David Duchovny

David William Duchovny /dʊˈkʌvni/ (born August 7, 1960) is an American actor, writer, producer, director, novelist, and singer-songwriter. He is known for playing FBI agent Fox Mulder on the television series The X-Files and writer Hank Moody on the television series Californication, both of which have earned him Golden Globe awards.

For the Bree Sharp song, see David Duchovny (song).

David Duchovny
Duchovny at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con
Born
David William Duchovny

(1960-08-07) August 7, 1960
New York, U.S.
EducationPrinceton University (AB)
Yale University (MA)
OccupationActor, director, producer, writer, singer-songwriter
Years active1987–present (actor)
2015–present (singer and writer)
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 1997; div. 2014)
Children2

Duchovny appeared in both X-Files films, the 1998 science fiction-thriller of the same name and the supernatural-thriller The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). He executive-produced and starred in the historically based cop drama Aquarius (2015–16). Duchovny earned an A.B. in English literature from Princeton University, and an M.A. in English literature from Yale University, and has since published three books, Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale (2015), Bucky F*cking Dent (2016) and Miss Subways (2018).

Early life

Duchovny was born in New York, in 1960.[1] He is the son of Margaret "Meg" (née Miller), a school administrator and teacher, and Amram "Ami" Ducovny (1927–2003), a writer and publicist who worked for the American Jewish Committee.[2][3][4] Duchovny's mother is a Scottish Presbyterian emigrant from Aberdeen, Scotland.[5][6][7] His father was Jewish;[8][9][10] Duchovny's paternal grandfather was a Jewish emigrant from Berdychiv, Russian Empire (now in Ukraine), and Duchovny's paternal grandmother was a Jewish emigrant from Russian Poland (now in Poland).[11][12][13][14] His father dropped the h in his last name to avoid the sort of mispronunciations he encountered while serving in the Army.[2][15][16] In the Polish language, duchowny means 'clergyman'.

Duchovny attended Grace Church School and The Collegiate School For Boys (from which he graduated as head boy in 1978); both are in Manhattan. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa[17] from Princeton University[3] in 1982 with an A.B. summa cum laude in English literature. He was a member of Charter Club, one of the university's eating clubs. In 1982, his poetry received an honorable mention for a college prize from the Academy of American Poets. The title of his senior thesis was The Schizophrenic Critique of Pure Reason in Beckett's Early Novels.[18] He played junior varsity basketball at Princeton.[19] He earned a Master of Arts in English Literature from Yale University and subsequently began work on a Ph.D. that remains unfinished.[3] The title of his uncompleted doctoral thesis is Magic and Technology in Contemporary Fiction and Poetry.[20]

Career

Duchovny appeared in an advertisement for Löwenbräu beer in 1987. The next year he appeared in Working Girl (1988). He had a recurring role as a transgender DEA agent on the series Twin Peaks and played the narrator and host in the long-running Showtime erotica/soft-core TV series Red Shoe Diaries. The Rapture is a 1991 drama film written and directed by Michael Tolkin. It stars Mimi Rogers as a woman who converts from a swinger to a born-again Christian after learning that a true Rapture is upon the world. In 1992, he played the role of Rollie Totheroh, in the biographic film Chaplin, directed by Richard Attenborough and based on the life of Charlie Chaplin. In 1992 he had a small role in the family film Beethoven. In 1993, Duchovny began starring in the science fiction series The X-Files, as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder, a conspiracy theorist who believed his sister had been abducted by aliens.[3] The show evolved into a cult hit and quickly became one of The Fox Network's first major television hits. According to X-Files creator Chris Carter, Duchovny turned out to be one of the best-read people he knew.[21] After getting the role, Duchovny thought the show would not last for long or that it would not make as much impact as it did. Executive producer Frank Spotnitz called Duchovny "amazingly smart". Spotnitz further stated that Duchovny was behind some of the main characteristic ideas behind Mulder.[22] Also in 1993, Duchovny was cast alongside Brad Pitt and Juliette Lewis, in the Dominic Sena-directed thriller Kalifornia.

Duchovny and Gillian Anderson at The X-Files: I Want to Believe[23] premiere in July 2008
Duchovny at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2011

During The X-Files run, in between the fifth and sixth seasons, Duchovny co-starred alongside Gillian Anderson in a 1998 film also titled The X-Files that continued the X-Files storyline.[3] He remained with the series until quitting in 2001, partly because of a contract dispute that occurred after season seven finished filming.[24] Duchovny appeared in half of the season eight episodes, but did not appear in season nine until the series finale in 2002. He also provided the voice for a parody of his Mulder character in the episode "The Springfield Files" of the animated comedy series The Simpsons. Duchovny has been nominated for four Emmy Awards.[25]

Duchovny caused controversy when it became public that he was the primary reason for which filming of The X-Files series was moved from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Los Angeles in 1998. Many residents of Vancouver were upset with Duchovny over scripted jokes on Late Night with Conan O'Brien about the city's heavy rainfall; he joked, "Vancouver is a very nice place, if you like 400 inches of rainfall a day." (Duchovny's character Mulder would later reference this joke in the Season 5 episode "Schizogeny".) He also stated, "Of course, I'm tired of the rain. But if I wasn't married to a woman that lives in L.A. I'd stay in Vancouver. It's a lovely city."[26] During the run of The X-Files, he also made several guest appearances in the cult TV satire The Larry Sanders Show, playing himself, but adding a strong attraction to Sanders. In the final episode of the series, he performed a parody of Sharon Stone's 'flashing' scene from Basic Instinct and a parody of Dr. Hannibal Lecter being introduced to Agent Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs.

Duchovny has guest hosted Saturday Night Live twice (May 13, 1995 and May 9, 1998). Both shows were season finales. In 2000 he starred in the feature film Return to Me, a romantic comedy/drama directed by Bonnie Hunt and co-starring Minnie Driver and Carroll O'Connor. In 2001, Duchovny starred as Ira Kane in the sci-fi comedy film Evolution, alongside Seann William Scott, and had a cameo as hand model J.P. Prewitt in the Ben Stiller comedy Zoolander. He appeared in a celebrity edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in May 2000. He got to the $250,000 question, but answered his $500,000 question incorrectly and lost $218,000, leaving him with $32,000. He appeared on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 1995 and 2010.

Duchovny provided the voice of Ethan Cole in the 2005 video game Area 51, as well as that of the title character "XIII" in the 2003 video game XIII. In 2003 Duchovny starred in the 84th[27] episode of the HBO show Sex and the City. He played the role of Jeremy, Carrie Bradshaw's high-school ex-boyfriend, who has committed himself to a Connecticut mental health facility. In 2005, Duchovny provided the voice-over for a PSA radio campaign for Act Against Violence, which was written, directed and produced by advertising agency, chemistri.[28] In 2005, Duchovny, who had already made his directorial debut with an episode of The X-Files, wrote, directed, and appeared in the feature film House of D.[3] The film starred Anton Yelchin, Robin Williams, and Duchovny's ex-wife Téa Leoni in a coming-of-age tale.[3] It received mostly poor reviews[29] and little box office success.[30] Duchovny also directed "Judas on a Pole", an episode of Bones, during the show's second season.

Duchovny has played Hank Moody, a troubled, womanizing novelist in Showtime's series Californication. The portrayal landed him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Comedy or Musical in 2007.[31] In March 2014, NBC announced that a new TV series, entitled Aquarius, would be produced starring Duchovny. Duchovny portrayed a 1960s police sergeant investigating small-time criminal and budding cult leader Charles Manson.[32] In March 2015, Duchovny was announced as returning in a six-episode continuation of The X-Files.[33][34] It premiered on January 24, 2016, on FOX.

In 2017, he made the decision to put his acting career on hold, so he could focus more on his career as a writer and a singer/songwriter. Duchovny’s last acting job was in the 11th season of The X-Files.

Personal life

Duchovny married actress Téa Leoni on May 13, 1997.[35] Their daughter Madelaine West Duchovny was born on April 24, 1999. Their son Kyd Miller was born on June 15, 2002. Duchovny is a former vegetarian and a pescetarian.[36]

On August 28, 2008, Duchovny announced that he had checked himself in to a rehabilitation facility for treating sex addiction.[37][38] On October 15, Duchovny's and Leoni's representatives issued a statement revealing that they had separated several months earlier.[39] A week later, Duchovny's lawyer said that he planned to sue the Daily Mail over an article that it ran which claimed that he had an affair with Hungarian tennis instructor Edit Pakay while married to Leoni, a claim that Duchovny has denied.[40] On November 15, 2008, the Daily Mail retracted their claims.[41] Duchovny and Leoni reunited, then separated again on June 29, 2011.[42] In 2012, he declared that he was still married to her, though they were separated.[43] Their divorce was finalized in June 2014.[44] Until their split, the couple lived on the Upper East Side. He then moved to Central Park West on the Upper West Side.[45]

Duchovny is supportive of environmentalism and an enthusiast for electric vehicle technology. He appeared as a part of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival in support of the film Revenge of the Electric Car.[46][47]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1988Working GirlTess's Friend
1989New Year's DayBilly
1990DenialJohn
Bad InfluenceClub Goer
1991Julia Has Two LoversDaniel
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's DeadBruce
The RaptureRandy
1992RubyOfficer Tippit
BeethovenBrad
Red Shoe DiariesJake Winters
Venice/VeniceDylan
ChaplinRoland "Rollie" TotherohCameo
1993KaliforniaBrian Kessler
1997Playing GodDr. Eugene Sands
1998The X-Files: Fight the FutureFBI Special Agent Fox Mulder
2000Return to MeBob Rueland
2001EvolutionDr. Ira Kane
ZoolanderJP Prewitt
2002Full FrontalBill / Gus
2004Connie and CarlaJeff
House of DTom WarshawAlso writer and director
2005Trust the ManTom
2006Queer Duck: the MovieTiny Jesus
The TV SetMike Klein
2007Things We Lost in the FireBrian Burke
The SecretDr. Benjamin Marris
Quantum HoopsNarrator
2008The X-Files: I Want to BelieveFox Mulder
2009The JonesesSteve Jones
2012GoatsThe Goat Man
2013PhantomBruni
Louder Than WordsJohn Fareri

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1990–1991Twin PeaksDEA Agent Denise Bryson3 episodes
1992Baby SnatcherDavid AndersonTelevision movie
1992–1997Red Shoe DiariesJake Winters10 episodes
1993–2018The X-FilesFBI Special Agent Fox Mulder209 episodes
1995–1998The Larry Sanders ShowHimself3 episodes
1995–1998Saturday Night LiveHost / himself2 episodes
1995Eek! The CatFox Mulder (voice)Episode: "Eek Space 9"
1996FrasierTom (voice)Episode: "Frasier Loves Roz"
Space: Above and BeyondHandsome AlvinEpisode: "R&R"
1997The SimpsonsFox Mulder (voice)Episode: "The Springfield Files"
Duckman: Private Dick/Family ManRichard (voice)Episode: "The Girls of Route Canal"
1998Dr. Katz, Professional TherapistHimselfEpisode: "Metaphors"
2001The Lone GunmenFox MulderEpisode: #12 All About Yves
2002Primetime GlickHimself2 episodes
Life with BonnieJohnny Volcano2 episodes
2003Sex and the CityJeremyEpisode: "Boy, Interrupted"
2007–2014CalifornicationHank Moody84 episodes
2015–2016AquariusSam Hodiak26 episodes
2016Better ThingsHimselfEpisode: "Brown"
2017Twin PeaksDenise BrysonEpisode: “Part 4”

Video games
Year Title Voice role Notes
1998The X-Files GameFox Mulder
2003XIIIJason Fly
2004The X-Files: Resist or ServeFox Mulder
2005Area 51Ethan Cole

Discography and Tours

Studio albums
Year Title
2015Hell or Highwater
2018Every Third Thought
2020/2021Upcoming third studio album

Tours
  • The Hell of Highwater Tour (2015)
  • The Hell of Highwater Europe Tour (2016)
  • Every Third Thought Tour (2018)
  • Every Third Thought Europe Tour (2019)

Books
  • 2015: Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale, Farrar, Straus and Giroux ISBN 978-0-374-17207-7.
  • 2016: Bucky F*cking Dent, Farrar, Straus and Giroux ISBN 978-0-374-11042-0.
  • 2018: Miss Subways: A Novel, Farrar, Straus and Giroux ISBN 978-0-374-21040-3.

Music

On May 12, 2015, Duchovny released his first music album entitled Hell or Highwater, which consists of 12 songs.[48][49][50]

On February 9, 2018, Duchovny released his second album entitled Every Third Thought.[51]

Other works
  • 2011: Introduction to Coach: 25 Writers Reflect on People Who Made a Difference ISBN 978-1-4384-3734-7.
  • 2015: Audiobook To Legend He Goes: A Tale from The Legend of Drizzt[52]
  • 2017: Audiobook X-Files - cold cases - an Audible original
  • 2017: Audiobook X files - stolen lives - an Audible original

Awards and nominations
YearAssociationCategoryNominated workResult
1995Viewers for Quality TelevisionBest Actor in a Quality Drama SeriesThe X-FilesNominated
1996Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Television Series DramaNominated
National TV AwardsMost Popular ActorWon
Screen Actors GuildOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesNominated
1997Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Television Series DramaWon
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy SeriesThe Larry Sanders ShowNominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama SeriesThe X-FilesNominated
Satellite AwardsBest Actor – Television Series DramaWon
Saturn AwardsBest Actor on TelevisionNominated
Screen Actors GuildOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesNominated
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesNominated
Television Critic AssociationIndividual Achievement in DramaNominated
1998Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Television Series DramaNominated
Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Lead Actor in a Drama SeriesNominated
Satellite AwardsBest Actor – Television Series DramaNominated
Saturn AwardsBest Actor on TelevisionNominated
Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesNominated
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesNominated
1999American Comedy AwardsFunniest Male Guest Appearance in a Television SeriesThe Larry Sanders ShowWon
Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Television Series DramaThe X-FilesNominated
Saturn AwardsBest Actor on TelevisionNominated
Best Actor (film)Nominated
Screen Actors GuildOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesNominated
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama SeriesNominated
2000Kids' Choice AwardsFavorite Television Friends (with Gillian Anderson)Nominated
Screen Actors GuildOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama SeriesNominated
2003Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy SeriesLife with BonnieNominated
2008Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Television Series Musical or ComedyCalifornicationWon
Satellite AwardsBest Actor – Television Series Musical or ComedyNominated
2009Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Television Series Musical or ComedyNominated
Screen Actors GuildOutstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy SeriesNominated
2010Golden Globe AwardsBest Actor – Television Series Musical or ComedyNominated
2012Nominated
2016Saturn AwardsBest Actor on TelevisionThe X-FilesNominated

References
  1. "Monitor". Entertainment Weekly (1271). August 9, 2013. p. 22.
  2. Hecker, Don R. (September 2, 2003). "Amram Ducovny, 75, Late-Blossoming Novelist". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  3. Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio
  4. "David Duchovny Biography (1960-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  5. "Craig Ferguson 8/10/10C Late Late Show David Duchovny". Youtube.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
    ... my father being a Russian Jew ...
  6. "My Kind of Day - David Duchovny". Radio Times. December 1995. Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
    My relatives are Scottish, so I think my Scottish audience is important. Some are in Glasgow, but my mum's from Aberdeen. I hear it's grey there—like my mum. The name's Russian, but New York is my home. That's where I'm from.
  7. "David Duchovny DuchovnyNet - Article: A Man and His 'X'". Duchovny.net. October 26, 1997. Archived from the original on April 28, 2013. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
    I like that I look like my father and mother put together—that's a Russian Jew and a Scottish Lutheran, and I like that it all looks mixed up. ... I'm sure my nose wasn't an asset until I was David Duchovny. Before that, it was, like, "Yeah, that kind of Jewish-looking guy with the kind of big nose."
  8. "David Duchovny: 'My fantasy was to be Nietzsche'". The Independent. June 10, 2004. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  9. Kozlov, Vladimir (July 29, 2014). "David Duchovny's Russian Beer Commercial Goes Viral (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  10. Wild, David (May 16, 1996). "X-Files Undercover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  11. "Was David Duchovny's Family From Ukraine or Russia?". The Huffington Post. July 30, 2014.
  12. "David Duchovny Interview for "Phantom"". facebook.com.
  13. "Five Minutes With David Duchovny". Gothamist. Archived from the original on May 10, 2013.
  14. "A Literary Classic of Coney Island Comes to Digital Life". thebrooklynink.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  15. "David Duchovny DuchovnyNet - Article: Cult Times 1997". Duchovny.net. Archived from the original on January 24, 2008. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  16. Peter Canavese. "Groucho Reviews: Interview: David Duchovny—House of D, Twin Peaks—03/30/05". GrouchoReviews.
  17. http://depts.washington.edu/uwpbk/famous.htm
  18. Duchovny, David William. The Schizophrenic Critique of Pure Reason in Beckett's Early Novels. 1982.
  19. Greenfield, Jimmy; Malcolm, Chris (February 25, 2004). "Athletes in Action". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  20. Motzkin, Lauren (March 2, 2009). "Duchovny delights". Yale Daily News. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  21. Carter, Chris. "Casting Mulder". BBC News. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  22. Spotnitz, Frank. "Amazingly Smart". BBC News. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  23. Schaefer, Glen (March 12, 2008). "Filming of the X-Files sequel wraps". Vancouver Province. Archived from the original on August 23, 2012. Retrieved March 12, 2008.
  24. "Duchovny quits X-Files". BBC News. May 18, 2001. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  25. David Duchovny at Emmys.com
  26. "Mike Roberts, Vancouver Province". Mjq.net. October 16, 1997. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  27. "Boy, Interrupted". Hbo.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  28. David Duchovny (voice-over) (January 14, 2005). (CD (for radio station use)). United States: chemistri (ad agency on behalf of The Ad Council) in conjunction with Gold Sound. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  29. "House of D". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  30. Business info for The House of D at Internet Movie Database
  31. "Hollywood Foreign Press Association 2008 Golden Globe Awards For The Year Ended December 31, 2007". HFPA. 2007. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  32. Bibel, Sara (March 31, 2014). "NBC Greenlights 13 Episodes of 'Aquarius', Starring David Duchovny as a Cop Tracking Charles Manson (Updated)". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  33. "David Duchovny Calls Mulder "the Worst F.B.I. Agent of All Time"". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  34. "Fox Confirms 'X-Files' Reboot Talks, David Duchovny & Gillian Anderson To Return: Update". Deadline. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  35. Gliatto, Tom (May 19, 1997). "Altared State: David Duchovny and Téa Leoni Tie the Knot". People. 47 (19). Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  36. He stated on the November 16, 2007 episode of Live with Regis and Kelly that he is no longer vegetarian but still does not consume red meat.
  37. "David Duchovny's Sex Rehab Not Because Of Affair: Report". Huffington Post. February 10, 2008.
  38. "Duchovny enters rehab for sex addiction". MSNBC. August 28, 2008.
  39. Fleeman, Mike (October 15, 2008). "David Duchovny & Téa Leoni Separated 'For Several Months'". People.com. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  40. "The Ex Files: David Duchovny Sues Paper over Affair Story". TV Guide. October 21, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  41. http://www.trend-chaser.com/celebrity/david-duchovny-ivy-league-x-files-and-more/12/?firefox=1
  42. "Scoop – Vol. 76 No. 2". People. July 18, 2011. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  43. Nepales, Ruben V. (August 17, 2012). "David Duchovny talks about 'Californication' and Marilyn Manson". Inquirer. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  44. Leon, Anya (August 9, 2014). "David Duchovny and Téa Leoni Are Divorcing". People. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
  45. Alberts, Hana B. (April 18, 2013). "After Split From Duchovny, Leoni Buys Own UWS Pad For $5.1M". Curbed NY. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  46. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/me-and-my-motor-david-duchovny-9hh66t5dh
  47. http://www.zimbio.com/photos/David+Duchovny/Carlos+Ghosen/Tribeca+Talks+After+Movie+Revenge+Electric/k7sg1SZ1IFz
  48. Dawn, Randee (May 12, 2015). "David Duchovny excited for 'X-Files' return, 'heavily medicated' for music performance". Today.com. NBC News. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  49. Farber, Jim (May 11, 2015). "David Duchovny's 'Hell or Highwater' album review: 'The X-Files' actor makes a credible rock album". New York Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  50. Lynch, Joe (May 6, 2015). "David Duchovny Premieres Self-Penned 'Let It Rain (Acoustic)': Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
  51. Legaspi, Althea (January 4, 2018). "David Duchovny Details New Album 'Every Third Thought'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  52. "To Legend He Goes: A Tale from The Legend of Drizzt: R. A. Salvatore, David Duchovny: 9781501257933: Amazon.com: Books". amazon.com.
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