As both the Internet and "The X-Files" grows in popularity, so does the
number of people interested in the show's stars. Here I have compiled a
list of Frequently Asked questions in an effort to cut down mail load,
and increase David Duchovny fan awareness. :)
The following information is based on published interviews (references available on request), personal communications, and library research. Don't correct my information, I haven't updated this page in four years, and I don't plan to do it any time soon.
1. Who is David Duchovny?
David Duchovny is the uncommonly gifted actor who plays Agent Fox Mulder on Fox Network's "The X- Files" on Sunday nights.
2. How does he pronounce his name?
DAY-vid. Oh, you mean his *last* name? Most interviewers and announcers on TV have pronounced it "doo-KUV-nee". It is a Slavic word meaning "spiritual". He says he doesn't care how his name is pronounced so long as people get the meaning right.
3. Where does he come from?
David was born in New York City on August 7, 1960. His father is Amram "Ron" Ducovny (yes, they spell their last names differently), a former publicist for the American Jewish Committee. Ron Ducovny has written an Off-Broadway play, "The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald", which ran in 1967 in New York. He is also the author of several books: "The Wisdom of Spiro T. Agnew" and "David Ben-Gurion In His Own Words". His Scottish-born mother Margaret, a homemaker for many years, taught third grade in Manhattan. His sister Laurie lives in New York and his brother Daniel lives in Los Angeles.
4. What is his educational background?
He was educated at a prestigious private school in Manhattan, and then went to Princeton University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He holds a Master of Arts in English Literature degree from Yale University, and was working on his Ph.D. when he left Yale to pursue acting. He has been a teaching assistant, and his Ph.D. dissertation (never finished) was entitled "Magic and Technology in Contemporary Poetry and Prose". (He still thinks it is a good subject for research.)
5. Vital statistics?
6' 1" tall, brown hair, hazel eyes. Mole on right cheek. The rest is sheer poetry.
6. Is he married?
Yes, David married Tea Leone, star of "The Naked Truth" in April of 1997.
7. What are his hobbies/interests?
David went to Princeton on a basketball scholarship and later switched to baseball, where he played on the college team. He has appeared in MTV's "Rock n' Jock" charity baseball game (he singled to right field and was batted in by David Justice). He played basketball for the camera in "Red Shoe Diaries". He keeps in shape with jogging and power yoga workouts.
David appears to enjoy acting for the legitimate theatre as well as film and TV. He has described stage acting as "an hour and forty five minutes of pure bliss". He enjoys writing and has expressed regret for leaving LA, as he misses the live poetry readings he used to participate in. He says he still writes poetry, he just doesn't read it in public any more. He admires the playwright/actor Sam Shepard.
8. Pets?
A dog, Blue, the daughter of the dog featured in last season's episode, "Ice". She's a foot- licker.
9. Does David believe in UFOs?
He has publicly stated several times that he does not believe in UFOs or beastwomen from New Jersey. He does not dismiss the possibility of extraterrestrial life, but would like more proof...
He claims (perhaps facetiously?) that he may once have seen a UFO while jogging on the beach.
10. How did he get into acting?
He was studying to be a film and theater critic in New York, and commuting from Yale. He began taking acting lessons from The Actor's Studio and was cast in a few roles. He wound up in a Lowenbrau commercial, was tapped for Henry Jaglom's "New Year's Day", and never looked back. He moved to Hollywood in 1987, and apparently had a dry spell for about a year and a half. During that time, he jokes, his girlfriend paid the rent and he "leeched" off his friends while writing for magazines and working for a caterer. (No true actor gets through life without being a waiter at least once...) His work in movies drew him to the attention of highly placed executives at Twentieth Century Fox, who recommended him to Chris Carter.
11. What's David *really* like?
From all accounts, he is charming, funny, and very smart. Although he grants few interviews and is rather cagey when he does, his associates describe him as "hilarious", "smart", and "a regular guy". One fellow actor described him as "humourous, witty, friendly, supportive, generous and very, very normal". David seems to be very surprised, not only by the success of "The X-Files" but by his own personal popularity (does the man not own a mirror?). Chris Carter, executive producer and creator of "The X-Files", has called him "frighteningly smart". Gillian Anderson has described him as "hysterically funny" and says he consults often with the show's writers, going over the scripts with the minute care of a former English teacher. One of the show's top writers, Glen Morgan, also describes him as very intelligent and notes that much of Fox Mulder's humor is either ad-libbed by David or part of an in-joke between him and the writers. Other actors who have worked with him describe him as humble, professional, and hard-working. He also has a good memory and remembers names and faces well. In person he is soft-spoken and polite, if reserved.
By his own account David grew up as a "tight-assed", repressed student in a family struggling with divorce. He says he is grateful that acting freed him from a rather strait-laced emotional life. He appears to be something of a homebody: in almost every extended interview, he has complained about missing his home, his friends, and Perrey while he is in Vancouver. (And for a boy from New York City, he really gripes about the Canadian climate a lot!)
12. What is David's address/phone number/e-mail address?
If you know, let *us* know!
Write him care of:
David Duchovny c/o The X-Files Production Office Building 10 110-555 Brooks Bank Avenue North Vancouver, BC V7J 3S5 Canada
e-mail can go to him care of Fox Broadcasting at [email protected]. Put "The X-Files" in the subject line to route it correctly.
13. What other work besides "X-Files" has he done?
Working Girl (1988) [Tess's Birthday Party Friend]
New Year's Day (1989)
"Twin Peaks" (1990) [DEA Agent Dennis/Denise Bryson]
Bad Influence (1990)
Julia Has Two Lovers (1991) [Daniel]
Denial (1991) [John]
(aka Loon)
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) [Bruce]
Rapture, The (1991) [Randy]
Beethoven (1992) [Brad]
Baby Snatcher (1992) (TV) [David]
Ruby (1992) [Officer Tippit]
Chaplin (1992) [Rollie Totheroh]
Red Shoe Diaries (1992 - ) (TV) [Jake]
Venice/Venice (1992) [Dylan]
Kalifornia (1993) [Brian Kessler]
"X-Files, The" (1993 - ) (TV) [Fox Mulder]
14. Where can I read more about David Duchovny?
In his new unofficial biography:
Mitchell, Paul. "The Duchovny Files: The Truth is in Here." ECW Press, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.