Quick Facts
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Biography
David Howard Thornton is an American actor. He is known for his role as Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise, a role in which he appeared in Terrifier (2016), Mistress Peace Theatre (2020), Terrifier 2 (2022) and Bupkis (2023) and is set to reprise in Terrifier 3 (2024). He has had other various roles in film, television and video games, including Two Worlds II: Pirates of the Flying Fortress (2011), Ride to Hell: Retribution (2013), Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom (2013), Gotham (2017), The Bravest Knight (2019), The Exigency (2019), Alma's Way (2021) and starring as the Mean One in The Mean One (2022).
Career
Thornton has lent his voice to various characters in film, anime, television and in video games. In 2011, he voiced Malvic, Volran and Tengo in Two Worlds II: Pirates of the Flying Fortress. He later provided voices in 2013 as Anvil, Dr. Blotter and Baggy Miner in Ride to Hell: Retribution and as Shizoku, Metal Mutt and Toxitoad in Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom. In 2015, he provided additional voices for Miss Hokusai. From 2016 to 2017, he appeared as the Joker in the fan-made webseries Nightwing: Escalation and later went on to appear in Gotham, both projects that included characters by DC Comics.
In 2016, Thornton portrayed Art the Clown in Terrifier, a film that became a cult classic and for which he was nominated for a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor and was the first feature-length appearance of the character in the Terrifier franchise. In 2022, Thornton reprised the role of Art the Clown in Terrifier 2. Terrifier 2 was well received by critics and a hit at the box office, grossing more than $15 million on a $250,000 budget. Also in 2022, Thornton starred as the Mean One, a horror retelling of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, in The Mean One.
Thornton reprised the role of Art the Clown in the 2023 Peacock series, Bupkis, with the character also set to return in Terrifier 3. He is set to appear as Shark Bait Zombie in the upcoming film, Night of the Living Dead 2 and as Player 2 in the upcoming film, Stream.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Miss Hokusai | Additional Voices | Voice |
| 2016 | Terrifier | Art the Clown | |
| 2019 | The Exigency | Bumbo | Voice |
| 2021 | The Dark Offerings | Tim Cobb | |
| 2022 | Terrifier 2 | Art the Clown | |
| The Mean One | The Mean One | ||
| 2024 | Stream | Player 2 | |
| Terrifier 3 | Art the Clown | ||
| Night of the Living Dead 2 | Shark Bait Zombie |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2017 | Nightwing: Escalation | The Joker | 6 episodes |
| 2017 | Gotham | Orderly | Episode: "A Dark Knight: The Blade's Path" |
| 2019 | The Bravest Knight | Billy Goats / Newt | 2 episodes Voice |
| 2020 | Mistress Peace Theatre | Art the Clown / Himself | Episode: "Hallowday Special II" |
| 2021 | Alma's Way | SFX Box | Episode: "No-Go Mofongo/Alma vs. Eddie" Voice |
| 2023 | Bupkis | Art the Clown | Episode: "Show Me the Way" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Two Worlds II: Pirates of the Flying Fortress | Malvic / Volran / Tengo | Voice |
| 2013 | Ride to Hell: Retribution | Anvil / Dr. Blotter / Baggy Miner | Voice |
| Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom | Shizoku / Metal Mutt / Toxitoad | Voice |
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Terrifier | Nominated |
