Benjamin Byron Davis

Benjamin Byron Davis (born June 21, 1972) is an American actor, writer, director, and acting coach renowned for his versatile performances across film, television, video games, and theater.^[1] Best known for voicing and providing motion capture for the charismatic yet tragic outlaw leader Dutch van der Linde in the critically acclaimed video games Red Dead Redemption (2010) and Red Dead Redemption II (2018), Davis's portrayal earned him the Best Actor award at the 2018 Twinfinite Awards and contributed to the sequel's status as one of the highest-grossing video games, with an opening weekend of $725 million.^[1]^[2] His film credits include the role of arms dealer Marcus Kincaid in the 2024 action-comedy Borderlands, the alien voice of Bletelsnort in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023), and Agent Burleigh in Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), showcasing his range in both live-action and voice work.^[1] In animation and television, Davis lent his voice to the DC villain Rupert Thorne in the 2024 series Creature Commandos, and he has appeared in over 30 television episodes.^[1] Beyond acting, Davis has written and performed solo theater pieces such as In Absentia and Big Shot, and directed the play Godfather Death, which received a nomination from the LA Weekly Theater Awards.^[1] A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he earned honors for Achievement in Acting, Davis continues to advocate for public media funding and engages with fans through conventions and interviews about his iconic roles.^[1]^[3]

Early life and education

Early life

Benjamin Byron Davis was born on June 21, 1972, in Boston, Massachusetts.^[1] He is the youngest of three brothers, born to parents Jessica and William Davis. He was raised in Boston.^[4] This environment fostered his initial interest in the performing arts, leading him to pursue formal training later in life.

Education

Davis graduated from the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts, where he was awarded the Eaton Prize for Excellence in Performing Arts in recognition of his contributions to the school's dramatic program.^[4]^[5] Following high school, Davis attended the University of Chicago, where he served on the board of the University Theatre, gaining early leadership experience in theatrical productions.^[1] He later pursued formal training in acting at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree with honors, including the Achievement in Acting award from the Playwrights Horizons Theatre School (1996). The program provided rigorous instruction in performance techniques, script analysis, and collaborative theater practices essential for professional stage and screen work.^[1]

Professional career

Acting

Benjamin Byron Davis began his acting career in the late 1990s, initially focusing on theater productions in New York and Los Angeles. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, he performed in stage works such as "Bloody Poetry" at the Classic Stage Company in 1998, where he portrayed Lord Byron, marking his early commitment to classical and contemporary roles. His transition to on-screen work came with a supporting role as Bart in the short-lived Fox sitcom "Getting Personal" that same year, providing his first television exposure and highlighting his ability to adapt from stage to camera.^[1]^[4] A major breakthrough arrived in 2018 with his portrayal of Dutch van der Linde in the video game Red Dead Redemption 2, developed by Rockstar Games. Davis provided both the voice and full performance capture for the charismatic yet tragic outlaw leader, involving years of motion capture sessions from 2014 to 2017, where he delivered monologues and interacted with other actors on detailed sets mimicking the game's Wild West environments. The role demanded nuanced emotional depth, capturing Dutch's evolution from inspirational figure to unraveling antagonist, and contributed to the game's critical acclaim, including sales exceeding 50 million units by 2022.^[6]^[7] This performance elevated Davis's profile in the gaming industry, earning him recognition for blending theatrical intensity with digital innovation. Following this success, Davis expanded into live-action film and television, showcasing his versatility across genres. In 2018, he appeared as FBI Agent Burleigh in Marvel's Ant-Man and the Wasp, a role that integrated him into the superhero blockbuster landscape, and guest-starred in episodes of Criminal Minds as the intense Burt Lang, drawing on his theater-honed dramatic skills for crime procedural narratives. His work spans action, drama, and voice acting, with notable appearances in films like The Belko Experiment (2016) and TV series such as Bones and Gilmore Girls. By the early 2020s, Davis had embraced more voice roles, including Malcolm Thibodeaux in the animated Fright Krewe (2023) and Marcus Kincaid in the live-action adaptation of Borderlands (2024).^[1]^[4] Up to 2025, Davis continued to evolve toward complex character portrayals, voicing the corrupt Gotham mobster Rupert Thorne in the DC animated series Creature Commandos, which premiered in late 2024 and extended into 2025 episodes, further solidifying his presence in superhero animation. His career trajectory reflects a deliberate shift from foundational theater and episodic TV to high-profile video game and franchise roles, emphasizing genre diversity from Western epics to sci-fi action and psychological thrillers. This versatility has allowed him to portray multifaceted antiheroes and authority figures, often infusing performances with psychological depth derived from his stage roots.^[8]^[9]

Directing, writing, and coaching

Davis began directing in theater in 2001 with the one-act play Godfather Death at Sacred Fools Theater Company, which received nominations from the LA Weekly Theater Awards. He directed and developed the solo theater production Awake, written and performed by Joe Hernandez-Kolski, which premiered on July 29 at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles and ran through August 20, drawing on Davis's background in theater to shape a narrative centered on personal awakening and identity exploration.^[10] The production highlighted themes of character depth through Hernandez-Kolski's autobiographical storytelling, blending humor and introspection to delve into cultural and emotional layers.^[11] In addition to directing, Davis has contributed to writing through his early solo theater pieces, which he wrote and performed, including In Absentia (HERE Theater, New York City, 1995; revived at The Evidence Room, Los Angeles, 2001) and Big Shot (Lillian Theater, Los Angeles, 2002). He also provided collaborative input on script development in theater projects like Awake, where his efforts emphasized nuanced character arcs and authentic emotional progression. These efforts reflect his focus on crafting stories that prioritize psychological complexity over surface-level plot, informed by his years of performing multifaceted roles. As an acting coach in Hollywood, Davis offers private lessons tailored to audition preparation and role analysis, alongside ongoing scene study classes for professional actors. His teaching philosophy centers on eliminating ego from the creative process, encouraging students to view rejections not as personal failures but as mismatches in project fit, thereby fostering resilience and focus on craft.^[4] He advocates observing seasoned performers on set to absorb practical skills in collaboration and adaptability, while warning against bitterness, which he sees as a barrier to producing meaningful art. This approach integrates his acting versatility, allowing Davis to refine his own techniques through instruction and mentor others in portraying layered characters.^[12]

Filmography

Films

Davis began his on-screen film career with smaller roles in independent comedies before transitioning to supporting parts in major studio releases, often portraying authoritative or enigmatic figures in high-stakes scenarios.^[1] His early film appearance was as Zeius, a drag queen, in the 1997 independent comedy Flushed, directed by Carrie Ansell, marking his debut in a vignette-style nightclub satire that highlighted his versatility in character-driven ensemble work. In 2006, Davis appeared uncredited as a bartender in the crime comedy Lies & Alibis, a lesser-known release from Revolution Studios that explored themes of deception and infidelity, showcasing his ability to add depth to background characters in narrative-driven films.^[13] Davis portrayed Antonio Fowler, a corporate employee thrust into a deadly office survival game, in the 2016 horror-thriller The Belko Experiment, directed by Greg McLean and produced by James Gunn, where his role contributed to the film's tense exploration of human nature under duress. A notable breakthrough in mainstream cinema came with his role as Agent Burleigh, a stern FBI agent pursuing the protagonists, in the 2018 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Ant-Man and the Wasp, directed by Peyton Reed, emphasizing his commanding presence in action-comedy sequences within a blockbuster franchise.^[14] In 2023, he played Bletelsnort, an OrgoCorp security guard embodying corporate authoritarianism, in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the Marvel Studios conclusion to the trilogy directed by James Gunn, where his brief but memorable appearance underscored the film's blend of humor and high-concept sci-fi adventure.^[15] Most recently, Davis took on the role of Marcus Kincaid, a shrewd arms dealer and ally to the Vault Hunters, in the 2024 action-adventure Borderlands, Lionsgate's adaptation of the popular video game series directed by Eli Roth, highlighting his affinity for rugged, authoritative characters in ensemble-driven fantasy worlds.

Television

Benjamin Byron Davis began his television career with voice work in the animated series Chowdaheads, where he provided the voice for [Buff Bagwell](/page/Buff Bagwell) across multiple episodes in 1999.^[16] In 2002, he made his live-action debut as a doctor in the episode "Back to the Garden" of HBO's Six Feet Under, marking an early dramatic role in a critically acclaimed series that explored themes of death and family dynamics.^[17] Throughout the 2000s, Davis appeared in guest spots on various network television shows, often portraying supporting characters in procedural dramas and comedies. Notable among these is his role as Burt Lang, a truck driver involved in a kidnapping case, in the 2009 episode "To Hell... and Back, Part 1" of Criminal Minds, a single-episode appearance that highlighted his ability to convey intensity in high-stakes scenarios. Other credits from this period include Agent #1 in Without a Trace (2003), Don in the short-lived drama Windfall (2006, 3 episodes), and Tow Truck Driver in Gilmore Girls season 7 premiere "The Long Morrow" (2006). In the 2010s, Davis continued with episodic roles in popular series, demonstrating range across genres. He played a waiter in NCIS: Los Angeles (2010), Burly Guy in How I Met Your Mother (2014), Foreman George in Parks and Recreation (2014), and Hank Mills in Rizzoli & Isles (2016). These appearances, typically one episode each, underscored his supporting presence in ensemble casts. More recently, Davis has leaned into voice acting for animated projects. In 2023, he voiced Malcolm Thibodeaux, a recurring character in the first season of Hulu and Peacock's Fright Krewe (appearing in at least 3 episodes), a supernatural adventure series aimed at young audiences.^[18] His most prominent recent television role is as the villainous Rupert Thorne in the DC Universe animated series Creature Commandos (2024–2025), an adult-oriented show that premiered on Max with 7 episodes; Davis voices the character in multiple installments, including "Priyatel Skelet," bringing a gravelly authority to the corrupt Gotham figure.^[8] This marks a shift toward high-profile animated work while distinguishing it from his earlier live-action guest roles.

Video games

Benjamin Byron Davis is renowned for his portrayal of Dutch van der Linde, the charismatic yet tragic outlaw leader in Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption (2010) and its prequel Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018). In both titles, Davis provided both the voice acting and full performance capture for the character, capturing Dutch's complex evolution from visionary idealist to unraveling antagonist in these narrative-driven Western epics. His performance in Red Dead Redemption 2, which involved five years of motion capture work, has been highlighted for bringing emotional depth to one of the game's central figures, contributing to the title's critical acclaim for storytelling.^[19]^[20] Beyond the Red Dead Redemption series, Davis lent his voice to supporting roles in other Rockstar titles. In L.A. Noire (2011), he voiced Paul Kadarowski, a detective entangled in the game's noir-inspired investigative narrative set in 1940s Los Angeles. Earlier, in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004), Davis contributed additional voices, including pedestrians and radio commercials, adding to the immersive open-world environment of the crime saga.^[21]^[22] These roles underscore Davis's versatility in interactive media, where his performances enhance player immersion in story-rich games that blend action, dialogue, and moral choices. His work in the Red Dead series, in particular, exemplifies how voice and motion capture can elevate video game characters to iconic status within the industry.^[23]

Music videos

Benjamin Byron Davis has made appearances in music videos, contributing to promotional visual media that allowed him to explore brief, atmospheric roles outside of narrative-driven projects. These shorter-form works highlight his versatility in ensemble settings, often emphasizing physical presence and subtle character work to enhance the video's mood. In 2016, Davis appeared as a bar patron in the music video for "Low Life" by X Ambassadors featuring Jamie N Commons and A$AP Ferg, directed by Ian Pons Jewell. This role involved portraying a gritty, background figure in a high-energy, urban bar scene, showcasing his ability to convey tension and immersion through minimal dialogue and expressive body language in a fast-paced musical format. The video, known for its intense choreography and thematic exploration of street life, provided Davis an opportunity to blend into a dynamic ensemble, demonstrating his range in non-traditional acting contexts early in his career.