Robert John Davi was born on the 26th June 1953, in Astoria, Queens, New York City USA, of Italian heritage, and he is an actor, director, writer and singer, best known to the world for portraying villain Franz Sanchez in the Bond film “License To Kill” (1989), and also as Agent Bailey Malone in the TV series “Profiler” (1996-2000), among other roles. Davi`s career began in the late 1970s, and since then he has made more than 100 film and TV appearances.
Have you ever wondered how rich Robert Davi is, as of late 2016? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Davi`s net worth is as high as $2 million, an amount earned through his successful career in the entertainment industry. Apart from being a successful actor, Robert has tried himself as a singer, and has released one full length studio album, entitled “Davi Sings Sinatra — On The Road To Romance” in 2011, which also improved his net worth.
Robert Davi Net Worth $2 Million
Both of his parents were born in Italy; his mother Maria from Nusco, and his father Sal, grew up in Torretta, Palermo Sicily, and in his early days, Robert spoke Italian, but soon learned English as well. He went to Seton Hall high school in Patchogue, New York, later enrolled at Hofstra University, and after graduation launched his acting career.
Robert made his debut with a small role in the film “Contract on Cherry Street” (1977) starring Frank Sinatra, and two years later had a supporting role in Alan J. Levi`s “The Legend of the Golden Gun”. He started the 1980s quite successfully, with roles in Bernard L. Kowalski`s “Nick and the Dobermans” (1980), Russ Mayberry`s “The $5.20 an Hour Dream” (1980), then in the TV Mini-series “The Gangster Chronicles” (1981), which was then made into the film “Gangster Wars” (1981), starring Joe Penny and Michael Nouri, which only increased his net worth by a large margin.
He featured in several small roles in such TV series as “T.J. Hooker” (1982-1984), “The Rousters” (1983), and “The Fall Guy” (1983-1984), before he got his breakthrough role as Jake in the film “The Goonies”, written by Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg and directed by Richard Donner in 1985, alongside Sean Astin, Josh Brolin and Jeff Cohen. The role confirmed him as an actor, and boosted his net worth as well.
Before the 1990s began, Robert had several more notable roles, including as Max Keller in “Raw Deal” (1986) alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami” (1988) as Salim Ajami next to Sam Waterston and Ron Liebman, then in the Oscar-nominated “Die Hard” (1988) with Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman in lead roles, and as Franz Sanchez in “License to Kill” (1989) starring Timothy Dalton. His net worth rose steadily.
He transferred the momentum to the 1990s, and continued in the same successful rhythm, landing lead roles in “Maniac Cop 2” (1990), “Predator 2” (1990) with Danny Glover and Gary Busey, “Under Surveillance” (1991), “Illicit Behavior” (1992), “Night Trap” (1993), “Showgirls” (1995) with Elizabeth Berkley and Gina Gershon, and in 1996 he got the role of Agent Bailey Malone in the TV series “Profiler” (1996-2000). Until the end of the 1990s, he also featured in “My Little Assassin” (1999) with Gabrielle Anwar and Joe Mantegna in lead roles, all of which certainly increased his net worth.
In 2001 he portrayed wizard Merlin in David Lister`s “Sorcerer`s Apprentice”, and appeared in movies such as “Soulkeeper” (2001), “Hitters” (2002), which had no major success, and then in 2007 he directed his first film “The Dukes”, starring Chazz Palminteri and himself, which only increased his net worth.
He continued to appear in films, and since 2010 has featured in such productions as “Game of Death” (2010), with Wesley Snipes, “Kill the Irishman” (2011) with Ray Stevenson and Vincent D’Onofrio, “The Great Chameleon” (2012), “Blood of Redemption” (2013) starring Dolph Lundgren, and “The Expendables” (2014) with Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson among other stars. Furthermore, Robert is working on several films that are yet to be released, including “Reagan”, “Deported” and “Under the Dark”, so his net worth will certainly increase.
Thanks to his skills, Robert has received several prestigious awards, including Queens Spirit Award from the Queens Film Festival in category Best Director and Best Producer for his film “The Dukes” (2007), and a star on Toronto’s Walk of Fame.
Regarding his personal life, Davi has married three times, firstly to Jan Borenstein (1971–1980), then to Jeri McBride (m. 1980–1990), and to Christine Bolster since 1990; he has five children. Robert is quite active in politics, supporting presidential candidates of the Republican Party, including John McCain and Donald Trump
“Profiler” (1996-2000), “My Little Assassin” (1999), “T.J. Hooker” (1982-1984), “The Rousters” (1983), “The Fall Guy” (1983-1984)
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[2008, on The Goonies (1985)] I had a great time. Dick Donner [director Richard Donner], fantastic. Steven Spielberg, absolutely terrific to work with. He did the second-unit shooting for three and a half, five months. And Frank Marshall did the third-unit shooting. So you had three great talents filming it all, and you went from one set to another sometimes, because of all the effects and things we didn't have CGI stuff for. The thing I remember mostly--there were a few things, but again, me wanting to create Jake Fratelli in this. And also Chris Columbus wrote the screenplay. But I remember saying, "All right, we've got eight kids in this," or six kids, or whatever it was, "and this big set and the pirate thing. Now what am I going to bring to this character that's unique and unusual?" And the scene when I feed Sloth his food in the basement gave me the key to my whole character. It was written that I'd just put the food down and when Sloth went to reach for it, I'd move it away sadistically with my foot, and then I would bring it closer and move it away a little more. I felt that it was totally unsympathetic. And I wanted to create a character that you could also laugh [at] and have sympathy for in a certain way. So what I did was, I told Steven Spielberg--not told, I asked--Dick Donner and Steven Spielberg that I had an idea about Jake Fratelli, and that was that he was a frustrated opera singer and no one would listen to him. His brother Francis, his mother would never listen to him. But the only time he had a chance to express himself was when he was feeding Sloth. So, "Sing for your supper?" Listen to me for your supper. So I introduced the opera-singing there, and when Sloth just starts to scream over my singing, it hurts my feelings, because now he's not even listening to me. And then I'm able to say, "Here, you want your food? Here's your food. You don't listen to me! Nobody listens to me." And then having Anne Ramsey, I used to say to her, "I want you to slap me whenever you can."
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[2008, on Die Hard (1988)] Joel Silver called me and said, "Hey, I've got this character. I think you're going to like this character." And it was Big Johnson. That was a lot of fun, and it became a huge hit and kind of in the classic realm. That's a talented up]--McTiernan [director John McTiernan] and Joel Silver. You know, at the time, Bruce Willis wasn't really--if this film didn't work, it wasn't going to be good for him. And it just defied everyone's--McTiernan had done a film, Nomads (1986), so there was a huge buzz on him in the first Predator (1987). And it was a huge, just a huge surprise. Didn't know.
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[2008, on Showgirls (1995)]) I love Paul Verhoeven's work in Soldier of Orange (1977), and his films. The films he's getting back to making now, you know what I'm saying? I saw those films when they first came out, and I just always wanted to work with him. I almost did Total Recall (1990). I didn't, because I didn't want to play the bad guy in that film. But later on with "Showgirls", I hadn't really done anything with a real edge. So wanting to work with Verhoeven was the absolute main reason I did the picture, and also not playing a character that had formalities, and wanting to then bring something different to that character. For instance, I didn't want to be the guy that had the typical three-piece suit, jacket and tie, running a strip joint. So I asked Paul Verhoeven, "Could I be a little more predatory? Could I pick out a leopard-skin pattern for the shirt?" And I did. After that film, even The Rolling Stones, I think Keith Richards--the pattern of that shirt I had in "Showgirls" started to be seen a bit. And the little dance I did there with Nomi [Elizabeth Berkley] when she's gonna be the star, unfortunately it comes back to bite me on the ass a little bit, because people that don't tend to know my whole body of work . . . I can't tell you the community of people that loved the picture. It used to play like The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).
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[2008, on Son of the Pink Panther (1993)] I love Benigni's [Roberto Benigni] work, and to be able to go to the south of France for three months, and then Pinewood Studios and then to Jordan. I just remember having a very good time filming that.
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In the eighth grade I found I had a voice for opera, so I followed that path a little, but my impulse has always been an actor. I have always liked cinema, and let's face it, opera singers are just bad actors! I didn't want to translate myself in that direction. My heroes were people like Spencer Tracy, Bogart [Humphrey Bogart], Mitchum [Robert Mitchum], Marvin [Lee Marvin], Richardson [Ralph Richardson], Caine [Michael Caine], all those sort.
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[on being typecast] If you look at the careers of people like Anthony Quinn, [James Cagney, even Tommy Lee Jones, they all were cast as villains. There comes a certain point in your life, in your late 30s, early 40s, when suddenly that can change. Maybe a director sees a glimpse of something else within you along the way. I played comedy in The Goonies (1985), which showed something else was going on. Even when I played the Bond villain in Licence to Kill (1989), there were some people who were rooting for that character ahead of the traditional hero. Now, in Profiler (1996), I get to play Bailey Malone, and I get to show another essence of myself. Stage performances show off multi-varied aspects of an actor, film has always been something else entirely. You always have a prejudice as to what you can and can't do, but your soul is able to come out more.
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([on his beginning acting training] I was frustrated at Hofstra [University], so I moved to Manhattan, worked as a waiter and at a fruit-and-vegetable stand. I lived in a cheap railroad flat on East 171st Street, took classes at Juilliard and finally worked my way into Stella Adler's Actors Studio. And that made all the difference. This woman was like getting a flame inside you, she was so inspirational.
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I can play the bad guy, the character with the edge, but I would like him to get the girl without having to put a gun to her head, you know? Look at the careers of Robert Mitchum, Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney started out playing the adversary, too. I feel an affinity towards them. Right now, you have a lot of leading boys, but no leading men in the old sense of the word. There's a need for that and I think I can bring that to the screen.
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Great storytellers in the past would go to an unknown land and return to tell the stories they've found. Those were also journeys into their inner psyches and that's still true today. An actor, a writer, does that as if saying, "Here's what I've discovered about myself and about the world I'm in. I would like to share this with you." It's an act of giving.
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The war on terrorism is part of the war with Iraq.
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I know a couple of my friends - quite a few - there is a conservative movement in Hollywood, and we kind of stay amongst ourselves.
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[on George W. Bush and the "war on terrorism"] We have to protect America. And I think that, thank God we have this administration and this president.
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Fact
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Is a close friend of conservative radio host, Michael Savage.
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Between 1977 and 1979, his parents, his sister and two of his grandparents died. Davi says dealing with the family tragedies was profoundly painful.
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Speaks fluent Italian.
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His father, Sal, was born in southern Italy, and though his mother, Mary, was born in America, her family came from southern Italy as well.
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He got into Hofstra University on a drama scholarship and began working with its famous Shakespeare program, which includes a campus replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. After a time, though, he lost interest in school. Instead, he held a larger ambition: to work with the great Stella Adler. He ended up studying with Adler for three years and also studied with Lee Strasberg. During his apprenticeship, he acted in a rich variety of plays, from Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" and "The Seagull" to William Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" and Ken Kesey's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".
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He went to Catholic primary schools on Long Island as a kid and then to Seton Hall, a Catholic high school in Patchogue, New York.
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Loves Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
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Met his wife-to-be Christine Bolster in 1989 when he invited friend Mickey Rourke over to his home for some karaoke fun. Rourke, who was dating the fashion model at the time, introduced her to Davi, and he vowed to Rourke that he would marry her one day. Bolster later received an invitation from Davi to join him on a pictorial spread he was doing for GQ Magazine. He proposed to her during the shoot and they married soon after.
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Made his professional debut with Long Island's Lyric Opera Company.
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Attended Hofstra University on a drama scholarship.
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Attended Seton Hall High School, Patchogue, New York.
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Only actor to star in all three of MGM's biggest franchises - James Bond, Pink Panther and Stargate (he is a recurring character on Stargate: Atlantis (2004)).
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Children: Sean Christian Davi (b.1981) with Jeri McBride, Ariana Marie Davi (b.April 3th 1990), Frances Davi (b.1992), Isabella Davi and Nicholas Edward Davi (twins, born on January 11th 2001) with Christine Bolster.
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Originally trained as an opera-singer, until he damaged his voice. Sometime protégé of famous opera star Tito Gobbi.