Acting · San Francisco, California, USA · Born January 26, 1949
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).
MovieBy Any Means
2026
MovieO Horizon
2026
as Warren
MovieStages
2026
as Porter Gates
TVCIA
2026
as Sanford 'Sandy' Harrison
MovieThis Ordinary Thing
2025
as Self (voice)
MovieZootopia 2
2025
as Milton Lynxley (voice)
MovieThe Gettysburg Address
2025
as Ralph Waldo Emerson (voice)
MovieA Little Prayer
2025
as Bill
MovieThe Luckiest Man in America
2025
as Bill
TVA Man on the Inside
2024
as Dr. Benjamin Cole
MovieRemember This
2023
as Jan Karski
MovieWhere the Crawdads Sing
2022
as Tom Milton
MovieNightmare Alley
2021
as Pete
MovieNomadland
2021
as Dave
MovieThe Oedipus Project
2020
as Messenger 1
MovieWalkaway Joe
2020
as Joe Haley
TVInterrogation
2020
as Henry Fisher
MovieThem That Work
2019
as Self
MovieThe Devil Has a Name
2019
as Fred Stern
MovieGodzilla: King of the Monsters
2019
as Admiral William Stenz
MovieFast Color
2019
as Ellis
MovieMy Dinner with Hervé
2018
as Marty Rothstein
MovieUFO
2018
as Franklin Ahls
MovieAn Interview with God
2018
as God
TVMcMafia
2018
as Semiyon Kleiman
MovieDarkest Hour
2017
as President Roosevelt (voice)
MovieNovember Criminals
2017
as Theo
MovieAmerican Pastoral
2016
as Nathan Zuckerman
MovieHe Does Not Want Peace
2016
as Richard Englebright
TVBillions
2016
as Black Jack Foley
TVThe Expanse
2015
as Commander Klaes Ashford
TVZ: The Beginning of Everything
2015
as Anthony Sayre
MovieLouder Than Bombs
2015
as Richard Weissman
MovieThe Debt
2015
as Nathan
MovieThe Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
2015
as Ty Burley
MovieGodzilla
2014
as Admiral William Stenz
MovieNo God, No Master
2014
as William Flynn
MovieLincoln@Gettysburg
2013
as Self - Narrator (voice)
TVThe Blacklist
2013
as Peter Kotsiopulos
MovieLove, Marilyn
2013
as Self
MovieLincoln
2012
as William Seward
MovieHemingway & Gellhorn
2012
as John Dos Passos
MovieThe Bourne Legacy
2012
as Noah Vosen
MovieMaladies
2012
as Delmar
TVAlphas
2011
as Lee Rosen
MovieThe Whistleblower
2010
as Peter Ward
MovieThe Tempest
2010
as King Alonso
MovieHowl
2010
as Ralph McIntosh
MovieInside Area 51's Secrets
2010
as Narrator
MovieArea 51 Declassified
2010
as Himself - Narrator
MovieTemple Grandin
2010
as Professor Carlock
Matadors
2010
as Roman Lodari
MovieThe People Speak
2009
as Self
MovieCold Souls
2009
as Dr. Flintstein
MovieThe Uninvited
2009
as Steven
MovieWhatever You Desire: Making 'L.A. Confidential'
2008
as Self
Sunlight and Shadow: The Visual Style of 'L.A. Confidential'
2008
as Self
MovieThe Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer
2008
as J. Robert Oppenheimer
MovieThe Spiderwick Chronicles
2008
as Arthur Spiderwick
MovieMy Blueberry Nights
2007
as Arnie
MovieTrumbo
2007
as Self
MovieMatters of Life and Death
2007
as Mr. Jennings
MovieThe Bourne Ultimatum
2007
as Noah Vosen
MovieRacing Daylight
2007
as Henry / Harry
MovieSteel Toes
2007
as Danny Dunkelman
MovieFracture
2007
as Joe Lobruto
MovieThe Supreme Court
2007
as Narrator
MovieWe Are Marshall
2006
as President Dedmon
MovieThe Sensation of Sight
2006
as Finn
MovieHeavens Fall
2006
as Judge James Horton
MovieThe Human Behavior Experiments
2006
as Narrator
The Shovel
2006
as Paul Mullin
MovieThe Notorious Bettie Page
2006
as Estes Kefauver
MovieGood Night, and Good Luck.
2005
as Edward R. Murrow
MovieWilla Cather: The Road Is All
2005
as Narrator
MovieMissing in America
2005
as Henry R. Hocknell Jr.
TVHouse
2004
as Nash
MovieTwisted
2004
as Dr. Melvin Frank
MovieParadise
2004
as Reverend Bobby Paradise
MovieThe Making of ‘Sneakers’
2003
as Self
MovieBlue Car
2003
as Auster
MovieMaster Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story
2002
as Jack Hoschouer
TVMaster Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story
2002
as Jack Hoschouer
MovieLathe of Heaven
2002
as Mannie
TVMonk
2002
as Patrick Kloster
MovieSpeakeasy
2002
as Bruce Hickman
MovieRelative Evil
2001
as Dr. Charlie
TVBig Apple
2001
as Will Preecher
MovieThe Victim
2001
as Mark Zingerline
MovieA Good Baby
2000
as Truman Lester
MovieThe Miracle Worker
2000
as Captain Keller
MovieHarrison's Flowers
2000
as Harrison Lloyd
MovieFreedom Song
2000
as Peter Crowley
MovieA Map of the World
1999
as Howard Goodwin
MovieLimbo
1999
as Joe Gastineau
MovieA Midsummer Night's Dream
1999
as Theseus
MovieThe Giraffe
1999
as Charles Kaminski
TVThe Sopranos
1999
as Robert Wegler
MovieBad Manners
1998
as Wes Westlund
MovieSimon Birch
1998
as Reverend Russell
MovieWith Friends Like These
1998
as Armand Minetti
MovieEvidence of Blood
1998
as Jackson Kinley
MovieThe Climb
1998
as Earl Himes
MovieL.A. Confidential
1997
as Pierce Patchett
MovieSong of Hiawatha
1997
as Marcel
MovieIn the Gloaming
1997
as Martin
MovieMother Night
1996
as Bernard B. O'Hare
MovieBeyond the Call
1996
as Russel Gates
MovieHome for the Holidays
1995
as Russell Terziak
MovieDolores Claiborne
1995
as Joe St. George
MovieLosing Isaiah
1995
as Charles Lewin
MovieThe River Wild
1994
as Tom Hartman
MovieApril One
1994
as John McCowan
MovieA Dangerous Woman
1993
as Getso
MovieThe Firm
1993
as Ray McDeere
MovieLost in Yonkers
1993
as Johnny
MovieThe American Clock
1993
as Young Arthur Huntington
MoviePassion Fish
1992
as Rennie
MovieSneakers
1992
as Whistler
MovieBob Roberts
1992
as Mack Laflin
MovieA League of Their Own
1992
as Ira Lowenstein
MovieBig Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even
1992
as Keith
MovieO Pioneers!
1992
as Carl Linstrum
MovieCity of Hope
1991
as Asteroid
MovieWithout Warning: The James Brady Story
1991
as Dr. Arthur Kobrine
MovieJudgment
1990
as Father Frank Aubert
MovieMemphis Belle
1990
as Craig Harriman
MovieHeat Wave
1990
as Bill Thomas
MovieThe Feud
1989
as The Stranger
MovieDay One
1989
as J. Robert Oppenheimer
MovieEight Men Out
1988
as Eddie Cicotte
MovieCall Me
1988
as Sam
MovieStars & Bars
1988
as Charlie
MovieDominick and Eugene
1988
as Martin Chernak
TVWiseguy
1987
MovieMatewan
1987
as Police Chief Sid Hatfield
TVThe Days and Nights of Molly Dodd
1987
as Moss Goodman
MovieBroken Vows
1987
as Stuart Chase
MovieAt Close Range
1986
as Tony Pine
TVSpenser: For Hire
1985
TVThe Equalizer
1985
as Phillip Borchek
MovieWhen Nature Calls
1985
as Weejun
TVMiami Vice
1984
as Marty Lang
MovieThe Brother from Another Planet
1984
as Man In Black
MovieIceman
1984
as Dr. Singe
MovieSilkwood
1983
as Wesley
MovieLovesick
1983
as Marvin Zuckerman
MovieEnormous Changes at the Last Minute
1983
as Jerry
TVAmerican Playhouse
1982
as Carl Linstrum
MovieReturn of the Secaucus Seven
1980
as Ron
TVThe Oscars
1953
as Self
TVHallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Carl Linstrum
TVThe Emmy Awards
1949
as Self
The Bard
Babies
