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