John Davey (born June 25, 1939) is a retired American actor. He is best known for portraying Captain Marvel on the '' Shazam!''

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

in the mid-1970s after

Jackson Bostwick Jackson Leonard Bostwick Jr. (born October 23, 1943) is an American actor, theatre director and film producer. He is best known for portraying Captain Marvel in the first season and beginning of the second season of the '' Shazam!'' television ...

was dismissed in the early part of the second season.

Early life, family and education

Davey was raised in Winnemucca,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

,John Davey
on

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the only city in

Humboldt County, Nevada Humboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,285. It is a largely rural county that is sparsely populated with the only major city being Winnemucca which has a population of 8,431. Humbo ...

. He graduated from Humboldt County High School in 1957.

Career

Davey was in the

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

from September 3, 1957, to October 1961. He was also a

heavyweight boxer Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

, including work as a sparring partner for

Joe Frazier Joseph William Frazier (January 12, 1944November 7, 2011), nicknamed "Smokin' Joe", was an American professional boxer who competed from 1965 to 1981. He was known for his strength, durability, formidable left hand, and relentless pressure fi ...

. Davey performed in numerous television series, including ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investigator ...

'', and ''

Max Headroom Max Headroom is a fictional artificial intelligence (AI) character portrayed by actor Matt Frewer. Advertised as "the first computer-generated TV presenter", Max was known for his biting commentary on a variety of topical issues, arrogant wit, ...

''. Like many Hollywood actors, he would appear in minor roles as different characters in specific episodes of the same series; he appeared in ''The Rockford Files'' in six episodes over three years this way, and in four episodes of ''

Barnaby Jones ''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law, who run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, California. The show was or ...

'' this way. He acted in many

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

s. Davey's most prominent performances were in his leading role as the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

character Captain Marvel on the television series '' Shazam!''. The show was created and broadcast during the Saturday morning timeslot, which was typically for children's programming. Davey was the second actor to play the role on the series. (The original actor for the role,

, was fired by the show's producers who believed Bostwick did not appear for filming as an attempt to increase his salary, although Bostwick explained he was receiving medical treatment for injuries which occurred while performing stunts during filming of ''Shazam''. Bostwick successfully litigated against

Filmation Associates Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live-action programming for television from 1963 until 1989. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1962. Filmation's founders and p ...

, which was forced to pay him for the remainder of his contract, plus residuals, including the entire second season.) Davey has recalled that the producers were hastily seeking to replace Bostwick. As Captain Marvel, Davey appeared in three episodes of ''

Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...

'', a companion TV series.

Personal life

Davey has a son, Tomasso Gambino (born on May 23, 1967), a grandson Kian Seiter and granddaughter Kylee Rice.

Screen roles

References

External links

*
John Davey
on

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davey, John 1939 births 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Heavyweight boxers Living people Male actors from Nevada Military personnel from Nevada People from Winnemucca, Nevada United States Marines