David Strathairn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Strathairn
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Strathairn in 2022
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| Born |
David Russell Strathairn
January 26, 1949 San Francisco, California, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Williams College |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Logan Goodman
(m. 1980) |
| Children | 2 |
David Russell Strathairn (born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. He is well-known for playing important roles on stage and in movies. He has often played real people from history, like journalist Edward R. Murrow and scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer.
David Strathairn has won several awards, including an Independent Spirit Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was also nominated for an Academy Award, which is one of the biggest awards in movies.
He started his acting career in the film Return of the Secaucus 7 in 1980. He worked with director John Sayles on many films, such as Matewan (1987) and Passion Fish (1992). In the 1990s, he appeared in popular movies like A League of Their Own (1992) and The Firm (1993). He became very famous for playing Edward R. Murrow in the movie Good Night, and Good Luck (2005). This role earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor nomination.
He also played Noah Vosen in the action movies The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Bourne Legacy (2012). More recently, he appeared in Lincoln (2012), Nomadland (2020), and Nightmare Alley (2021).
On television, he was in the soap opera Search for Tomorrow in 1984. He won an Primetime Emmy Award for his role in the TV movie Temple Grandin (2010). He also had regular roles in TV shows like Alphas (2011–2012) and The Expanse (2018–2019).
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Early life and education
David Strathairn was born in San Francisco, California. His family background includes Scottish and Native Hawaiian roots. He went to Redwood High School in California.
He later graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1970. There, he met director John Sayles, who he would work with many times. Interestingly, he also studied to be a clown at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. For a short time, he even worked as a clown in a traveling circus!
Career
Strathairn was nominated for an Academy Award for his powerful acting as CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow in the 2005 movie Good Night, and Good Luck. The film showed Murrow's brave stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy during a time when people were unfairly accused of being Communists in the 1950s. Strathairn also received nominations for other major awards for this role. In 2010, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for playing Dr. Carlock in the HBO film Temple Grandin.
Some of his other well-known movie roles include playing the main character in Harrison's Flowers (2000). He was also Whistler, a clever blind tech expert, in Sneakers (1992). He played a husband in The River Wild and a teacher in Blue Car.
Strathairn is known as a character actor. This means he often plays supporting roles that are very important to the story. He has worked a lot with his college friend, director John Sayles. He appeared in Sayles' first movie, Return of the Secaucus 7, and other films like Passion Fish and Limbo.
On television, he played Moss, a bookseller, in The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd. He was also Captain Keller, Helen Keller's father, in the 2000 TV movie The Miracle Worker. He had a recurring role in the popular TV drama The Sopranos.
In 2006, he was in We Are Marshall, a movie about a college football team rebuilding after a tragic plane crash. He also played Arthur Spiderwick in the children's film The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008). He has played physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer twice, first in a 1989 TV movie and again in a 2008 documentary.
From 2011 to 2012, he starred as Dr. Lee Rosen in the Syfy series Alphas. Later, from 2018 to 2019, he appeared as Klaes Ashford in The Expanse.
In 2020, Strathairn was in the Oscar-winning movie Nomadland. In this film, he acted alongside his son, Tay, for the first time since 1988. In 2023, he starred in Remember This, a movie based on a play about Jan Karski, a Polish diplomat who shared information about the Holocaust during World War II.
Theater
Besides movies and TV, David Strathairn is also a talented stage actor. He has performed in over 30 plays. He has acted in several plays by famous writer Harold Pinter. He played Stanley in The Birthday Party and Devlin in Ashes to Ashes.
In 2015, he appeared in Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. He also lent his voice to a radio play of It Can't Happen Here in 2020. Strathairn plays Jan Karski in the one-man play Remember This: The Lesson of Jan Karski. He has received great reviews for this role.
Personal life
David Strathairn has two children. His son, Tay Strathairn, was a keyboard player for the band Dawes.
Awards and nominations
David Strathairn has won several awards for his acting:
- In 1991, he won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for City of Hope.
- In 1997, he won a CableACE Award for his role in In the Gloaming.
- In 2005, he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for Good Night, and Good Luck.
- In 2010, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for Temple Grandin.
He has also been nominated for many other awards, including:
- Academy Award for Best Actor for Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
- BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
- Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
- Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for Temple Grandin (2010)
Images for kids
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David Strathairn in 2022
See also
In Spanish: David Strathairn para niños
