# Jeremy Davies
**Jeremy Davies** (born 1969) is an American actor known for playing sensitive, offbeat characters, most famously Corporal Timothy Upham in *Saving Private Ryan* (1998), the scientist Daniel Faraday on the ABC series *Lost* (2008-10), and the outlaw Dickie Bennett on FX's *Justified*, a role that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies) • [4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-davies) His birth name is Jeremy Davies Boring.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-davies/bio/3030389123/) Reference sources disagree on his birthplace, giving Saugus, California[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies) and [Traverse City, Michigan](https://www.edgepedia.org/traverse-city-michigan).[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-davies/bio/3030389123/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969; birth name Jeremy Davies Boring[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-davies/bio/3030389123/) |
| Breakout film role | Starred in David O. Russell's *Spanking the Monkey* (1994), a Sundance Film Festival winner; Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) |
| Best-known film role | Cpl. Timothy Upham in Steven Spielberg's *Saving Private Ryan* (1998); Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-davies/bio/3030389123/) |
| Signature television roles | Daniel Faraday on *Lost* (ABC, 2008-10); Dickie Bennett on *Justified* (FX)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies) • [4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-davies) |
| Emmy | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, 2012, for *Justified*; also nominated in 2011[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-davies) |
| Video game work | Voice of Baldur in *God of War* (2018); BAFTA Games Award for Best Performer (2019)[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/awards/) |
| Awards total | 5 wins and 12 nominations as listed by IMDb[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/awards/) |
## Early life and training
Davies grew up in a peripatetic, low-income household without television, moving through locations including Vermont, Seattle, Oregon, Kansas, Michigan, New Orleans, Latin America, Canada, Denmark, and Sweden.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) After high school he studied acting at the [American Academy of Dramatic Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-academy-of-dramatic-arts) in [Pasadena, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/pasadena-california), where he began winning bit parts in television series and movies.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) • [6](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/jeremy-davies/2538/) His early screen credits include episodes of *The Wonder Years*, *General Hospital*, and *Melrose Place*, and a role in the television movie *Shoot First: A Cop's Vengeance*.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-davies) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-davies/bio/3030389123/)
## Film career
Davies gained industry attention with a 1992 Subaru commercial, which led agents and casting directors to him and to his first feature starring role in [David O. Russell](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-o-russell)'s independent film *Spanking the Monkey* (1994). The film became a surprise [Sundance Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/sundance-film-festival) winner and brought Davies an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Debut Performance.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/)
Through the late 1990s he built a pattern of small, memorable parts in large productions alongside larger roles in smaller films. He appeared in *Twister* (1996) and as [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks)'s interpreter Corporal Upham in [Steven Spielberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-spielberg)'s Academy Award-winning *Saving Private Ryan* (1998), a performance that drew considerable critical acclaim.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) That year he won the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor for the role.[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-davies/bio/3030389123/) The casting had a near miss on the other side: actor [Noah Wyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/noah-wyle), then committed to *ER*, was initially offered the Upham part and later said of Davies's performance, "I couldn't imagine doing anything close to what he did."[7](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/the-pitt-star-noah-wyle-reveals-major-role-he-was-forced-to-turn-down/)
**Independent and European art cinema.** In 2000 and 2001 Davies took roles in *The Million Dollar Hotel* directed by [Wim Wenders](https://www.edgepedia.org/wim-wenders), *CQ*, and [Steven Soderbergh](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-soderbergh)'s remake of *Solaris* (2002).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) He appeared in [Lars von Trier](https://www.edgepedia.org/lars-von-trier)'s *Dogville* (2003) and *Manderlay* (2005), and in Werner Herzog's *Rescue Dawn* (2007) with Christian Bale.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) Other credits from this period include *Secretary* (2002), *The Laramie Project* (2002), and *29 Palms* (2002), the last his lowest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 0 percent against *Saving Private Ryan*'s 94 percent as his highest.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies) Rotten Tomatoes' profile characterizes his screen persona as sensitive characters with a tinge of instability beneath an innocent surface, sometimes drawing comparison to Anthony Perkins.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies)
Later film work includes *The House That Jack Built* (2018), *The Black Phone* (2021), and *Black Phone 2* (2025), in which he plays Terrence.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies)
## Television
Davies's first major television role was as murderer [Charles Manson](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-manson) in the CBS telefilm *Helter Skelter* (2004), which Rotten Tomatoes credits with establishing his range as a character transformer.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies) • [6](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/jeremy-davies/2538/)
**Lost.** In 2008 Davies joined the cast of J.J. Abrams's *Lost* as Daniel Faraday, a jittery scientist who became an integral part of the show's mythology and a favorite of critics and fans; he remained with the series through its 2010 finale.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) • [6](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/jeremy-davies/2538/) The role brought a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor on [Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/television) (2010) and a Golden Nymph nomination at the Monte-Carlo TV Festival (2009).[5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/awards/)
**Justified.** After *Lost*, Davies joined the FX series *Justified* as Dickie Bennett, the middle son of Mags Bennett and an outlaw in [Harlan, Kentucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/harlan-kentucky). Series developer [Graham Yost](https://www.edgepedia.org/graham-yost) gave Davies unusual freedom to develop the character, and his portrayal, described on his own site as "ferocious and fragile" and Richard the Third-esque, was so far removed from Daniel Faraday that it earned him an Emmy.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) The Television Academy lists his nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2011 and 2012, with the 2012 award as winner for the role.[4](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-davies)
**Guest and genre roles.** His television work includes HBO's Emmy-honored *The Laramie Project*, Bryan Fuller's *Hannibal* and *American Gods*, David Lynch's revival of *Twin Peaks*, and the DC series *Arrow*, *Flash*, and *Supergirl*, in all three of which he played Dr. John Deegan in 2018.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) • [8](https://jeremydavies.com/site/mission.pdf?v=2) He has also guest-starred on *Sleepy Hollow*, *Constantine*, *Lucifer*, *The Rookie*, and *FBI*, and appeared in the miniseries *Texas Rising*.[8](https://jeremydavies.com/site/mission.pdf?v=2)
## Voice work and video games
Davies voiced Baldur, the antagonist of the 2018 video game *God of War*, and won the BAFTA Games Award for Best Performer for the role in 2019, with an additional NAVGTR Award nomination for Supporting Performance in a Drama.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/) • [5](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/awards/) He also voiced Ritchie Simpson in the animated film *Justice League Dark* (2017).[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies)
## References
1. [Jeremy Davies Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jeremy_davies)
2. [Jeremy Davies, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/)
3. [Jeremy Davies Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/jeremy-davies/bio/3030389123/)
4. [Jeremy Davies, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jeremy-davies)
5. [Jeremy Davies Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/awards/)
6. [Jeremy Davies biography and filmography, Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/jeremy-davies/2538/)
7. [The Pitt Star Noah Wyle Reveals Major Role He Was Forced to Turn Down, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/the-pitt-star-noah-wyle-reveals-major-role-he-was-forced-to-turn-down/)
8. [Jeremy Davies, official site mission statement (PDF)](https://jeremydavies.com/site/mission.pdf?v=2)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames D to Di*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license