Childhood and youth
David Duchovny was born in New York on August 7, 1960 into a low-income family. According to his zodiac sign, the future actor turned out to be Leo. Margaret Duchovny, the mother of the future celebrity, was Scottish and worked as a school teacher. Amram Duchovny, David's father, is a publicist. He wrote several books, including an autobiographical novel. It is known that David's parents divorced 11 years after his birth.
By nature, David was withdrawn and uncommunicative in his childhood, but the young man’s extraordinary mind opened the way for him to a prestigious school in New York. At this educational institution, Duchovny studied with John Kennedy Jr., who died in a plane crash in July 1999.
David Duchovny in his youth
After graduating from school, David Duchovny entered Princeton University to study pedagogy. The student earned money for his studies at the university on his own, working as a watchman, bartender or food delivery man. David later received a master's degree in English literature from Yale University and was going to defend his dissertation for a Ph.D. However, some events in his life forced the actor to change this decision.
While working on his dissertation, the young man enrolled in acting courses, as a result of which theatrical acting became a kind of hobby, which later influenced the creative biography of David Duchovny.
Childhood
David Duchovny was born into a low-income, large family. His mother, an emigrant from Scotland, worked as a school teacher. His father Abraham Duchovny was a journalist and playwright. My paternal grandfather was a Russian Jew who emigrated from the Kyiv province in 1918, and my grandmother also left the Russian part of Poland forever at the beginning of the twentieth century. The parents raised three children, but despite this they divorced when David was 11 years old.
David Duchovny as a child
As a child, the future actor was uncommunicative and reserved, but he had an extraordinary mind, which helped him receive a scholarship to pay for tuition at a prestigious and expensive school in New York. John Kennedy Jr., the son of President John F. Kennedy, attended classes with David. The actor continued to communicate with him until his tragic death in a plane crash.
At school, Duchovny showed excellent results, so he could enter any prestigious university in America: Harvard, Yale or Princeton. David chose the latter.
Movies
Duchovny first appeared on television in 1987, starring in a short commercial for Löwenbräu beer. At this time, the film actor decided to stop working on his dissertation and switched his attention to stage acting. Thanks to his attractive and unusual appearance, as well as his crazy desire to become an actor, David managed to get into the world of cinema.
A year after his debut in the film Working Girl, director David Lynch drew attention to him, making the film actor a tempting offer - to play a transvestite in the mystical series Twin Peaks. Duchovny accepted this offer.
David Duchovny in an episode of Twin Peaks
After a cameo role in Twin Peaks, the rising Hollywood star received an invitation to film the series The Red Shoe Diaries, where he played an abandoned lover. This stage is considered the initial stage in the actor’s creative biography.
Viewers remembered the film “Evolution”, presented in 2001. Prominent representatives of American cinema took part in the filming of the film together with David Duchovny: Julianne Moore, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, Dan Aykroyd.
Julianne Moore and David Duchovny in the movie "Evolution"
David gained fame in 1993 with the start of filming the series “The X-Files”. This picture became a real hit on television. Soon, people firmly associated the name of the film actor with agent Fox Mulder, who conducted investigations together with Dana Scully, played by Gillian Anderson. Viewers and experts from the world of cinema called “The X-Files” the best work in the creative biography of the American artist. In the future, roles in television series will become the main works in the American’s career.
David Duchovny in the series "The X-Files"
In 2007, filming began on the series “Californication”, or “Californication”, where Duchovny plays the main role of a writer experiencing personal and creative crises. The Hollywood actor was completely immersed in work in this series throughout all seasons. During its 7 years on air, the film gained cult status. In 2014, viewers saw the final 7th season of Californication, but the celebrity was unable to take a break from filming.
David Duchovny in the TV series Californication
In the summer of 2020, David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson worked on the new season of The X-Files, which premiered on January 24, 2020. The new season of the series consists of 6 episodes.
The audience also remembered the comedy drama “Keeping Up with the Joneses.” In this film, David Duchovny worked on the set with actress Demi Moore. Famous actors, directors and film set workers who have worked with David Duchovny note that he behaves openly on set, rarely provokes controversy and gives his best to achieve results.
David Duchovny in Keeping Up with the Joneses - Trailer
In 2014, the American actor took part in the filming of an advertisement for the Russian beer “Siberian Crown”. In a new video, David said that Russia “has a lot to be proud of.” More than once in interviews with the press, he mentioned that he “always felt half Russian.” However, in April 2014, the actor changed his position. On the Twitter microblogging service, David published a tweet in which he called himself a Ukrainian:
“I grew up thinking I was Russian, but only now I realized that I was always Ukrainian. It's never too late to change."
David Duchovny and his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
At the beginning of 2020, David Duchovny received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. At the ceremony, the American film actor noted that he plans to return to directing.
“I would direct a couple more films before I quit. The ideas that I have, the stories that I have written, are more for independent, low-budget films. These are human stories, they are difficult to film and show,” Duchovny said at the ceremony.
Friends and colleagues came to congratulate Duchovny, including the creator of The X-Files, producer and screenwriter Chris Carter.
David Duchovny in season 10 of The X-Files. Trailer (2016)
In January 2016, new episodes of the 10th season of the television series “The X-Files” were released. Viewers were able to see the characters of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson again. The creators did not discard the ideas of previous seasons, but decided to show a new storyline. Chris Carter noted that fans of the series saw completely different Mulder and Scully.
Slavic roots
The biography of David Duchovny begins with his birth in early August 1960 in New York. His mother emigrated from Great Britain in her youth, realizing herself in the United States as a teacher at a Manhattan school. Brooklyn-born Amram Duchovny's father comes from a family of Jewish immigrants. He was a playwright and publicist, the author of several literary works. The actor's paternal grandfather left for America, fleeing the German occupation from Berdichev (Ukraine). Grandmother has Polish roots. David Duchovny has repeatedly stated in interviews that he feels half Russian, although in April 2014 he openly called himself Ukrainian.
David is intellectually gifted, so he studied well at school and easily entered the Faculty of Education at Princeton University. The young man wanted to become a writer. To pay for his studies, while still a student, Duchovny constantly worked as a watchman, a food supplier, or a bartender. Having completed his studies, he does not stop there; he continues his education in graduate school at Yale University. A talented young man receives a master's degree in British literature and is preparing to defend his dissertation for a doctorate in philosophy. During this period, he was passionate about theater, realizing his artistry in off-Broadway productions.
Music
David Duchovny devotes his time to music. In 2020, the first American music album appeared, called Hell or Highwater.
The new record consists of 12 tracks that Duchovny wrote himself. The title track is available to fans in single format.
David Duchovny - Hell or Highwater
David himself noted in an interview that the new album did not become the embodiment of his dream, and working on the record was simply a desire to convey his own feelings to listeners, to talk about his understanding of the feelings that a person sometimes experiences.
“Making an album is like a dream come true, although I never had such a dream. I still find it hard to believe this happened. But these songs are a true expression of my feelings, so I was looking forward to sharing them with everyone,” the actor told Rolling Stone.
David Duchovny wrote a book.
In December 2016, the American began work on a new record. Duchovny published a photo from the recording studio with the appropriate caption on his Facebook page.
The talented artist also showed himself in the literary field. David's first book was called "Sacred Cow", it was about three animals who ran away from their owner in search of better living conditions. Duchovny's debut publication made it onto The New York Times bestseller list. The second novel, Tough Bucky Dent, was about a confrontation between two baseball teams.
Personal life
Tall, stately (David's height is 184 cm, weight is 77-80 kg) the actor has always been the center of attention. Duchovny's personal life is actively discussed in the media. For a long time, the star could not find a permanent life partner, since he was not satisfied with a monogamous relationship. The handsome actor has never suffered from a lack of female attention. He had affairs with actresses Perrey Reeves and Winona Ryder, but such relationships did not last long.
Tea Leoni and David Duchovny
In 1997, the world star finally found the one with whom he wanted to connect his life. David Duchovny married actress Tea Leoni, who bore him two children - daughter Madelaine West and son Kid Miller. After 11 years of marriage, David and Thea decided to separate, after which the actor officially admitted that he suffers from hypersexuality.
Even before the wedding, the screen star went to a rehabilitation center with this problem, but then David was unable to admit his true intentions to reporters, citing alcoholism as the reason for his hospitalization. After undergoing treatment for addiction again in a private clinic, the man again decided to reunite with his wife. In 2009, the couple began to live together. True, already in 2011, disagreements arose again in the Duchovny family, destroying the marriage. In 2014, the couple officially divorced. According to rumors, the disease never left the artist, causing suffering to his loved ones.
David Duchovny with his wife and children
More than once the press reported on Duchovny's affair with his X-Files co-star Gillian Anderson. Fans of the television series believe that the actors who played agents Scully and Mulder are not only dating, but also secretly married. Celebrities refuse to comment on such information even today.
The actor monitors his health and regularly appears in the gym. David used to love team sports, but as he grew older, he chose a safer type of training.
David Duchovny
In 2020, rumors leaked to the American media about David Duchovny's affair with athlete Monique Pendleberry. Photos of the couple appeared in many international tabloids. At one time, the girl played for the football team The Eagles and was educated at the University of California at Irvine. The acquaintance happened thanks to a friend of the actor, the owner of the Sunlife Organics company, where Pendleberry worked at that time.
David Duchovny and Monique Pendleberry
The girl turned out to be 33 years younger than her chosen one, but this did not stop the couple from finding a common language. Monique accompanied the actor on the set of the next season of The X-Files, which took place in Vancouver, and then the lovers flew to Malibu, where they met the girl’s parents. Now the lovers continue to meet, which is confirmed by paparazzi photographs.
Star biography: David Duchovny
David William Duchovny was born on August 7, 1960 in New York, USA. His mother Margaret, a teacher at a school for residents of a poor part of Manhattan, and his father Amram, a publicist and author of several books, divorced when David was 11 years old. David has a brother and a sister.
David studied well at school and entered Princeton University to study pedagogy. To pay for his university education, he worked as a grocery deliverer, watchman and bartender. Then he entered graduate school at Yale University, where he received a master's degree in English literature and was preparing to defend his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. At that time, he became interested in theater and began appearing on stage in off-Broadway productions.
Duchovny's first appearance on television came in 1987, when he starred in a commercial for Löwenbräu beer. David soon stopped working on his doctoral dissertation and began taking stage acting lessons. After his first experience on the theatrical stage, he almost immediately found himself in Hollywood. In 1988, he made his big screen debut with a minor cameo role in Mike Nichols' film Working Girl.
About a year later, director David Lynch invited Duchovny to play the role of a transvestite DEA agent in the TV series Twin Peaks. Zalman King really liked Duchovny, who invited him to play the role of the ideal abandoned lover-narrator in the film “The Red Shoe Diaries”, and then in the erotic series of the same name. At one of the film festivals, David's work attracted the attention of Randy Stone, a producer at XX Century Fox, who recommended him to Chris Carter, director of The X-Files, for the role of Fox Mulder. The television series became a real hit, bringing David worldwide fame. After seven seasons and a renegotiation of his contract, Duchovny left the series as lead actor, continuing to appear in select episodes. In 2002, he starred in the final episode of The X-Files, and in 2008 he again played Mulder in the film The X-Files: I Want to Believe.
In 2003, David Duchovny appeared in a cameo role in the series Sex and the City, as well as in several other series. He took part in the voice acting of computer games, and also voiced himself in the animated series The Simpsons. Later he starred in several films - “Connie and Carla”, “Trust the Man”, “What We Lost”, “The Secret” and others.
Since 2007, the actor has starred in the popular comedy television series Californication as Hank Moody, a famous writer with problems in his personal life. For this role, David received the Golden Globe Award in the category “Best Actor in a TV Series” in 2007.
The actor plans to film “Californication” until 2011, as well as participate in the projects “Mount Pleasant” and some others.
In 2007, Duchovny married actress Tea Leoni. In 1999, their daughter Madeleine West was born. The second child, son Kid Miller Duchovny, was born in 2002. Duchovny has some similarities with his Californication character Hank Moody. In the eleventh year of marriage, the actors separated due to David's sex addiction, but on January 5, 2009 they announced that they had decided to start over. Now they live together.
David Duchovny now
In 2020, viewers saw Duchovny in the film Twin Peaks: The Return. The first two episodes of the popular American film were presented at the Cannes Film Festival.
Among the new releases of 2020 in the celebrity’s filmography is the 11th season of the series “The X-Files,” which, by the way, is the subject of most of the posts on the actor’s personal profiles on Instagram and Twitter.
David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson in 2020
Despite the fact that rumors about David and Gillian's romance in real life were not confirmed, on the screen their characters still had a close relationship. The special agents' romance developed throughout the 7th season. Then Scully and Mulder became the parents of a son, William. And his sudden disappearance formed the basis of the plotline of the last part of the television film.
Actor career
While still working on his dissertation, Duchovny began participating in New York Broadway productions. Soon, much to his mother's disappointment, David quits his scientific work, devoting himself entirely to acting.
His first commercial success came at the age of 27, when Duchovny starred in a television commercial for Löwenbräu beer. In 1988, David made his debut on the silver screen, starring in a cameo role in the film “Working Girl.” This role is followed by a more significant participation in the low-budget film “New Year's Eve”.
Discouraged by the lack of progress in his career, Duchovny fires his agent and moves to Hollywood, where he hires a new representative. Throughout the 1990s. he would play a string of small roles as oddball characters in Ascension, Julia's Two Lovers and California, starring Brad Pitt.
David's roles in the TV series Twin Peaks and The Red Shoe Diaries, warmly received by the public, made the actor believe that he would achieve greater success on television than in the film world. In 1993, he received the leading role of FBI agent Fox Mulder in the science fiction series The X-Files, which brought him his first fame. Viewers are intrigued by the mutual attraction that arose on television between Duchovny and his partner Gillian Anderson, who played Mulder’s partner, Agent Dana Scully, in the series. There were rumors that their connection existed off-screen, although Duchovny himself stubbornly denied the slightest hint of this. In 1995, the series beat out its rival, the popular television series ER, and received the Golden Globe award.
In 1998, The X-Files ended with the release of a full-length film of the same name. In the next decade, Duchovny returned to the big screen, playing two or more roles a year. In 2007, he again took on large-scale work on television, playing the role of Hank Moody in the series “Free Morals of California” on the Showtime channel.
Filmography
- 1988 – “Working Girl”
- 1990-1991 – “Twin Peaks”
- 1992 – “Beethoven”
- 1992-1996 – “The Red Shoe Diaries”
- 1993 – “California”
- 1993–2002 – “The X-Files”
- 1998 – “The X-Files: Fight for the Future”
- 2001 – “The Lone Gunmen”
- 2005 – “Secrets of the past”
- 2007—2014 – “Californication”
- 2008 – “The X-Files: I Want to Believe”
- 2015-2016 – “Aquarius”
- 2016-2018 – “The X-Files”
- 2017 – Twin Peaks
