank Sinatra. He subsequently worked with Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Benicio del Toro, James Franco, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Bruce Willis, and Roberto Benigni, among others. He has appeared in movies including The Goonies, Die Hard, Showgirls, Son of the Pink Panther, and in the Bond film Licence to Kill (1989) as the villain Franz Sanchez, a South American drug lord and murderer.[8]
On television, he starred as Commander Acastus Kolya on Stargate Atlantis, appeared in two-part episodes of Criminal Minds, and played Supervisory Special Agent Bailey Malone of the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force in 88 episodes of his own NBC series, Profiler. In 1989, Davi appeared as Mafia Albert Cerrico on the television series Wiseguy, in the 10 episode Mafia arc titled Garbage Wars. He sang in the first installment of the arc, called Le Lacrime de Amore Part I.
In 2011, Davi appeared alongside Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken in the gangster movie Kill the Irishman. The film, in which Davi played Mafia hitman Ray Ferritto, is a biopic of Danny Greene, an Irish-American mob boss who warred with the Cleveland crime family during the 1970s. Released the same year, he was also in Game of Death with Wesley Snipes. He followed up these projects with crime thriller The Iceman (2012).
In 2014, Davi appeared as Goran Vata in The Expendables 3.[9]
In 2015, Davi appeared in a music video for Bob Dylan's recording of "The Night They Called It A Day", from Dylan's album Shadows In The Night, a selection of songs which had been recorded by Frank Sinatra. Rolling Stone suggested that Davi's role in the video may be a nod towards Davi's having made his acting debut alongside Sinatra in the crime film Contract on Cherry Street, and Davi's release of his own album of Sinatra covers.[10]
Directing career
In 2007, Davi made his directorial debut with The Dukes, a parable regarding the mid-2000 economic crisis and its impact. The film starred himself, Chazz Palminteri, and Peter Bogdanovich. The Dukes was selected for the premiere section at the Rome Film Festival, along with films by Francis Ford Coppola, Sean Penn, Robert Redford, and Sidney Lumet. Davi was the only first-time director in the premiere section.[11] The film was screened internationally and won awards at Queens International Film Festival, WorldFest Houston, Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festival, and International Festival of comedy film of Alpe d'Huez.[12]
Recording career
In high school, Davi was praised for his singing, and auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera after being awarded first place at the prestigious New York State School Music Association’s Solo Competition, where he sang Vincent Youman's "Without A Song". He subsequently received classical training with top vocal teachers, Samuel Margolis and Danial Ferro of Juilliard and Tito Gobbi. Davi damaged his voice, and later explained that he was a baritone with the "heart of a tenor and had pushed too hard, too early."[13]
Davi began to focus again on singing in 2011, and worked with "Voice Builder" Gary Catona as he prepared to record his first album.[14]
With a thirty-piece orchestra, he recorded the album at the legendary Capitol Records Building in Hollywood, where Frank Sinatra recorded on many occasions.[15]
The album, which featured new arrangements by composer Nic. tenBroek, was produced by Phil Ramone, engineered by Dan Wallin, and mixed by the legendary Al Schmitt. The album, Davi Sings Sinatra -- On The Road To Romance, was released October 24, 2011, and received significant attention from the media, garnering positive reviews.[16] Jazztimes called Davi Sings Sinatra "uniformly impressive",[17] and critic Don Heckman wrote in the Orange County Register that "there are, of course, dozens of Sinatra imitators and simulators. But what Davi does is a whole different matter. A tribute? Yes, indeed; all that and more."[18] AllMusic noted that "Davi makes no attempt to copy Sinatra's vocal sound ... Rather, he is his own singer."[19] The album reached the Top 10 on the Billboard jazz charts.[20]
Quincy Jones said: "I have never heard anyone come this close to Sinatra's sound – and still be himself. Many try, but Robert Davi has the voice, tone, the flavor and the swagger."[21]
In December 2012, Davi appeared along with Roger Cicero in the French/German Arte TV program Durch die Nacht mit.... The episode was shot in the Little Italy area of New York City and featured conversation between Cicero and Davi and solos of Sinatra standards by both performers. In December 2013, Davi released a Christmas single, "Mistletoe and Holly", with all proceeds benefiting The Salvation Army.[14]
In September 2013, Davi recorded a single by Nick Vallelonga called, "New York City Christmas", which was arranged by Chris Walden, performed by members the Chris Walden Big Band, and recorded and mixed at Capitol Records by Al Schmitt and Steve Genewick. It was released in November 2013.
Davi has lent his voice to political ads, including Carly Fiorina's "Demon Sheep" attack ad, "Hot Air: The Movie", and others produced by Republican media consultant Fred Davis.[22]
Personal life
Davi is a devout Roman Catholic and outspoken political conservative, often speaking at Republican Party 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.[23][24] Davi spoke at the 2009 Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C. Davi also writes a regular political column for Breitbart News Network.[25] He was a frequent guest on Fox News's late-night satire program Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld.[26] Davi endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[27][28]
Awards and honors
For his notable contributions to the Italian community, Davi was enshrined in Toronto's Italian Walk of Fame in 2013.[29]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Contract on Cherry Street | Mickey Sinardos, Greek hijacker | TV |
| 1978 | Charlie's Angels | Ritchie | TV Series |
| 1979 | And Your Name Is Jonah | Dickie | TV |
| From Here to Eternity | Guard | mini TV series | |
| The Legend of the Golden Gun | William Quantrill | TV | |
| 1980 | Alcatraz: The Whole Shocking Story | Hubbard | TV |
| 1982 | St. Elsewhere | man in restaurant | TV, 1 episode |
| 1982 | T. J. Hooker | Joseph "The Barber" Picartus/Tom Warfield | TV, 2 episodes |
| 1984 | City Heat | Nino | |
| The A-Team | Boyle (episode "Sheriffs of Rivertown") | ||
| 1985 | The Goonies | Jake Fratelli | |
| Hunter | Sonny Dunbar | TV series | |
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Michael Riegert | TV series |
| Raw Deal | Max Keller | ||
| 1987 | Wild Thing | Chopper | |
| 1988 | Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami | Salim Ajami | |
| Action Jackson | Tony Moretti | ||
| L.A. Law | Dominic Simonetti | TV series | |
| Die Hard | FBI Special Agent Johnson | ||
| Traxx | Aldo Palucci | ||
| 1989 | Licence to Kill | Franz Sanchez | |
| Wiseguy | Albert Cerrico | TV series | |
| 1990 | Peacemaker | Det. Sgt. Frank Ramos | |
| Deceptions | Jack 'Harley' Kessler | ||
| Maniac Cop 2 | Det. Sean McKinney | ||
| Predator 2 | Captain Phil Heinemann | ||
| Amazon | Dan | ||
| 1991 | Legal Tender | Fix Cleary | |
| Under Surveillance | |||
| White Hot: The Mysterious Murder of Thelma Todd | Lucky Luciano | ||
| The Taking of Beverly Hills | Robert Masterson | ||
| 1992 | Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue | Sully | |
| Center of the Web | Richard Morgan | ||
| Illicit Behavior | Lt. Matt Walker | ||
| Christopher Columbus: The Discovery | Martin Pinzon | ||
| 1993 | Maniac Cop III: Badge of Silence | Det. Sean McKinney | |
| Night Trap | Mike Turner | ||
| Son of the Pink Panther | Hans Zarba | ||
| Quick | Matthew Davenport | ||
| FBI: The Untold Stories | Donnie Brasco | TV series | |
| 1994 | No Contest | Sergeant Crane | |
| The Dangerous | Billy Davalos | ||
| Blind Justice | Alacran | ||
| The November Men | Robert Davi | ||
| Cops and Robbersons | Osborn | ||
| 1995 | Cyber Vengeance | R.D. Crowley | |
| VR.5 | Simon Buchanan | TV series | |
| Codename: Silencer | Eddie Cook | ||
| Delta of Venus | The Collector | ||
| Showgirls | Al Torres | ||
| The Zone | Rowdy Welles | ||
| 1996 | Absolute Aggression | R. D. Crowley | |
| For Which He Stands | Carlito Escalara | ||
| An Occasional Hell | Trooper Larry Abbott | ||
| Profiler | Agent Bailey Malone | TV series | |
| 1997 | The Beneficiary | Gil Potter | |
| 1998 | The Bad Pack | McQue | |
| 1999 | Batman Beyond | Dr. Mike Morgan | TV series |
| My Little Assassin | Frank Sturgis | ||
| The Pretender | Agent Bailey Malone | TV series | |
| 2001 | Soulkeeper | Mallion | |
| 2002 | The Sorcerer's Apprentice | Merlin/Milner | |
| Verdict in Blood | Wade Waters | ||
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Colonel Juan Garcia Cortez | video game | |
| The 4th Tenor | Lerra | ||
| The Hot Chick | Stan, April's Dad | ||
| Hitters | Nick | ||
| Disney's PK: Out of the Shadows | Zondag | video game | |
| 2003 | One Last Ride | Father | |
| 2004 | Call Me: The Rise and Fall of Heidi Fleiss | Ivan Nagy | |
| Karen Sisco | Denton | TV series | |
| Halo 2 | Rtas 'Vadumee (SpecOps Leader) | video game | |
| Stargate: Atlantis | Commander Acastus Kolya | TV series | |
| 2005 | Breaking Vegas | Narrator | TV series |
| In the Mix | Fish | ||
| 2006 | Huff | Dickins | TV series |
| Scarface: The World Is Yours | Alejandro "Alex" Sosa | ||
| 2007 | The Dukes | Danny (also: directorial debut) | |
| Halo 3 | Shipmaster Rtas 'Vadumee | video game | |
| 2008 | An American Carol | Aziz | |
| Burnin' Up | Jonas Brothers | Music video | |
| 2009 | American Summer | Himself | |
| The Butcher | Murdoch | ||
| Magic Man | Simpson | ||
| 2010 | Spring Break '83 | Dean Whitter | |
| Magic | Dr. David Ortero | ||
| One in the Gun | Vincent | ||
| Ballistica | Macarthur | ||
| Apocalypse Island | Narrator | ||
| Game of Death | Frank Smith | ||
| Criminal Minds | Detective Adam Kurzbard | ||
| 2011 | Doonby | Sheriff Woodley | |
| Kill the Irishman | Ray Ferritto | ||
| Swamp Shark | Sheriff Watson | ||
| 2012 | The Iceman | Leonard Marks | |
| 2013 | A Long Way Off | Frank | |
| Blood of Redemption | Hayden | ||
| 2014 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Marvin Braxton | |
| The Expendables 3 | Goran Vata | ||
| 2015 | Sicilian Vampire | Big Sal | |
| 2015 | Hell's Kitchen | Himself | Reality TV series |
| 2016 | Criminal | Admiral Lance | Uncredited |
| TBA | Reagan | Leonid Brezhnev | Post-production |
References
- ↑ Paul, Louis (2007). Tales from the Cult Film Trenches. McFarland & Company. p. 53. ISBN 9780786429943.
- 1 2 3 4 Chutkow, Paul (1996). "Playing the Heavy Actor Robert Davi has made a career of playing tough guys with a signature cigar". Cigar Aficionado.
- ↑ "Famed Film Villain Robert Davi Sings Sinatra". ABC News. December 4, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Leach, Robin (February 9, 2012). "Spirit of Sinatra returns as Robert Davi fulfills a childhood dream". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ "Actor Robert Davi to Replace Jerry Doyle". Radio Ink. 2016-08-11. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
- ↑ "Robert Davi sul palco di #TVOI" (in Italian). thevoiceofitaly.rai.it. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- ↑ Gil de Rubio, Dave (2010). "Doing It His Way". LongIslandPress. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ↑ EW Staff (August 11, 2013). "21 Most Ruthless TV/Film Drug Lords". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Lawton, Adam (November 5, 2013). "'License To Kill' Villain Robert Davi Discusses His Role In 'The Expendables 3' And Reflect On 'The Goonies'". Media Mikes. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- ↑ Kreps, Daniel (March 2, 2015). "Watch Bob Dylan Navigate a Bloody Love Triangle in New Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
- ↑ "Commentary: After 70 films as actor Robert Davi directs his first". Retrieved 2016-08-13.
- ↑ The Dukes (Awards), 2008-11-14, retrieved 2016-08-13
- ↑ Wolfe, Zachary (July 14, 2010). "License to trill: The reinvention of Robert Davi". Capitol New York. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- 1 2 Staff (December 2013). "Robert Davi's new Christmas single "Mistletoe and Holly" to benefit The Salvation Army". New Frontier. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Sterling, Ellen (September 24, 2013). "No Overstatement: Singer-Actor-Writer-Director Robert Davi Is A Legend in the Making". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Truitt, Brian (October 27, 2011). "Robert Davi Sings Sinatra, Sincerely". USA Today. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ↑ Loudon, Christopher (October 24, 2011). "A Singer Turned Legend Turns Singer Again". Jazztimes. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Heckman, Don (October 21, 2013). "Don Heckman: Robert Davi sings Sinatra". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Ruhlman, William (2011). "Davi Sings Sinatra". AllMusic.
- ↑ Berk, Dr. Nancy (December 5, 2013). "Showbiz Analysis with Robert Davi". Parade. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Vallelonga, Nick (July 2, 2013). "His Way; Robert Davi Hits a High Note with Sinatra Tribute". Newsmax. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Gilson, Dave. "Demon Sheep Ad Man Tells All". Mother Jones. Mother Jones. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ↑ "Where are they now? Bond villains". Virgin Media. 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Robert Davi Backstage at the Republican National Convention on YouTube
- ↑ "Breitbart Author Davi". Breitbart News Network. Retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ↑ "Robert Davi on 'Red Eye'". Fox News. August 4, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
- ↑ Lee, Chris (March 23, 2016). "Here Are All of the D-List Celebrities Endorsing Donald Trump". Fortune. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ↑ Davi, Robert (June 9, 2016). "Davi: Let Donald Trump Throw the Long Ball for America, You Self-Defeating Morons". Breitbart. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
- ↑ Alexander, Julia (June 15, 2013). "Four Inducted Into Little Italy's Italian Walk Of Fame". Toronto Sun. Retrieved May 6, 2014.