Thayer David

Thayer David (born David Thayer Hersey; March 4, 1927 – July 17, 1978) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was best known for his work on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971), and as the fight promoter Miles Jergens in the film ''Rocky'' (1976). He also appeared as Count Saknussemm in the film ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (1959) and as Dragon in ''The Eiger Sanction'' (1975). His raspy distinctive voice narrated many voice-overs in commercials and instructional films.

Early life

Thayer David was born March 4, 1927, in Medford, Massachusetts. His father, Thayer Frye Hersey, was an executive in the paper pulp industry. David attended Harvard University in the 1940s but did not graduate, concentrating instead upon a career on the stage. With financial support from his father, he co-founded the Brattle Theater Company (1948–1952) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and established himself in the professional theatre.

Stage career

He went on to act in ''The Relapse'' 1950 (Sir Tunbelly Clumsey); '' The Taming of the Shrew'' 1951 (Grumio); '' The Way of the World'' 1954 (Petulant); '' The Carefree Tree '' 1955 (The Sixth Son); '' King Lear'' 1956 (Duke of Cornwall); ''Mister Johnson'' 1956 (Gollup); '' Saint Joan'' 1956 (The Inquisitor); ''Protective Custody'' 1956 (Dr. Steidl); ''Oscar Wilde'' 1957 (Oscar Wilde); ''The Golden Six'' 1958 (Tiberius); '' A Man for All Seasons'' 1961 (Cardinal Wolsey); ''La Belle'' 1962; ''Andorra'' 1963 (pub keeper); '' The Seagull'' 1964 (Sorin); '' The Crucible'' 1964 (Danforth); ''Baker Street'' 1965 (Moriarty); ''The Royal Hunt of the Sun'' 1965 (Miguel Estete); ''Ring Round the Moon'' 1966 (Messerchann); ''Those That Play the Clowns'' 1966 (Henning); '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' 1966 (Rusty Trawler); '' The Sorrows of Frederick'' 1967; ''The Bench'' 1968 (Phillipi); ''Uncle Vanya'' 1971 (Serebryakov); ''The Jockey Club Stakes'' 1973 (Sir Dymock Blackburn); and ''The Dogs of Pavlov'' 1974.

Film and television

David played the dark and menacing role of Count Saknussem in the film ''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (1959). From 1966 to 1971, David portrayed various characters on ABC's daytime phenomenon ''Dark Shadows''. His many roles on ''Dark Shadows'' included Matthew Morgan, Ben Stokes, Professor T. Elliot Stokes, Sandor Rakosi, Count Petofi, Timothy Stokes (Parallel Time), Mordecai Grimes, and Ben Stokes (Parallel Time). David played different roles in each of the spinoff movies - ''House of Dark Shadows'' (1970, playing Professor T. Elliot Stokes); and ''Night of Dark Shadows'' (1971, playing Reverend Strack).

On the big screen, he played Reverend Silas Pendrake in ''Little Big Man'' (1970). He also played the professional arsonist Charlie Robbins in ''Save the Tiger'' (1973) with Jack Lemmon, the afflicted spymaster Dragon in ''The Eiger Sanction'' (1975) with Clint Eastwood, and fight promoter Miles Jergens in ''Rocky'' (1976).

He played numerous characters on different TV series, including '' The Wild Wild West'', ''The Rockford Files'', ''Columbo'', '' Ellery Queen'', '' Kojak'', ''Petrocelli'', ''Charlie's Angels'', and ''Hawaii Five-O''.

David appeared in TV movies such as Nikita Khrushchev in ''Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident'' (1976) and ''The Amazing Howard Hughes'' (1977), as well as miniseries such as ''Roots'', ''The Rhinemann Exchange'', and '' Washington: Behind Closed Doors''.

In 1977, David played the title role in '' Nero Wolfe'', Paramount Television's made-for-TV movie based on the Rex Stout novel ''The Doorbell Rang''. David portrayed the corpulent detective Nero Wolfe, who took on clients grudgingly and solved mysteries dazzlingly. Intended to be the pilot for a series, the film was shelved by ABC. It eventually aired December 18, 1979, 17 months after David's death. He also played an important role as the lead antagonist, Mr. Edward Byron, in the made-for-TV film '' Spider-Man'' (1977), which served as the pilot for the 1978 TV series ''The Amazing Spider-Man''.

Personal life

A resident of Manhattan, Thayer David collected walking sticks, 18th century European landscape paintings, and Victorian furniture. "He was the most widely educated and best-read actor I've ever encountered," said Frank D. Gilroy, who wrote and directed the 1977 TV movie '' Nero Wolfe''.

He was married to and divorced from film and television actress Valerie French.

Thayer David died July 17, 1978, of a heart attack in New York City at the age of 51. He and French had been planning to remarry.Collins, Glenn,
Valerie French, 59, Actress Who Played English Characters
; '' The New York Times'', November 6, 1990 He was cremated.

Filmography

Further reading

*Hamrick, Craig & Jamison, R. J.
Barnabas & Company: The Cast of the TV Classic Dark Shadows
' Revised (2012) iUniverse, 2012. pp 93–107.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:David, Thayer
1927 births
1978 deaths
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
20th-century American male actors
People from Medford, Massachusetts
Harvard University alumni
Nero Wolfe
Male actors from Massachusetts