Biography for
David Duchovny More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

7 August 1960, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name

David William Duchovny

Nickname

Dave

Height

6' 0½" (1.84 m)

Mini Biography

David Duchovny earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and also earned a graduate degree in English Literature at Yale University. While at Yale, he began commuting to New York to study acting and was soon appearing in off-Broadway plays. In 1987 he abandoned his doctoral studies at Yale to pursue acting full time.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Gustaf Molin

Spouse

Téa Leoni

(6 May 1997 - present) (separated) 2 children

Trade Mark

Deadpan humor.

Puppy dog eyes.

Cleft in chin.

Frequently plays conspiracy theorists (The X-Files, Evolution, Zoolander, etc.)

Trivia

Filed a $25 million lawsuit against the producers and syndicators of "The X Files" (1993) alleging he's been cheated of his contractual share of profits from series.

24 April 1999: Daughter, with Téa Leoni, Madelaine West Duchovny born. 15 June 2002 son, 7lb. 10-ou. boy, Kyd Miller Duchovny.

Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. [1996]

Dated Sheryl Lee and actress Perrey Reeves (June 1994 to 1996).

When he isn't in Vancouver to shoot "The X Files" (1993), he resides in Malibu, California.

Played scholarship-level basketball during some of his high school and college career. He had an accident while playing basketball in high school which damaged his right eye.

Family: His father's name was Amram. From a Russian-Jewish family he was a Brooklyn-born publicist for the American Jewish Commitee, died on 23 August 2003 from heart disease. His mother's name is Margaret. She is of Scottish ancestry. Brother, Daniel Ducovny, sister Laurie, and a stepbrother named Jonathan Sahula. Duchovny means 'spiritual' in Russian.

He is known to be a sports fan, and has appeared on MTV's "Rock n' Jock Softball Game".

Is a former vegetarian but does not consume red meat.

While at Yale, he was classmates with Jennifer Beals, whom Duchovny suggested for a part on "The X Files" (1993) (it eventually went to Gillian Anderson).

Was partially responsible for moving the filming of "The X Files" (1993) series from Vancouver to California.

Has an allergic reaction to metal which prevents him from wearing his wedding ring at times.

Was the subject of the song "David Duchovny" by Bree Sharp.

He kept three dogs and four cats as a child.

He does a very good impersonation of Jeff Goldblum, as demonstrated during his appearance on "Saturday Night Live" (1975).

Was ABD ("All But Dissertation") when he left Yale, so he never actually received his graduate degree. The title of his uncompleted doctoral thesis was "Magic and Technology in Contemporary Poetry and Prose."

Friends with actor Ron Eldard.

His mother taught at Grace Church School in N.Y.C. and had a portion of the building named after her when she retired.

Speaks French and Latin.

Speaks Hebrew.

Stayed in 411 Witherspoon Hall his freshman year at Princeton.

Made his film debut in Working Girl (1988), as one of the guests hiding in the bathroom at Tess's surprise birthday party.

Uncle of twin boys Gabriel and Luca (b. May 2004), sons of his sister Laurie and brother-in-law Michael Birnbaum.

Very good friends with Nicholas Lea, who played his nemesis Alex Krycek on "The X-Files".

Appeared on the Celebrity edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire in 2000. He was the first celebrity in the hot seat. He answered 13 questions correctly giving him $250,000 for his charity. However, he then answered his $500,000 incorrectly resulting in a $218,000 loss and he left with $32,000.

Checked himself into a rehabilitation center seeking treatment for sex addiction. [August 2008]

Loves dogs.

Is a New York Yankees Fan.

Personal Quotes

"I never, ever, ever cook. And I would never eat anything I might cook."

"I'm half Jewish, half Scottish. It's hard for me to buy anything."

"Privacy is something I have come to respect. I think when I was younger I wanted to tell everybody everything, because I thought I was so damn interesting. Then I heard the snoring."

"I've always been overly concerned about what people think which has resulted in a lot of inner turmoil. I try not to give a damn but inside I'm a huge ball of worry."

"If you're smart, you'll always be humble. You can learn all you want, but there'll always be somebody who's never read a book who'll know twice what you know."

"I'm frightened by the possibilities of my own lack of talent."

"I think I'm nice enough to look at, but I think people make a big deal about my appearance. I think it was like hypnosis, like all of the sudden everybody's been trained: 'OK, now cluck like a chicken!' 'OK, now say David Duchovny's handsome!' I mean, I was a normal-looking kid, and whoever you are and whatever you look like, there are always things you want to change. I just remember that I wished I was blond. And I wished that my nose were smaller and my lips were smaller and my eyes were bigger... you know, everything."

[On his role as Agent Fox Mulder on "The X-Files"] "It's pretty workaday, people don't seem to realize: You get up, you take a shower, you read the paper, you play Mulder." (from June 1998 "Entertainment Weekly" interview)

[About "The X-Files"] "I get tired of people asking if I believe in what's presented on the show. They don't ask the guys on 'E.R.' if they believe in euthanasia." (from Oct. 1997 "Chicago Tribune" interview)

"Fame does lead to money, which I don't have a close relationship with. I'm the kind of guy who never sees the money -- it all goes somewhere else. I don't understand it, I don't like to deal with it. I have a fear of not having it, because I grew up without it."

Salary

The X Files (1998)

$6,000,000

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