Dave Davis (actor)
Dave Davis is an American actor, musician and producer based in New Orleans. He is best known for his lead roles in the 2017 film Bomb City and the 2019 horror film The Vigil.
Early life and education
Davis was born on June 7, 1989 in Princeton, New Jersey, into a Jewish family. He grew up in New Orleans and had his Bar Mitzvah at Touro Synagogue. He appeared in various productions as a child and attended summer courses in theatre. He graduated from the Lawrenceville School in 2007 following Hurricane Katrina, then earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theatre from Tulane University in 2011. In fulfillment of his thesis, he starred in Kenneth Lonergan's This Is Our Youth.Career
Davis spent five years with the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival, culminating with the role of Hamlet in 2012. After graduation, he worked out of New Orleans, appearing in films including Ghost Shark, Red Clover, Ozark Sharks, and several others. He also guest starred in True Detective and The Walking Dead, and acted in The Big Short and Logan. For several years, Davis was a member of the comedy group Bare Handed Bear Handlers, releasing a web miniseries, short films, and a number of music videos. In 2015, he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to work with the comedy group from afar.In 2017, Davis played the lead role in Bomb City, a film about the life and murder of Brian Deneke. This earned him a Best Actor award and the Special Jury Prize for Performance at the 2017 Nashville Film Festival, followed by a second Best Actor award at the Louisville International Festival of Film. Director Keith Thomas chose him to play the lead in his 2019 horror film The Vigil after seeing him in Bomb City. He played a man tasked with watching over a deceased member of an Orthodox Jewish community. He was nominated for Best Actor in a Horror Movie at the 2nd Critics' Choice Super Awards. Davis returned to New Orleans permanently during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2025, he appeared in and was executive producer of the film Hazard.