Born in San Francisco, California, David Russell Strathairn grew up primarily in Marin County as the second of three siblings. After graduating from Redwood High School in 1966, David attended college on the East Coast at Williams College in Massachusettes (which, at the time, was still an all-men's college.)

While studying there, David became interested in theater, particularly "experimental" theater, drawn to the community of artists and artisans. After being introduced to theater by means of a copy of Pinter's The Dumb Waiter, David took parts in several stage productions at college, including roles in such works as Of Mice and Men and Shakespearean works. After graduation, David set out to Florida and, in the fall of 1970, ended up at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus Clown College in Venice, Florida. Subsequently, he was hired as one half of a Siamese twin sight-gag. He traveled with the circus for that following season. When asked later to "change his face or take a walk", he left the circus.

David moved to Glen Falls, New York, where he joined with friends (one being NYPD Blue actor Gordon Clapp) in starting a children's theater troupe traveling throughout New England, spending several summers at a summer stock playhouse in New Hampshire. It was there that David ran into John Sayles, an acquaintance at Williams College, who was also working with the New Hampshire playhouse. A few years later, Sayles cast David in his first feature film (Return of the Secaucus 7.) The movie, about a reunion of college friends who had protested the Vietnam War in the late 1960s and early 1970s, was also David's very first film role. During the early 1980s, he worked primarily in theatre in New York but also took supporting roles in films such as Mike Nichol's Silkwood (1983) with Meryl Streep, Enormous Changes At the Last Minute (1983) with Kevin Bacon that was written by Sayles, and Lovesick (1983) with Dudley Moore. What started with Return of the Secaucus 7 would continue for (to date) seven more Sayles pictures in the 1980s and 1990s. He was cast in his second Sayles film, The Brother From Another Planet, in 1984, playing a bounty hunter from outer space.

The late 1980s saw David breaking out into bigger ensemble films and larger character parts. He took his first onscreen comedic part in Troma Film's spoof When Nature Calls (1985) and worked alongside Christopher Walken in At Close Range (1986), as well as Ray Liotta in Dominick and Eugene (1988), playing an abusive and drunken father. In 1987, David played the role of Chief Sid Hatfield in yet another John Sayles project, Matewan, a drama about the organization of a labor union in the Appalachia and for which he received his first acting nomination from the Independent Spirit Awards. He followed this film up with Sayles's Eight Men Out in 1988 (a credit also considered to be David's first leading role.) During this time, he also became familiar to television audiences with the role of Moss Goodman on the hit series The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd from 1988-1991. David's character was the heroine's boss (played by Blair Brown), as well as one of her several admirers. He also starred in the CBS mini-series drama Day One (1989), playing opposite Brian Dennehy as the noted Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, leader of the Manhattan project to develop the atomic bomb.

By the 1990s, David had established himself as a great and sought-after "character" actor. In 1991, he worked with Sayles again in City of Hope, in which he played a homeless man named Asteroid. For his work in the film, David won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor. He appeared in a host of other high-profiled films such as A League of Their Own (1992), Sneakers (1992), John Sayles's Passion Fish (1992), The Firm (1993), The River Wild (1994), Losing Isaiah (1995), Dolores Claiborne (1995), Academy Award-winning L.A. Confidential (1997), Simon Birch (1998), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999), and Sayles's Limbo (1999). During this time, he garnered two more Independent Spirit Award nominations for his roles in Passion Fish and Limbo.

In the '90s, David also made his mark in several made-for-television programs. These included HBO's Judgement (1990) as a Catholic priest accused of sexual acts against a minor, Hallmark's O Pioneers! (1992), Arthur Miller's The American Clock (1993) for TNT, Showtime's Beyond the Call (1996) in the leading role of a troubled Vietnam Vet on death row, HBO's In the Gloaming (1997) for which he received an ACE nomination, and Showtime's Evidence of Blood (1998). More recently, David appeared in Disney's remake of The Miracle Worker (2000), A&E's remake of Lathe of Heaven (2002), and Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story (2002). In 2001, he starred on the short-lived ABC crime drama Big Apple as FBI Agent Will Preecher. He also appeared in the Showtime pilot Paradise (2004), headlining an impressive cast as Reverend Bobby Paradise, leader of a global ministry. His most recent television stint was as Edie Falco's love interest, Robert Wegler, on the hit series The Sopranos in 2004.

Throughout the last three decades, David has continued to work steadily and passionately in theater and, to this day, still considers the stage his first love. He has appeared on Broadway in Einstein and the Polar Bear (1981), Three Sisters (1997), Dance of Death (2001) and Salome (2003), as well as an extensive list of Off-Broadway and regional productions that include A Lie of the Mind (1985-1986) and premiere productions of Eyes For Consuela (1998), Ashes to Ashes (1999), and Cherry Docs (2000). More recent critically-acclaimed pieces have included Stranger (2000), The Winter's Tale (2003), and the premiere production of Hannah and Martin (2004). In 2004, David starred as Rodney, a fading movie star, in playwright Richard Nelson's Rodney's Wife at the Classic Stage Company. Most recently, he performed in Beauty On the Vine (2007) for the Epic Theatre Center and will soon be seen in the anticipated Public Theater's production of Richard Nelson's Conversations in Tusculum (2008). In addition, David has and continues to take part in many stage and benefit readings for new plays, charities, and organizations each year.

Audiences may be most familiar with his wonderful roles in mainstream cinema, but David has also lent his talents to a number of small, poignant independent features such as Bad Manners (1997), The Giraffe (1998), A Map of the World (1999), A Good Baby (2000), Relative Evil (2001) and, more recently, Missing In America (2005). In 2002, he gave one of his bravest and most daring performances to date in the gem indie flick Blue Car, playing an English teacher who has an affair with a troubled young student.

Though he has given several unforgettable performances, David's most recent film role as legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow in the George Clooney-directed picture Good Night, And Good Luck (2005) has become the highlight of his career (thus far.) A role that has been hailed by the critics as "the performance of a lifetime", David won the prestigious Coppa Volpi Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival for his role, as well as the Womens Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Actor and the Movies For GrownUps Award for "Breakaway Accomplishment", and garnered several other nominations, including his first Golden Globe and Academy Award nods.

With the success of Good Night, And Good Luck (2005), David continues to work fervently in film, with several projects being released or screened the next few years. In 2006, he continued his indie streak with several noted films including Steel Toes, Heavens Fall and The Sensation of Sight (his first co-producing project). He appeared in the critically-acclaimed short The Shovel, as well as the Warner Bros. We Are Marshall with Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox. David also starred in the world's very first interactive movie, The Onyx Project, a fully browseable movie that uses the patent-pending video story-telling architecture called NAV.

In 2007, David performed in several interesting features including Fracture with Sir Anthony Hopkins, the beautiful independent picture Racing Daylight and Universal Pictures's The Bourne Ultimatum, the highly-grossed third installment in the popular spy series starring Matt Damon. David has several films lined up for 2008, including Wong Kar-wai's English directorial debut My Blueberry Nights, The Spiderwick Chronicles (based on the popular children's fantasy novels by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black), the horror remake of A Tale of Two Sisters, and the already festival-acclaimed documentary Trumbo which celebrates the life and times of Dalton Trumbo. Currently, he has landed leading roles in the forthcoming films Challenger as famous scientist Richard Feynman and Hereafter (about a man who must search for his family admist the 2004 Asian tsunami disaster).

David remains one of the most sought-after American actors. He works steadily in the theater, television and film industries, taking projects that are as complex as they are challenging and versatile. David lives in the upstate New York countryside with his longtime wife, Logan Goodman. They have two sons.

For further biographical remarks, please read the following essay written about David for his 2002 Maverick Spirit Award! Also see Did You Know...? for career trivia!



AWARDS / NOMINATIONS: (winnings indicated in bold)

• Standard Pacific Homes Award for Best Supporting Actor: Steel Toes (2006)
• New York Stage and Film Award Honoree (2006)
• Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Calvin Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Acting Ensemble: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Movies For Grownups Award for "Breakaway Accomplishment": Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Online Film Critics Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Chicago Film Critics' Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Acting Ensemble: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Womens Film Critics' Circle Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Satellite Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Satellite Award for Best Acting Ensemble: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• National Board of Reviews Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Gotham Award for Best Ensemble: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• Venice Film Festival's Coppa Volpi Award for Best Actor: Good Night, And Good Luck (2005)
• DVD Exclusive Award for Best Supporting Actor: Relative Evil (2005)
• Maverick Spirit Award Honoree at the Cinequest Film Festival (2002)
• Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance: Salome (2003)
• Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance: The Winter's Tale (2003)
• Restie Award for Best Actor in a Play: A Winter's Tale (2003)
• Williamstown Film Festival Award Honoree (2000)
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor: Limbo (1999)
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Acting Ensemble: L.A. Confidential (1997)
• ACE Award for Guest Actor/Dramatic Special: In the Gloaming (1997)
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor: Passion Fish (1992)
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor: City of Hope (1991)
• Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actor: Matewan (1987)



SUPPORTER / ADVISORY / ARTISTIC BOARD MEMBER:

David Strathairn serves as an advisory/artistic board member and/or supporter for the following theatres and organizations:

Classic Stage Company
Mission Statement: "Classic Stage Company is the Off-Broadway theater that re-imagines classics for contemporary American audiences."

Epic Theatre Center
Mission Statement: "Epic Theatre Center is an artist-run company producing a wide range of in-depth education programs, Off-Broadway productions, new play workshops, and community forums throughout New York City. The programs are all designed to empower diverse voices, demonstrate the central role of the arts in a healthy democracy, and help inspire active citizenship in our country."

New York Stage and Film
Mission Statement: "Founded in 1985 by Producing Directors Mark Linn-Baker, Max Mayer and Leslie Urdang, New York Stage and Film (SAF) is a not-for-profit company dedicated to both emerging and established artists in the development and production of new works for theater and film."

North Star Fund
Mission Statement: "Founded in 1979, North Star is a unique partnership of donors and community activists dedicated to building a permanent institutional and financial base for progressive social change. Since its inception, North Star has awarded millions of dollars to more than 1,000 community-based organizations."

Omega Institute
Mission Statement: "Since 1977, through our workshops and retreats, Omega has been a pioneer in exploring, teaching, and embracing new ideas. We have also had another mission: to create a peaceful oasis in a hurried world. To this end, we have made our campus a healing center, a place where you can relax, rejuvenate, and feel at home in the midst of nature's bounty and a community of warm, caring people."

Pace University's Actors Studio
Mission Statement: Like the MFA program, admission to the Actors Studio is selective. Membership is for life, but has been extended to only 1,160 artists in the 59 years since its founding. By maintaining a protected environment and filling it with only the most dedicated and accomplished artists, the Studio provides a space where artists can hone their craft, often returning to experiment and evolve. Many of the life members are the most widely-recognized and acclaimed artists of stage and screen.

Play Penn: New Play Development
Mission Statement: "PlayPenn is an annual conference for the development of new plays, the advancement of new voices in the theatre both locally and nationally, and the cross-fertilization of writers, directors, dramaturgs and actors."

The Rude Mechanicals Theatre Company
Mission Statement: "The Rude Mechanicals Theater Co. is a non profit, actor-driven ensemble steeped in the classics with an eye to the future. We are devoted to both re-imagining great works of the classical repertory and exploring the best of contemporary Theater. Of special interest to us are works that seek to illuminate the human condition, employing a heightened sense of reality, muscular/poetic language, and which lend themselves to ensemble performance. Central to that mission is the continued sustenance of a core company of actors collaborating regularly with emerging playwrights, directors and other Theater artists in an effort to stimulate and challenge audiences both emotionally and intellectually."

Vassar College Powerhouse Theatre
Mission Statement: "Vassar College and New York Stage and Film are a not-for-profit venture dedicated to the development and production of new work by emerging and established artists and the education of future theater professionals. The Powerhouse is a member of the Hudson Valley Theater Fest, a consortium of professional theaters. Its programming is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts."

The Vineyard Theatre's Community of Artists
Mission Statement: "The Vineyard Theatre's Community of Artists is an alliance of Vineyard playwrights, composers, actors, designers, and directors. Providing artists with a broad range of opportunities to develop their work, strike new collaborations, and participate in the ongoing life of the theatre, the VCA sponsors panel discussions, guest speakers, informal readings of works-in-progress, full readings of new plays, and opportunities to meet and form collaborations."

Williamstown Film Festival
Mission Statement: "The Williamstown Film Festival was founded in 1998 to fill a cultural gap in a part of Massachusetts known for its world-class museums, theater, music, and dance--the Berkshires. Because film seemed the missing link in an artistically rich region, some two dozen local residents and graduates of Williams College felt strongly that a film festival could bridge the gap. After a series of meetings, the Williamstown Film Festival was incorporated as a non-profit organization and began planning. The goal was tripartite: (a) to honor America's film past in the shape of classics, (b) celebrate the present day through panels, seminars, and Q&A's between audiences and the actors, writers, directors and producers of independent film, and (c) explore the new technologies which are carrying the art of film into the 21st century."

Woodstock Film Festival
Mission Statement: "The Woodstock Film Festival is a not-for-profit, 501 (C)(3) organization with a mission to present an annual program and year-round schedule of film, music, and art-related activities that promote artists, culture, inspired learning, and diversity. The Woodstock Film Commission promotes sustainable economic development by attracting and supporting film, video and media production."