Actor / Director Profile

From his portrayal of James Bond villain Franz Sanchez to FBI profiler Bailey Malone in "Profiler" (1996), Robert Davi is one of the film industry's most recognized tough guys, whether on the big screen or on television. His tough exterior masks a powerful inner sensitivity, which he calls upon for his most notorious roles. A stickler for research, Davi contacted Quantico and arranged to meet Bill Hagenmeyer, the real-life FBI profiler. Davi received critical acclaim within the industry for his provocative and smoldering portrayal of Bailey Malone. The show, currently in syndication, struck a chord with audiences, paving the way for such shows as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000), "Without a Trace" (2002), "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (2001) and many others. His work as a Palestinian terrorist Salim Ajami in an award-winning TV movie brought him critical acclaim and caught the eye of legendary James Bond producer Albert R. Broccoli, who cast Davi as Colombian drug lord and lead villain Franz Sanchez in the Bond film Licence to Kill (1989). Davi studied with the legendary Stella Adler, who became his mentor, and he was also a member of the Actors Studio, where he studied with Lee Strasberg. His big break came when he was cast opposite Frank Sinatra in the telefilm Contract on Cherry Street (1977) (TV), and he has gone on to work in projects with Marlon Brando, Roberto Benigni, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood, Benicio Del Toro, Danny Glover and Adam Sandler, to name a few. Among his many notable film credits are Die Hard (1988), The Goonies (1985), Son of the Pink Panther (1993), Licence to Kill (1989), Raw Deal (1986) and Showgirls (1995). He has worked with such directors as Steven Spielberg, Richard Donner, Blake Edwards, John McTiernan and Paul Verhoeven, among others. He is equally adept at comedy, also, as is evident by his work in a Rodney Dangerfield romantic comedy, as a con artist (once again a very funny and believable character), and he can be seen in the Rob Schneider/Adam Sandler comedy The Hot Chick (2002). He recently produced and is starring in Hitters (2002), a film that takes a realistic look at the struggles that occur within a neighborhood mob crew. Besides working and raising his five children, Davi stays busy volunteering his time in such charities such as The Dream Foundation, Exceptional Children's Foundation, Heart Of A Child Foundation, The National Italian-American Foundation, Unico, and he is the national spokesperson for I Save America.