Bruce Allen Davison (born June 28, 1946) is an American actor who has appeared in more than 270 films, television and stage productions since his debut in 1968.
Davison is also known for his roles George Henderson on the television sitcom Harry and the Hendersons (1991–93), Captain Wyler on the crime drama series Hunter (1985–89), Howard Finnegan in Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, Reverend Samuel Parris in the 1996 film adaptation of The Crucible, and as Senator Robert Kelly in the superhero films X-Men (2000) and X2 (2003).
[3] He graduated in 1964 from Marple Newtown Senior High School, entered Penn State as an art major, and then stumbled into acting when he accompanied a friend to an audition.
[4] Davison was one of a quartet of newcomers, including Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, and Catherine Burns, when he made his film debut in Last Summer in 1969.
He also appeared in Ulzana's Raid; Peege; Mame; Mother, Jugs & Speed; Short Eyes; The Lathe of Heaven and Six Degrees of Separation.
In 1981, he had the lead role in The Wave based on real events, starring as a history teacher who had conducted an experiment in Nazi philosophy on his own students.
Davison also starred in Tales from the Darkside (Season 1, Episode 8) and played the role of the father in the short-lived Harry and the Hendersons TV series.
In 1983, Davison was cast by Joseph Papp in the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival production of King Richard III.
Additional Off-Broadway credits include Love Letters, The Cocktail Hour and Paula Vogel's Pulitzer Prize-winning play How I Learned to Drive.
Other theatre credits include The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (directed by Henry Fonda) and a stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird.
; Love, American Style; The Waltons; Lou Grant; Murder, She Wrote; Designing Women; Seinfeld; Chicago Hope; Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; V: The Series; Star Trek: Voyager; Star Trek: Enterprise; Battlestar Galactica; Lost; CSI: Miami; Supernatural; Ghost Whisperer; Castle; Hawaii Five-0; the Stephen King mini-series Kingdom Hospital; and a recurring role on The Practice.
In 2001, Davison directed the TV film Off Season, which starred Sherilyn Fenn, Rory Culkin, Hume Cronyn and Adam Arkin.
In May 2010, Davison was cast to portray art dealer Wilhelm Van Schlagel for several episodes on General Hospital to begin airing in July 2010.