Robert Creel "Brad" Davis (November 6, 1949 –
September 8, 1991) was an American actor, best known for his role
in the 1978 film
Midnight
Express.
Early life
Born
Robert Creel Davis in Tallahassee,
Florida
to Eugene Davis, a dentist whose career declined
due to alcoholism, and his wife, Anne
Creel. His brother
Gene is
also an actor. According to an article in
The New York Times published in
1987, Davis suffered
physical abuse
and
sexual abuse at the hands of
both parents. As an adult, he was an
alcoholic and an intravenous drug user before
becoming
sober in 1981. Davis was known as
"Bobby" during his youth, but took Brad as his stage name in
1973.
Career
At 17, after winning a music talent contest, Davis worked at
Theatre Atlanta.
He later moved to New York City
and attended the American Academy of Dramatic
Arts, as well as studied acting at the American Place
Theater. After a role on the
soap
opera How to Survive a
Marriage, he performed in
off-Broadway plays. In 1976 he was cast as
Sally Field's love interest in the
television film
Sybil. He
played the lead role in
Larry Kramer's
play about
AIDS,
The Normal Heart (1985).
His most successful film role was as the main character,
Billy Hayes, in
Midnight Express (1978), for
which he won the
Golden
Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Acting Debut - Male. He was
also nominated for a similar award at that year's
BAFTA Awards, in
addition to receiving Best Actor nominations at both ceremonies. He
also had a small role in
Roots.
Personal life
Davis was married to
Susan
Bluestein, who later became an
Emmy
Award-winning casting director. They had one child,
Alexandra.
Diagnosed with
AIDS in 1985, Davis kept his
condition secret until shortly before his death.
Although the
announcement said he died of AIDS in 1991 in Los Angeles
, he actually died of an intentional drug overdose. Near death and in severe
pain in a hospital, he opted to return home and end his life on his
own terms. With his wife and a family friend present, he committed
assisted suicide. Susan Bluestein Davis
continues to campaign to combat AIDS.
Davis was referred to as "the first
heterosexual actor to die of AIDS," although he
reportedly was
bisexual, a claim disputed
by his wife in her book. When asked if he considered himself
bisexual, he replied "didn't someone once say everyone's bisexual,
deep down?".
Filmography
Awards and nominations
References
- Witchel, Alex. (16 April 1997) "For the Widow Of Brad Davis, Time Cannot Heal All
the Wounds." New York Times. Accessed July 31
2007.
- Davis, Susan Bluestein with Hilary De Vries. After
Midnight: The Life and Death of Brad Davis. Pocket Books,
1997, pp. 283-299, ISBN 0-671-79672-0
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