[7] Before becoming an actor, Davison gained one O-level in English Language[8] at Winston Churchill School, St John's, Woking, Surrey, and then had several odd jobs, including a stint as a mortuary attendant and a Hoffman Press operator.

[citation needed]In the mid-1970s, during a lull in his acting career, Davison spent 18 months working in a tax office in Twickenham.

[9] In 1978, Davison's performance as the youthfully mischievous Tristan Farnon in All Creatures Great and Small made him a household name.

[13] Attracting such a high-profile actor as Davison was as much of a coup for the programme as getting the role was for him, but he did not renew his contract because he feared being typecast.

[19] Interviewed in 2013, Davison stated that The Caves of Androzani, The Visitation and Earthshock were his favourite serials from his time on the series, and that Time-Flight was the biggest disappointment because of a lack of budget.

[21] In July 2017, Davison reacted positively to the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, but said he was sad about "the loss of a role model for boys".

[22] Davison closed his Twitter account following the backlash to his comments, saying the "toxicity" from the series’ viewers on both sides of the dispute had been "sobering".

He also appeared as a doctor in Heartbeat episode "A Bird in the Hand", and played Squire Gordon in the 1994 film of Black Beauty.

[nb 7][26] Davison guest starred in the sixth episode of the crime drama Jonathan Creek in 1998 as the son-in-law of a horror writer who was shot dead on Halloween.

The following year he played the outgoing head teacher in the television series Hope and Glory, and appeared in Parting Shots, the last film to be directed by Michael Winner.

Davison starred as Martin Chadwick, one half of an overworked couple coping with two irresponsible daughters and his senile mother at home, in the BBC Two comedy Fear, Stress and Anger (2007).

Davison played John Ingrams, a lawyer who helps Jones' character, Ruth Slater, find her sister after her release from prison.

[30] In 2009, Davison had a small role as a bank manager in Micro Men, a drama about the rise of the British home computer market in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

[3] In 2010, Davison was announced as joining the regular cast of the UK version of Law and Order as Henry Sharpe, the Director of the London Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

In the first series the pair travelled in a Morgan 4/4 on three trips from London to Land's End, from Loch Ness to The Isle of Skye and from Cardiff to Snowdonia.

[33][37] He narrated the tenth season of Channel 5's documentary series, The Yorkshire Vet, which follows a number of veterinarians working in Weatherby, Kirkbymoorside and Huddersfield.

Davison appeared in Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park (at the Apollo Theatre alongside his then wife, Sandra Dickinson (1984).

[3] Throughout 2010 and 2011, Davison appeared as Professor Callahan in the West End production of Legally Blonde, which opened at the Savoy Theatre.

[49] In 2015, Davison joined the cast of Gypsy in its West End transfer to the Savoy Theatre in London, playing the role of Herbie,[3] alongside Imelda Staunton as Rose.

In 2024 Davison joined the cast of the musical Kiss Me, Kate at the Barbican Theatre, playing the part of the General.

[9] Davison subsequently appeared alongside Dickinson as the Dish of the Day in the television version of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in 1981.

Davison was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1982 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while filming a promotional piece for Doctor Who in Trafalgar Square in London.

[54] His brother Joel also made his theatrical debut aged 13 in the summer of 2014, playing Jack in The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond.

[57] Louis has appeared as Parker Whitfield in BBC One's Holby City, and as King Edmund Ironside in Netflix's Vikings: Valhalla.