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Nathan Davis (May 22, 1917 – October 15, 2008) was an American film and television actor.
Life and career
Davis was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Romanian immigrants, Rose (née Marcus) and Fred Davis. He served in Europe during World War II and performed on the local stage and in radio productions after the war. Davis was also a pharmaceutical sales rep by trade but pursued acting after being fired from his sales job in the late '70s.
Davis started acting in the late 1970s. He appeared on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood in 1975 and in films such as Dunston Checks In, Holes, Code of Silence, Chain Reaction, Thief, Poltergeist III, and many others. He was nominated for a 1980 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for his performance in Buried Child at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. He was again nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for The Sunshine Boys at the National Jewish Theater in Chicago, Illinois in 1991. He was nominated for the last time for a 2001 Joseph Jefferson Award for Actor in a Principal Role in a Play for 2 1/2 Jews at the Apple Tree Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.
He was married to Metta (née Talmy). They had three children: Chicago musician Richard "Richie" Peter Davis, Hollywood film director Andrew Davis, and Jo Ellen Davis Friedman.
Davis died from emphysema and complictions of pneumonia in Chicago at age 91.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | A Steady Rain | |
| Stony Island | Lewis | |
| 1979 | Dummy | Cops |
| 1981 | On the Right Track | Mario |
| Thief | Grossman | |
| The Children Nobody Wanted | Orville | |
| 1983 | Risky Business | Business Teacher |
| 1984 | Windy City | Mr. Jones |
| 1985 | Code of Silence | Felix Scalese |
| 1986 | One More Saturday Night | Desk Clerk |
| Tough Guys | Jimmy Ellis | |
| 1987 | Burglar | Mr. Paggif |
| Flowers in the Attic | Grandfather Foxworth | |
| 1988 | Poltergeist III | Reverend Henry Kane |
| 1989 | The Package | Soviet Press Secretary |
| 1992 | Shaking the Tree | Grandpa Sullivan |
| 1995 | Steal Big Steal Little | Harry Lordly, Attorney of Record for Bonnie Martin |
| 1996 | Dunston Checks In | Victor Dubrow |
| Chain Reaction | Morris Grodsky | |
| 2001 | Almost Salinas | Zelder Hill |
| 2003 | Holes | Grandfather Stanley Yelnats II |
| 2006 | Let's Go to Prison | Old Juror |
Television
| Year | Show Title | Episode Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Will: G. Gordon Liddy | ||
| 1984 | Too Close for Comfort | "The Enemy Above" | Mr. Rosenberg |
| 1986 | Hill Street Blues | "A Case of Klapp" | Aaron Levine |
| 1987 | Crime Story | "Fatal Crossroads" | Izzy 'The Dancer' Abrams |
| "Torello on Trial" | Izzy 'The Dancer' Abrams | ||
| 1987 | Wiseguy | Don "Joey Bags" Baglia | |
| 1987 | Murder Ordained | Doctor | |
| 1988 | Sable | "Mob" | Philip Lazlo |
| 1990 | Father Dowling Mysteries | "The Visiting Priest Mystery" | Malko |
| 1991 | Cheers | "Carla Loves Clavin" | Mr. Quincy |
| 1995 | Frasier | "The Innkeepers" | Otto |
| 1997 | ER | "The Long Way Around" | Mr. Novotny |
| 1999 | Becker | "Larry Spoke" | Milton Fowler |