David Ackroyd
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

David Ackroyd (born May 30, 1940) is an American actor, who first came to prominence in soap operas such as ''
The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American soap opera that the CBS television network transmitted from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''Love ...
'' and '' Another World''.


Early life

On May 30, 1940, Ackroyd was born in East Orange, New Jersey; he moved to
Wayne, New Jersey Wayne is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City and regional commercial hub of North Jersey. ...
, when he was 12 years old.


Career

David Ackroyd extended his all-stage career into film and television in the early 1970s, beginning with daytime leading man outings in ''The Secret Storm'' and ''Another World''. He progressed to work as
Gary Ewing Garrison "Gary" Arthur Ewing is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera, ''Knots Landing'', a spin-off of ''Dallas''. The character of Gary Ewing was first played by actor David Ackroyd in a 2-part ''Dallas'' season two episode "Reunion" i ...
in ''
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'' until
Ted Shackelford Theodore Tillman Shackelford III (born June 23, 1946) is an American actor. He played Gary Ewing in the CBS television series ''Dallas'' and ''Knots Landing'' (1979–1993); since 2006, he has appeared in a recurring role on the CBS soap ''The Yo ...
successfully took over the role when the character moved to the spin-off drama '' Knots Landing''. Ackroyd later appeared on ''Knots Landing'' as a guest star, playing a different character. In the late 1970s, he appeared in the miniseries ''
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home ''The Dark Secret of Harvest Home'' is a 1978 American television horror- thriller miniseries, produced by Universal Television and directed by Leo Penn, that aired January 23–24, 1978 on NBC. The screenplay was based on the 1973 novel '' H ...
'' as Nick Constantine; '' The Word'' and the TV movies '' And I Alone Survived'' and '' Exo-Man''. He costarred in the short-lived series ''
AfterMASH ''AfterMASH'' is an American sitcom television series produced as the first spin-off (second overall) and a continuation of ''M*A*S*H'' that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983 to May 31, 1985. It was developed as the sequel series as it takes ...
'' and '' A Peaceable Kingdom''. He had supporting roles in ''
The Mountain Men ''The Mountain Men'' is a 1980 American Adventure Western film directed by Richard Lang and starring Charlton Heston and Brian Keith. Heston's son, Fraser Clarke Heston authored the screenplay. Plot Bill Tyler is an argumentative, curmudgeon ...
'', '' Dark Angel'' and '' Xena: Warrior Princess''. He voiced "John Cavanaugh/Prince Corran of Dar-Shan" in the animated series ''
Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
'' as well as several characters in ''
The New Yogi Bear Show ''The New Yogi Bear Show'' (also known as ''Hanna-Barbera's Yogi Bear Show'') is an American animated television series and the sixth incarnation of the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired in syndication from ...
'', '' The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible'', ''
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest ''The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'' (also known as ''Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures'') is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and broadcast on Cartoon Network from August 26, 1996, to April 16, 1997. A continuati ...
'' and '' The New Adventures of Captain Planet''. On Broadway, Ackroyd appeared in ''Unlikely Heroes'', a 1971 production of three plays based on the stories of
Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...
; and '' Children of a Lesser God'', in which he replaced
John Rubinstein John Rubinstein (born December 8, 1946) is an American actor, composer and director. Early life Rubinstein is the son of Polish parents. His mother, Aniela (née Młynarska), a dancer and writer, was a Roman Catholic native of Warsaw, the dau ...
as the lead character James Leeds in 1981. Since the late 1990s and into the 2000s, Ackroyd has narrated documentaries on TV, including ''
History's Mysteries ''History's Mysteries'' is an American documentary television series that aired on the History Channel. Overview The 154 episodes of the series were produced from 1998 to 2011. Each season consisted of 12 to 14 one-hour episodes that focused on ...
'' and ''
UFO Files ''UFO Files'' is an American television series that was produced from 2004 to 2007 for The History Channel. The program covers the phenomena of unidentified flying and submerged objects, close encounters with alleged extraterrestrial life, and ...
'': "Alien Engineering". Ackroyd moved to Montana in 1996. In 2003, he co-founded the Alpine Theatre Project in Whitefish, a professional acting company, where he is the artistic development director. The project has featured appearances by
Olympia Dukakis Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was an American actress. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Not lon ...
, John Lithgow and
Kelli O'Hara Kelli Christine O'Hara (born April 16, 1976) is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the Broadway and opera stages. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, O'Hara won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her pe ...
.


Filmography


Actor

* 1971-1974 ''
The Secret Storm ''The Secret Storm'' is an American soap opera that the CBS television network transmitted from February 1, 1954, to February 8, 1974. It was created by Roy Winsor, who also created the long-running soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''Love ...
'' as Kevin Kincade * 1974-1977 '' Another World'' as Dr. Dave Gilchrist * 1975 ''
Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American action crime drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theodopolis "Theo" Kojak. Taking the time slot of the popular ''Cannon'' series, ...
'' as Vincent Hackley * 1977 '' Exo-Man'' as Dr. Nicholas Conrad / Exo-Man * 1978 ''
Lou Grant Lou Grant is a fictional character played by Ed Asner in two television series produced by MTM Enterprises for CBS. The first was ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (1970–1977), a half-hour light-hearted situation comedy in which the character ...
'' as Mike Kessler * 1978 ''
The Dark Secret of Harvest Home ''The Dark Secret of Harvest Home'' is a 1978 American television horror- thriller miniseries, produced by Universal Television and directed by Leo Penn, that aired January 23–24, 1978 on NBC. The screenplay was based on the 1973 novel '' H ...
'' as Nick Constantine * 1978 '' The Word'' as Tom Carey * 1978 ''
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
'' as Gary Ewing * 1978 ''And I Alone Survived'' as Jay Fuller * 1978 '' The Paper Chase'', Season 1, Episode 5: "Voices of Silence" ''The Paper Chase,'' Season 1, Episode 5: "Voices of Silence" (YouTube)
/ref> as Eric Ryerson * 1978 '' Little Women'' as Professor Friedrich Bhaer * 1979 ''Women in White'' as Dr. Mike Rayburn * 1979 ''Mind Over Murder'' as Ben Kushing * 1980 ''The Yeagers'' as John David Yeager * 1980 ''
The Mountain Men ''The Mountain Men'' is a 1980 American Adventure Western film directed by Richard Lang and starring Charlton Heston and Brian Keith. Heston's son, Fraser Clarke Heston authored the screenplay. Plot Bill Tyler is an argumentative, curmudgeon ...
'' as Medicine Wolf * 1981 ''A Gun in the House'' as Joe Cates * 1982 ''The Sound of Murder'' as * 1982 '' Knots Landing'' as * 1982 ''
Trapper John, M.D. ''Trapper John, M.D.'' is an American medical drama television series and spin-off of the film ''M*A*S*H'' (1970). Pernell Roberts portrayed the title character, a lovable surgeon who became a mentor and father figure in San Francisco, Californ ...
'' as Dr. Frank Langtry * 1982 ''
McClain's Law ''McClain's Law'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on NBC during the 1981–1982 season. New episodes ended on March 20, and rebroadcasts continued until August 24, 1982. Summary The series starred former ''Gunsmoke'' le ...
'' as * 1982 '' The Facts of Life'' as Major Dorsey * 1983 '' Cocaine: One Man's Seduction'' as Bruce Neumann * 1983 '' Deadly Lessons'' as John Ferrar * 1983 ''
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'' as * 1983 '' Whiz Kids'' as Dave Kerns * 1983 ''When Your Lover Leaves'' as Joe Masterson * 1983 ''
AfterMASH ''AfterMASH'' is an American sitcom television series produced as the first spin-off (second overall) and a continuation of ''M*A*S*H'' that aired on CBS from September 26, 1983 to May 31, 1985. It was developed as the sequel series as it takes ...
'' as Dr. Mark Boyer * 1984 ''The Sky's No Limit'' as * 1984 '' Hunter'' as Gus Trancus * 1984 ''
Cover Up A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to :wikt:conceal, conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassment, embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own ...
'' as Prescott * 1984 ''
Riptide A rip tide, or riptide, is a strong offshore current that is caused by the tide pulling water through an inlet along a barrier beach, at a lagoon or inland marina where tide water flows steadily out to sea during ebb tide. It is a strong tidal fl ...
'' as * 1985 ''
Hardcastle and McCormick ''Hardcastle and McCormick'' is an American action crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 18, 1983, through May 5, 1986. The series stars Brian Keith as Judge Milton C. Hardcastle and Daniel Hugh Kelly as ex-con and rac ...
'' as Eddie Dawson * 1985 ''Picking Up the Pieces'' as Dr. Eric Harding * 1985 '' St. Elsewhere'' as Col. Chuck Cochrane * 1986 '' The Nativity'' as * 1986 '' The Children of Times Square'' as Peter Roberts * 1986 ''Stark: Mirror Image'' as Kenneth Clayton * 1986 '' The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible'' as
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
/
Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
* 1986 ''
Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
'' as John Cavanaugh / Prince Cavan * 1986 ''
The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...
'' as Major Laskov * 1986 ''
A Smoky Mountain Christmas ''A Smoky Mountain Christmas'' is a 1986 American made-for-television musical fantasy film starring Dolly Parton and Lee Majors, directed by Henry Winkler. It was originally broadcast on ABC on December 14, 1986. Plot Country music superstar Lo ...
'' as Video Director * 1987 '' Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder'' as Jones * 1987 ''Tales from the Hollywood Hills: Natica Jackson'' as * 1985-1987 ''
Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...
'' as Brian Cagney * 1987 '' Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story'' as Graham Mattison * 1988 ''
Cagney & Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...
'' * 1988 ''
Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
'' as David Welch * 1988 '' Windmills of the Gods'' as * 1985-1988 ''
MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in the 2016 reboot. In both p ...
'' as Mr. Knapp * 1988 '' Memories of Me'' as 1st Assistant Director * 1988 ''
Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order to help people in need. Victo ...
'' as * 1988 ''
The New Yogi Bear Show ''The New Yogi Bear Show'' (also known as ''Hanna-Barbera's Yogi Bear Show'') is an American animated television series and the sixth incarnation of the ''Yogi Bear'' franchise produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that aired in syndication from ...
'' as * 1989 '' Studio 5-B'' as J.J. McMillan * 1989 '' A Peaceable Kingdom'' as Dr. Bartholomew Langley * 1990 ''Wrestling with God'' as Robert Owen * 1990 '' I Come in Peace'' as Inspector Switzer * 1991 ''History's Mysteries: Drake's Secret Voyage'' as * 1991 '' Hell Hath No Fury'' as Stanley Ferguson * 1991 '' Stop at Nothing'' as Agent Conroy * 1992 ''Breaking the Silence'' as * 1992 '' The Fear Inside'' as Brandon Cole * 1992 '' The Round Table'' as * 1993 ''Dead On'' as * 1993 '' Love, Cheat & Steal'' as Tom Kerry * 1993 '' The New Adventures of Captain Planet'' as * 1986-1994 '' Murder, She Wrote'' as Bert Lown * 1994 '' Against the Wall'' as
William Kunstler William Moses Kunstler (July 7, 1919 – September 4, 1995) was an American lawyer and civil rights activist, known for defending the Chicago Seven. Kunstler was an active member of the National Lawyers Guild, a board member of the American Civil ...
* 1994 ''
Fortune Hunter Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
'' as Paxton Leeds * 1994 ''
Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film '' Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both this series and that film starring Chuck Norris as a member of the ...
'' as Jess Morell * 1995 ''
The Cosby Mysteries ''The Cosby Mysteries'' is an American mystery drama television series starring Bill Cosby that aired on NBC from September 21, 1994, to April 12, 1995. 19 episodes were made. It was the first television series to star Cosby since ''The Cosby Sh ...
'' as * 1996 '' Xena: Warrior Princess'' as Anteus * 1996 ''
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest ''The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'' (also known as ''Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures'') is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera and broadcast on Cartoon Network from August 26, 1996, to April 16, 1997. A continuati ...
'' as Ezekiel Rage * 1996 '' Raven'' as Bill Gilley * 1997 ''No Strings Attached'' as * 2000 ''Prison Life'' as


Self

* 1998 ''In Search of History: The Heretic King'' * 1998 ''The Mysteries of Amelia Earhart'' * 1998 ''In Search of History: The First Americans'' * 1999 ''History's Mysteries: The First Detective'' * 1999 ''History's Mysteries: The Inquisition'' * 2000 ''History's Mysteries: Chain Gangs'' * 2000 ''History's Mysteries: Body Snatchers'' * 2000 ''Horror or Hoax'' * 2000 ''History's Mysteries: Ghost Plane of the Desert - Lady Be Good'' * 2000 ''History's Mysteries: Amityville -The Haunting'' * 2001 ''History's Mysteries: Vikings, Fury from the North'' * 2005 ''Meteors: Fire in the Sky'' * 2006 ''UFO Files: Alien Engineering'' * 2006 ''In Search of History: Dragons'' * 2007 '' The Universe''


Archive footage

* 2002 '' Intimate Portrait''


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ackroyd, David 1940 births Living people Male actors from New Jersey American male soap opera actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors People from East Orange, New Jersey People from Wayne, New Jersey 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Yale School of Drama alumni