David Clennon
(1943 - )Another solid character actor who never gets his due or the acclaim he deserves is David Clennon. He has created quite a roster of fascinating characters in his career, mostly "everyman" types and professionals, with an occasional evil or twisted individual here and there. His looks are those of the "everyman"; of solid, medium build, a handsome face, with sharp features, very expressive eyes, close-cropped curly dark, but graying hair, most often bearded and with an air of intelligence about him. He was born on May 10, 1943 in Waukegan, Illinois. He attended Notre Dame University in the mid 1960s and appeared in the University Theatre’s productions of "King Lear", "The Caretaker" and "Three Penny Opera." During this period he was quite active in demonstrations against the Viet Nam War and he has remained a political activist throughout the years. He later made his way to New York and was appearing in plays Off-Broadway, with the New York Shakespeare Festival and elsewhere honing his craft. In the 1970s he made his film debut in a bit part in "The Paper Chase" (1973) with John Houseman, as Toombs. His other film credits include: "Bound for Glory" (1976) as Carl, Man in Gas Station; "Go Tell the Spartans" (1978) as Lt. Finley; "Coming Home" (1978) with John Voight, as Tim; "On the Yard" (1978) as Psychiatrist; "Being There" (1979) with Peter Sellers, as Thomas Franklin, one of his meatier roles; "Billy in the Lowlands" (1979) as Social Worker; "Hide in Plain Sight" (1980) as Richard Fieldston; "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains" (1981) as Dave Robell; "Missing" (1982) with Jack Lemmon, as Consul Phil Putnam, another good role; "The Escape Artist" (1982) as Newspaper Editor; John Carpenter’s "The Thing" (1982) as Palmer, one of my favorite of his roles; "Hanna K." (1983) as Amnon; "The Right Stuff" (1983) as Liaison Man; "Star 80" (1983) as Geb; "Falling in Love" (1984) with Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep, as Brian Gilmore, another of my favorites of his roles; "Sweet Dreams" (1985) with Jessica Lange, as Randy Hughes; "Legal Eagles" (1986) as Blanchard; "The Trouble with Dick" (1987) as Lars; "He’s My Girl" (1987) as Mason Morgan; "The Couch Trip" (1988) as Lawrence Baird; "Betrayed" (1988) as Jack Carpenter; "Downtown" (1990) as Jerome Sweet; "Light Sleeper" (1991) as Robert; "Man Trouble" (1992) as Lewie Duart; "Matinee" (1993) as Jack; "Grace of My Heart" (1996) as Dr. ‘Jonesy’ Jones; "Mad City" (1997) as Street Preacher; "Playing by Heart" (1998) as Martin; "The Visit" (2000) as Bill Brenner; "Antitrust" (2001) uncredited, as Barry Linder; "Convention" (2003) as Sen. Chuck McGee and "Glory Days" (2004) as Jack. He has appeared as a regular on the TV series: "Park Place" (1981) as Jeff O’Neil; "thirtysomething" (1987-91) as Miles Drentell; "Almost Perfect" (1995-96) as Neal Luder; "From the Earth to the Moon" (1998) a mini-series, as Dr. Lee Silver; "Once and Again" (1999-Present) as Miles Drentell and "The Agency" (2001-Present) as Joshua Nankin. He appeared in some terrific TV movies including: "The Migrants" (1974); "Helter Skelter" (1976); "Gideon’s Trumpet" (1980); "Special Bulletin" (1983); "And the Band Played On" (1993) and "Original Sins" (1995). He has guested on such TV series as: "Barney Miller"; "Kojak"; "WKRP in Cincinnati"; "Beauty and the Beast"; "Murder, She Wrote"; "Cybill"; "NewsRadio": "Star Trek: Voyager" and "Family Law." He remains involved in political issues. He and his wife Perry were married in 1996 and have twins. They live in Los Angeles, California.
From Great Character Actors, Page 9.
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