David Strathairn
Acting
David Russell Strathairn (born January 26, 1949) is an American actor, best known for his portrayal of journalist Edward R. Murrow in the feature film Good Night, and Good Luck (2005), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. He also starred in L.A. Confidential (1997), Godzilla (2014), and the Bourne franchise (2007–2012). Strathairn appeared in supporting roles in many notable films such as A League of Their Own (1992), Sneakers (1992), The Firm (1993), The River Wild (1995), Lincoln (2012), Nomadland (2020), and Nightmare Alley (2021). He is a frequent collaborator with director John Sayles, who is a fellow graduate of Williams College. On television, Strathairn is known for his recurring roles in The Sopranos (2004), Alphas (2011–2012), The Blacklist (2015–2016), Billions (2017–2019), and The Expanse (2018–2019). He received a Primetime Emmy Award win and a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in the HBO television film Temple Grandin (2010).
TV Shows(19)
A Man on the Inside
Dr. Benjamin Cole
2024
Interrogation
Henry Fisher
2020
McMafia
Semiyon Kleiman
2018
Billions
Black Jack Foley
2016
The Expanse
Commander Klaes Ashford
2015
Z: The Beginning of Everything
Anthony Sayre
2015
The Blacklist
Peter Kotsiopulos
2013
Alphas
Lee Rosen
2011
House
Nash
2004
Monk
Patrick Kloster
2002
The Sopranos
Robert Wegler
1999
Wiseguy
1987
The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
Moss Goodman
1987
Spenser: For Hire
1985
The Equalizer
Phillip Borchek
1985
Miami Vice
Marty Lang
1984
The Oscars
Self
1953
Hallmark Hall of Fame
Carl Linstrum
1951
The Emmy Awards
Self
1949
Movies(133)
By Any Means
2026
O Horizon
Warren
2026
Stages
Porter Gates
2026
This Ordinary Thing
Self (voice)
2025
Zootopia 2
Milton Lynxley (voice)
2025
The Gettysburg Address
Ralph Waldo Emerson (voice)
2025
A Little Prayer
Bill
2025
The Luckiest Man in America
Bill
2025
Remember This
Jan Karski
2023
Where the Crawdads Sing
Tom Milton
2022
Nightmare Alley
Pete
2021
Nomadland
Dave
2021
The Oedipus Project
Messenger 1
2020
Walkaway Joe
Joe Haley
2020
Them That Work
Self
2019
The Devil Has a Name
Fred Stern
2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Admiral William Stenz
2019
Fast Color
Ellis
2019
My Dinner with Hervé
Marty Rothstein
2018
UFO
Franklin Ahls
2018
An Interview with God
God
2018
Darkest Hour
President Roosevelt (voice)
2017
November Criminals
Theo
2017
American Pastoral
Nathan Zuckerman
2016
He Does Not Want Peace
Richard Englebright
2016
Louder Than Bombs
Richard Weissman
2015
The Debt
Nathan
2015
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Ty Burley
2015
Godzilla
Admiral William Stenz
2014
No God, No Master
William Flynn
2014
Lincoln@Gettysburg
Self - Narrator (voice)
2013
Love, Marilyn
Self
2013
Lincoln
William Seward
2012
Hemingway & Gellhorn
John Dos Passos
2012
The Bourne Legacy
Noah Vosen
2012
Maladies
Delmar
2012
The Whistleblower
Peter Ward
2010
The Tempest
King Alonso
2010
Howl
Ralph McIntosh
2010
Inside Area 51's Secrets
Narrator
2010
Area 51 Declassified
Himself - Narrator
2010
Temple Grandin
Professor Carlock
2010
Matadors
Roman Lodari
2010
The People Speak
Self
2009
Cold Souls
Dr. Flintstein
2009
The Uninvited
Steven
2009
Whatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential'
Self
2008
Sunlight and Shadow: The Visual Style of 'L.A. Confidential'
Self
2008
The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer
J. Robert Oppenheimer
2008
The Spiderwick Chronicles
Arthur Spiderwick
2008
My Blueberry Nights
Arnie
2007
Trumbo
Self
2007
Matters of Life and Death
Mr. Jennings
2007
The Bourne Ultimatum
Noah Vosen
2007
Racing Daylight
Henry / Harry
2007
Steel Toes
Danny Dunkelman
2007
Fracture
Joe Lobruto
2007
The Supreme Court
Narrator
2007
We Are Marshall
President Dedmon
2006
The Sensation of Sight
Finn
2006
Heavens Fall
Judge James Horton
2006
The Human Behavior Experiments
Narrator
2006
The Shovel
Paul Mullin
2006
The Notorious Bettie Page
Estes Kefauver
2006
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Edward R. Murrow
2005
Willa Cather: The Road Is All
Narrator
2005
Missing in America
Henry R. Hocknell Jr.
2005
Los Angeles Plays Itself
Pierce Patchett in L.A. Confidential (archive footage)
2004
Twisted
Dr. Melvin Frank
2004
Paradise
Reverend Bobby Paradise
2004
The Making of ‘Sneakers’
Self
2003
Blue Car
Auster
2003
Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story
Jack Hoschouer
2002
Lathe of Heaven
Mannie
2002
Speakeasy
Bruce Hickman
2002
Relative Evil
Dr. Charlie
2001
The Victim
Mark Zingerline
2001
A Good Baby
Truman Lester
2000
The Miracle Worker
Captain Keller
2000
Harrison's Flowers
Harrison Lloyd
2000
Freedom Song
Peter Crowley
2000
A Map of the World
Howard Goodwin
1999
Limbo
Joe Gastineau
1999
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Theseus
1999
The Giraffe
Charles Kaminski
1999
Bad Manners
Wes Westlund
1998
Simon Birch
Rev. Russell
1998
With Friends Like These
Armand Minetti
1998
Evidence of Blood
Jackson Kinley
1998
The Climb
Earl Himes
1998
L.A. Confidential
Pierce Patchett
1997
Song of Hiawatha
Marcel
1997
In the Gloaming
Martin
1997
Mother Night
Bernard B. O'Hare
1996
Beyond the Call
Russel Gates
1996
Home for the Holidays
Russell Terziak
1995
Dolores Claiborne
Joe St. George
1995
Losing Isaiah
Charles Lewin
1995
The River Wild
Tom Hartman
1994
April One
John McCowan
1994
A Dangerous Woman
Getso
1993
The Firm
Ray McDeere
1993
Lost in Yonkers
Johnny
1993
The American Clock
Young Arthur Huntington
1993
Passion Fish
Rennie
1992
Sneakers
Whistler
1992
Bob Roberts
Mack Laflin
1992
A League of Their Own
Ira Lowenstein
1992
Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even
Keith
1992
O Pioneers!
Carl Linstrum
1992
City of Hope
Asteroid
1991
Without Warning: The James Brady Story
Dr. Arthur Kobrine
1991
Judgment
Father Frank Aubert
1990
Memphis Belle
Craig Harriman
1990
Heat Wave
Bill Thomas
1990
The Feud
The Stranger
1989
Day One
J. Robert Oppenheimer
1989
Eight Men Out
Eddie Cicotte
1988
Call Me
Sam
1988
Stars & Bars
Charlie
1988
Dominick and Eugene
Martin Chernak
1988
Matewan
Police Chief Sid Hatfield
1987
Broken Vows
Stuart Chase
1987
At Close Range
Tony Pine
1986
When Nature Calls
Weejun
1985
The Brother from Another Planet
Man In Black
1984
Iceman
Dr. Singe
1984
Silkwood
Wesley
1983
Lovesick
Marvin Zuckerman
1983
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute
Jerry
1983
Return of the Secaucus Seven
Ron
1980
The Bard
Babies