David Strathairn

David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures including Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Dos Passos. He has received accolades including an Independent Spirit Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Volpi Cup, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Strathairn made his acting debut in his fellow Williams College graduate John Sayles' film Return of the Secaucus 7 (1980), and continued acting in films by Sayles, including Matewan (1987), Eight Men Out (1988), City of Hope (1991), Passion Fish (1992) and Limbo (1999). In the 1990s, he appeared in box-office successes including A League of Their Own (1992), Sneakers (1992), The Firm (1993), The River Wild (1995) and L.A. Confidential (1997) before gaining prominence for his portrayal of journalist Edward R. Murrow in George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He is recognized for his role as CIA Deputy Director Noah Vosen in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Bourne Legacy (2012). He appeared in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln (2012), Chloe Zhao's Nomadland (2020), and Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley (2021) and lent his voice to the Disney animated film Zootopia 2 (2025).

Also known for his work on television, he made his debut in the soap opera Search for Tomorrow in 1984. He portrayed Robert Wegler in the HBO drama series The Sopranos (2004). He received a Primetime Emmy Award win and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in the HBO television film Temple Grandin (2010). He portrayed John Dos Passos in the HBO film Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012). He has had recurring roles in the Syfy series Alphas (2011–2012), the NBC series The Blacklist (2015–2016), the Showtime series Billions (2017–2019), and the SyFy, then Amazon Prime Video, series The Expanse (2018–2019).

Early life and education David Russell Strathairn was born on January 26, 1949, in San Francisco, California. He is of Scottish descent through his paternal grandfather, Thomas Scott Strathairn, a native of Crieff, and of Native Hawaiian and Chinese ancestry through his paternal grandmother, Josephine Lei Victoria Alana.

Strathairn attended Redwood High School in Larkspur, California. He graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1970. At Williams, he met fellow actor Gordon Clapp; and (after graduation) another Williams alumnus, director John Sayles, with whom he has collaborated on a number of projects.

Strathairn studied clowning at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in Venice, Florida, and briefly worked as a clown in a traveling circus.

Career

Strathairn is a character actor, appearing in supporting roles in many independent and Hollywood films. In this capacity, he has co-starred in Twisted as a psychiatrist; in The River Wild as a husband; and in Blue Car as a teacher. Other notable film roles include his portrayals of baseball player Eddie Cicotte in Eight Men Out (1988); Col. Craig Harrington in Memphis Belle (1990); Whistler, the wisecracking blind techie, in Sneakers (1992); convict Ray McDeere in the legal thriller The Firm (1993); abusive husband Joe St. George in Dolores Claiborne (1995); Pierce Patchett, a millionaire involved in the seedy side of 1950s Los Angeles in L.A. Confidential (1997); Theseus, Duke of Athens, in the 1999 version of A Midsummer Night's Dream; and the title character in Harrison's Flowers (2000)

He has frequently worked with his Williams College classmate and director John Sayles. He made his film debut in Sayles' Return of the Secaucus 7, and appeared in his films Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, Matewan, Limbo, and City of Hope, for which he won the Independent Spirit Award. Alongside Sayles, he played one of the "men in black" in Sayles' 1983 film The Brother from Another Planet.

Strathairn's television work also includes a wide range of roles: Moss, the bookselling nebbish on the critically acclaimed The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd; Captain Keller, the father of Helen Keller in the 2000 remake of The Miracle Worker; Capt. Frederick Benteen, a U.S. 7th Cavalry officer under General Custer's command in Son of the Morning Star; and a far-out (both figuratively and literally) televangelist in Paradise, the pilot episode for a TV series on Showtime that was not successful. Strathairn had a recurring role on the hit television drama The Sopranos. Strathairn starred in the Miami Vice episode "Out Where the Buses Don't Run."

Strathairn was nominated for an Academy Award for his stirring portrayal of CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow in the 2005 biographical film Good Night, and Good Luck. The film explored Murrow's clash with Senator Joseph McCarthy over McCarthy's Communist witch-hunts in the 1950s. Strathairn also received Best Actor Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) nominations for his performance.

Strathairn appeared in We Are Marshall, a 2006 film about the rebirth of Marshall University's football program after the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the team's members; and Cold Souls, starring Paul Giamatti as a fictionalized version of himself, who enlists a company's services to deep freeze his soul, directed by Sophie Barthes. In 2006 he did a campaign ad for then congressional candidate (now Senator) Kirsten Gillibrand. He reprised his role as Edward R. Murrow in a speech similar to the one from Good Night, and Good Luck, but was altered to reference Gillibrand's opponent John Sweeney.

Strathairn plays the lead role in the 2007 independent film, Steel Toes, a film by David Gow (writer/co-director/producer) and Mark Adam (co-director/DOP/editor). The film is based on Gow's stage play Cherry Docs, in which Strathairn starred for its American premiere at the Wilma Theatre in Philadelphia.

He played a role in Paramount Pictures' children's film The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) as Arthur Spiderwick. Strathairn appeared in the American Experience PBS anthology series documentary, The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a biography of the physicist. He first played Oppenheimer in the 1989 CBS TV movie Day One.

In 2009, Strathairn performed in The People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans. It was adapted from the historian Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

In 2010, Strathairn won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his portrayal of Dr. Carlock in the HBO television film Temple Grandin. For that role, he also won the Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

He played William Flynn, an FBI agent dealing with anarchism in 1920s New York City, in No God, No Master. He starred as Dr. Lee Rosen on Syfy's series Alphas.

In 2018–19, Strathairn appeared on the third and fourth seasons of SyFy's The Expanse as Klaes Ashford.

In 2020, Strathairn was one of the few professional actors in the Oscar-winner Nomadland, directed by Chloé Zhao. He appears alongside his son Tay, the first time they have acted together on screen since 1988's Eight Men Out when Tay was just eight years old.

Strathairn starred in the 2023 film Remember This, based on the stage play about the life of Polish diplomat and war hero Jan Karski who brought evidence of the Holocaust to Western governments during WW2. The film is executive-produced by Eva Anisko and directed by Jeff Hutchens and Derek Goldman.

The following year, he portrayed Bill Carruthers, creator of the popular game show Press Your Luck in The Luckiest Man in America, based on an actual incident involving a contestant on the show.

In 2025, he made his animation voice acting debut playing the lead antagonist, Milton Lynxley, in Walt Disney Animation Studios' feature film Zootopia 2.

Theater Strathairn is also a stage actor and has performed over 30 theatrical roles. He performed several roles in stage plays by Harold Pinter. He has played Stanley in two consecutive New York Classic Stage Company (CSC) productions of Pinter's 1957 play The Birthday Party, directed by Carey Perloff (since 1992 artistic director of the American Conservatory Theater), in 1988 and 1989; the dual roles of prison Officer and Prisoner in Pinter's 1989 play Mountain Language (in a double bill with the second CSC Rep production of The Birthday Party); Edwin Booth in a workshop production of Booth! A House Divided by W. Stuart McDowell alongside Maryann Plunkett at The Players in 1989; Kerner, in Tom Stoppard's Hapgood (1994); and Devlin, opposite Lindsay Duncan's Rebecca, in Pinter's 1996 two-hander Ashes to Ashes in the 1999 New York premiere by the Roundabout Theatre Company.

In 2015, Strathairn appeared in Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard with Mary McDonnell at People's Light theater in Malvern, Pennsylvania. He lent his voice talents to an adaptation in the form of a radio play of Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in October 2020.

Strathairn played Jan Karski in the one-man play Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski, written by Clark Young and Derek Goldman. The play is an original production by The Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University. In 2021, Strathairn garnered critical acclaim for a production of Remember This at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Strathairn narrated a biographical video to introduce Barack Obama before his acceptance speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Personal life

Strathairn married Logan Goodman in 1980. They have two children, Tay and Ebby. Strathairn's son Tay Strathairn was keyboardist for the band Dawes.

Acting credits

Film Year Title Role Notes 1980 Return of the Secaucus 7 Ron Desjardins 1983 Lovesick Marvin Zuckerman Silkwood Wesley 1984 Iceman Dr. Singe The Brother from Another Planet Man in Black 1985 When Nature Calls Weejun 1986 At Close Range Tony Pine 1987 Matewan Police Chief Sid Hatfield 1988 Stars and Bars Charlie Call Me Sam Eight Men Out Eddie Cicotte Dominick and Eugene Martin Chernak 1989 The Feud The Stranger 1990 Memphis Belle Colonel Craig Harriman 1991 City of Hope Asteroid 1992 Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even Keith Powers A League of Their Own Ira Lowenstein Bob Roberts Mack Laflin Sneakers Erwin 'Whistler' Emory Passion Fish Rennie 1993 Lost in Yonkers Johnny The Firm Ray McDeere A Dangerous Woman Getso 1994 The River Wild Tom Hartman 1995 Losing Isaiah Charles Lewin Dolores Claiborne Joe St. George Home for the Holidays Russell Terziak 1996 Mother Night Lieutenant Bernard B. O'Hare 1997 Song of Hiawatha Marcel L.A. Confidential Pierce Morehouse Patchett Bad Manners Wes Westlund 1998 The Climb Earl Himes With Friends Like These... Armand Minetti Simon Birch Reverend Russell Meschugge Charles Kaminski Evidence of Blood Jackson Kinley 1999 A Midsummer Night's Dream Theseus Limbo "Jumpin Joe" Gastineau A Map of the World Howard Goodwin 2000 A Good Baby Truman Lester Harrison's Flowers Harrison Lloyd 2001 Relative Evil Dr. Charlie a.k.a. Ball in the House 2002 Speakeasy Bruce Hickman Blue Car Auster 2004 Twisted Melvin Frank 2005 The Notorious Bettie Page Estes Kefauver Missing in America Henry Good Night, and Good Luck Edward R. Murrow 2006 The Shovel Paul Mullin Short film Heavens Fall Judge James Horton We Are Marshall Donald Dedmon 2007 The Sensation of Sight Finn Also producer Steel Toes Danny Dunckelman Fracture District Attorney Joe Lobruto Racing Daylight Henry Becker/Harry Stokes The Bourne Ultimatum Noah Vosen My Blueberry Nights Arnie Copeland Matters of Life and Death Mr. Jennings Trumbo Readings 2008 The Spiderwick Chronicles Arthur Spiderwick 2009 The Uninvited Steven Ivers Cold Souls Dr. Flintstein The People Speak Himself Documentary Odysseus in America Narration 2010 Howl Ralph McIntosh The Tempest Alonzo, King of Naples The Whistleblower Peter Ward 2012 The Bourne Legacy Noah Vosen Maladies Delmar No God, No Master William J. Flynn Lincoln William Seward 2014 Godzilla Admiral William Stenz 2015 The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Ty Burley Louder Than Bombs Richard The Debt Nathan 2016 American Pastoral Nathan Zuckerman 2017 Darkest Hour Franklin D. Roosevelt (voice) November Criminals Theo Schacht 2018 An Interview with God GodFast Color Ellis UFO Franklin Ahls 2019 Godzilla: King of the Monsters Admiral William Stenz The Devil Has a Name Fred Stern 2020 Walkaway Joe Joe Haley Nomadland David 2021 Nightmare Alley Pete Krumbein 2022 Where the Crawdads Sing Tom Milton 2023 Remember This Jan Karski A Little Prayer Bill 2024 The Luckiest Man in America Bill Carruthers 2025 O Horizon Warren Zootopia 2 Milton Lynxley (voice) 2026 By Any Means Post-production TBA Babies Post-production

Television Year Title Role Notes 1984 Search for Tomorrow Dr. Robert Hand 4 episodes 1985 Miami Vice Marty Lang Episode: "Out Where the Buses Don't Run" 1987 Broken Vows Stuart Chase Television movie 1987 Spenser: For Hire Doggie Thorpe Episode: "One for my Daughter" 1988 The Equalizer Phillip Borchek Episode: "Sea of Fire" 1988–91 The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd Moss Goodman 20 episodes 1989 Wiseguy Matthew Stemkowsky 2 episodes 1989 Day One J. Robert Oppenheimer Television movie 1990 Heat Wave Bill Thomas Television movie 1990 Judgment Father Frank Aubert Television movie 1991 Son of the Morning Star Capt. Frederick W. Benteen Television movie 1991 Without Warning: The James Brady Story Doctor Art Kobrine Television movie 1992 O Pioneers! Carl Linstrum Television movie 1994 April One John McCowan Television movie 1996 Beyond the Call Russell Cates Television movie 1997 In the Gloaming Martin Television movie 1998 Evidence of Blood Jackson Kinley Television movie 2000 Freedom Song Peter Crowley Television movie 2000 The Miracle Worker Captain Keller Television movie 2001 Big Apple FBI Agent Will Preecher 8 episodes 2002 Lathe of Heaven Mannie Television movie 2002 Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story Jack Hoschouer Television movie 2004 The Sopranos Robert Wegler 3 episodes 2004 Paradise Reverend Bobby Paradise Television movie2008 The Trials of Oppenheimer J. Robert Oppenheimer BBC docudrama 2008 Monk Patrick Kloster Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Genius" 2010 Temple Grandin Dr. Carlock HBO television movie 2010 House Nash Episode: "Lockdown" 2011–12 Alphas Dr. Lee Rosen 24 episodes 2012 Hemingway & Gellhorn John Dos Passos HBO television movie 2015–16 The Blacklist Peter Kotsiopulos (aka The Director) 12 episodes 2015–17 Z: The Beginning of Everything Judge Anthony Sayre 5 episodes 2015 Axe Cop Extincter VoiceEpisode: "Night Mission: The Extincter" 2017–19 Billions "Black Jack" Foley 8 episodes 2018 McMafia Semiyon Kleiman Miniseries; 7 episodes 2018–19 The Expanse Klaes Ashford 13 episodes 2018 My Dinner with Hervé Marty Rothstein Television movie 2020 Interrogation Henry Fisher 10 episodes 2021 FairfaxChet VoiceEpisode: "Chernobylfest"2025A Man on the InsideDr. Benjamin Cole 4 episodes

Theatre

Music videos YearTitleArtistNotes2018"Oh Baby"LCD Soundsystem

Awards and nominations Organizations Year Category Nominated work Result Academy Award 2005 Best Actor Good Night and Good Luck BAFTA Award 2005 Best Actor in a Leading Role Critics' Choice Awards 2005 Best Actor Best Acting Ensemble Golden Globe Awards 2005 Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama 2010 Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Temple Grandin 2012 Hemingway & Gellhorn Screen Actors Guild Awards 1997 Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture L.A. Confidential 2005 Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Good Night and Good Luck Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role 2012 Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Lincoln Venice International Film Festival 2005 Volpi Cup for Best Actor Good Night, and Good Luck