Photo: Montclair Film / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
David Strathairn is my favorite kind of actor: the one history trusts. Directors hand him Edward R. Murrow, Oppenheimer, and William Seward, men whose faces we know from textbooks, because he disappears into gravity itself rather than performing it. A Volpi Cup, an Emmy, an Independent Spirit Award; the shelf is full, yet he carries none of it on screen. The Williams College intellect shows in how economically he works: a pause, a lowered voice, and a scene gains weight. In an era of maximalist acting, his restraint feels almost radical. Whenever he appears in a cast list, I quietly raise my expectations for the entire film.
Overview
David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures including Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Dos Passos.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- David Strathairn
- Name (Japanese)
- デヴィッド・ストラザーン
- Reading
- でゔぃっど・すとらざーん
- Born
- January 26, 1949 (age 77)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Ox
- Origin
- San Francisco, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor / television actor / stage actor / film producer / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Redwood High School
- University
- Williams College
Awards & achievements
- 1992 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male
- 2010 Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
- 2010 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
- Volpi Cup for Best Actor
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film actor — see all → · Television actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.