David was best known for playing the most characters (they included Ben Stokes, Timothy Stokes, Mordeci Grimes, Matthew Morgan, etc.) on the cult soap opera DARK SHADOWS, as well as fight promoter Miles Jergens in ROCKY.
The men of DS
With Sly in ROCKY
Other career film highlights for David include:
The light-sensitive albino Dragon, director of the secret government agency C2, Y.A.
in THE EIGER SANCTION with Clint Eastwood, who also directed, evil Count Saknussem in JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, the arsonist Charlie Robbins in SAVE THE TIGER, Frank Prendergast, father of Natalie Wood & Kitty Winn, in the 1975 gumshoe spoof PEEPER with Michael Caine, two different roles in the 2 big screen DARK SHADOWS features: Prof. T. Elliot Stokes in 1970's HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS, Rev. Strack in the inferior 1971 sequel NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS (sans Jonathan Frid as Barnabus Collins), Faye Dunaway's pious hubby, Rev. Silas Pendrake in LITTLE BIG MAN, Lattimore in THE STOOLIE, Capitalist Otto Nurder in the 1973 Merchant/Ivory fantasy allegory SAVAGES, the sea cook Mugridge in 1958's WOLF LARSEN, a remake of Jack London's THE SEA WOLF with Barry Sullivan as the title tyrannical sea captain.
Going Greenstreet in PEEPER with Caine
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH
David as Dragon with Clint in THE EIGER SANCTION
THE STOOLIE
with Jack Lemmon and Jack Gilford in SAVE THE TIGER
With Peter Graves in WOLF LARSEN
HOUSE OF DARK SHADOWS
David's other film credits include:
Connelly in BABY FACE NELSON, Hedak in THE STORY OF RUTH, Minister Pollard in HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, LOVE GEORGE, the Inspector in THE WEREWOLF OF WASHINGTON with Dean Stockwell, The Bank Manager in HEARTS OF THE WEST with Jeff Bridges, Hauser in 1977's SUDDEN DEATH, the Mormon Leader in THE DUCHESS AND THE DIRTWATER FOX with Goldie Hawn & George Segal, Phil Pogostin in HOUSE CALLS with Walter Matthau & Glenda Jackson, the General in FOREPLAY and the Deacon in FUN WITH DICK AND JANE.
FUN WITH DICK AND JANE
Cutting Elana Eden's hair in THE STORY OF RUTH
Besides his 225 appearances on DARK SHADOWS, David's other TV gigs include:
his last role, one made for him--as gourmand armchair sleuth NERO WOLFE (1979), THE TRIALS OF O' BRIEN, ELLERY QUEEN, Thomas Putnam in 1967's THE CRUCIBLE, THE WILD WILD WEST, THE MISSILES OF OCTOBER (Narrator), THE ROCKFORD FILES, THE INVISIBLE MAN, HARRY O, KOJAK, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, THE AMAZING HOWARD HUGHES, ROOTS, HAWAII FIVE-0, CHARLIE'S ANGELS, Khrushchev in FRANCIS GARY POWERS: THE TRUE STORY OF THE U-2 SPY INCIDENT, SWITCH, COLUMBO, WASHINGTON: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS (as Elmer Morse), THE HARDY BOYS/NANCY DREW MYSTERIES, THE RINEMANN EXCHANGE, COLUMBO, LAMP AT MIDNIGHT, TE DUPONT SHOW OF THE WEEK, GOODYEAR THEATRE, STARSKY AND HUTCH, SUSPICION, SCHLITZ PLAYHOUSE, THE SECRET NIGHT CALLER and more.
NERO WOLFE with Tom Mason as his legman Archie Goodwin
An all-star guest cast:Guy Lombardo, David Wayne, Barbara Rush, Ray Walston, David Doyle, David, Farley Granger, Joan Collins and Charles Knox Robinson on ELLERY QUEEN, my favorite show when I was eleven years old
THE ROCKFORD FILES
As the Ghost of Cortes in THE WILD WILD WEST episode
The Night of the Spanish Curse
An acclaimed stage actor, David appeared on Broadway in THE CRUCIBLE (as Danforth), THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, KING LEAR, MISTER JOHNSON, SAINT JOAN, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (as Cardinal Wolsey), THE SEAGULL, THE ROYAL HUNT OF THE SUN, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S and many more.
Did you know...?
He co-founded the Brattle Theater Co. in Cambridge, Mass in 1948.
Was married to actress Valerie French (JUBAL, THE GARMENT JUNGLE, THE 27TH DAY) from 1970 to 1975.
David collected walking sticks, 18th-century European landscape paintings and Victorian furniture.
David at work:
http://youtu.be/ZpZOwDgzpz0 David in DARK SHADOWS
http://youtu.be/lEc1aEYmiA8 THE EIGER SANCTION trailer
http://youtu.be/vQHDgjkpPkc ROCKY trailer
http://youtu.be/S7ZV1K14bwM SAVE THE TIGER trailer
WF8Bf1d_crk JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH trailer
0A_U3ykbpDs NERO WOLFE
More on David:
Thayer David - IMDb
Thayer David - Wikipedia
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