Robert Davi

Early life

Robert Davi was born on June 26, 1951, in Astoria, Queens, New York, the son of Maria (née Rulli) and Sal Davi. His mother was an Italian American whose family came from Nusco, Avellino, Campania, and his grandfather and father were from Torretta, Palermo, Sicily. His grandfather, Franco, enlisted in the US Army after emigrating and served in World War I. He received an Oak Leaf Cluster for his services.

Davi spoke Italian during his childhood. He attended Seton Hall, a Roman Catholic high school in Patchogue, New York. There he studied opera vocals, and became the winner of the New York State School Music Association Solo Competition at the age of fifteen. He has two sisters, Yvonne Davi (deceased), and Michelle Queal. He graduated from Hofstra University, which he attended because of that university's strong drama department as well as its reproduction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater. Davi studied with acting coach Stella Adler when he moved to Manhattan. During this time he was also a member of the Actor’s Studio, where he studied with Lee Strasburg.

Career

Acting

Davi made his television film debut in Contract on Cherry Street, in which he shared the screen with Frank Sinatra. Davi later mentioned Sinatra as an early supporter. He was also the lead in "Terrorist on Trial: The United States vs. Salim Ajami", a performance that received critical praise. In 1989, he had a recurring role on the television series Wiseguy.

As for major motion pictures, he has appeared in films including The Goonies, where his role of Jake Fratelli was based upon Davi’s own artistic ideas differing from the original script. He also starred in Predator 2, Illicit Behavior, Night Trap, The Iceman, Mob Town, Buckle Up, Inside Man, Die Hard, Showgirls, Son of the Pink Panther, and in the Bond film Licence to Kill (1989) as the villain Franz Sanchez, a South American drug lord and murderer. During the 1990s, he played the role of FBI detective Bailey Malone on the television series Profiler. He also starred in comedic films, including the 2002 movies The 4th Tenor and The Hot Chick. The year he also produced and was lead actor in the independent film The Hitters. In 2004, Davi was cast as the antagonist Acastus Kolya in the television series Stargate: Atlantis, a military leader for the enemy group the Genii.

In 2014, Davi appeared as Goran Vata in The Expendables 3. In 2015, Davi appeared in a music video for Bob Dylan's recording of "The Night They Called It a Day", from Dylan's album Shadows in the Night, a selection of songs which had been recorded by Frank Sinatra. Rolling Stone suggested that Davi's role in the video may be a nod towards Davi's having made his acting debut alongside Sinatra in the crime film Contract on Cherry Street, and Davi's release of his own album of Sinatra covers. In 2014 he was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Long Island Film and TV Foundation.

In 2015, he interpreted Gabriele Tinti's poetry giving voice to the Boxer at Rest at the Getty Museum. As of 2021, he had acted in more than 160 films and television shows.

Directing

Davi is the owner and founder of Sun Lion Films.In 2007, Davi made his directorial debut with The Dukes, a parable regarding the mid-2000 economic crisis and its impact. The film starred Davi himself, Chazz Palminteri, and Peter Bogdanovich. The Dukes was selected for the premiere section at the Rome Film Festival, along with films by Francis Ford Coppola, Sean Penn, Robert Redford, and Sidney Lumet. Davi was the only first-time director in the premiere section. The film was screened internationally and won awards at Queens International Film Festival, WorldFest Houston, Monte-Carlo Comedy Film Festiva and the Festival international du film de comédie de l'Alpe d'Huez.

In 2011, David sold an original screenplay entitled The Voice

to Atmosphere Entertainment MM. The production company said of Davi’s anticipated role in the film that “The character that he will portray is so impassioned and obsessed with finding the secret to Sinatra’s voice that it brings him to the brink of insanity.”

In 2017, a documentary entitled Davi’s Way, about Davi’s real life performance of Sinatra’s work, was premiered at the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival.

Davi directed his third film, My Son Hunter, it was released on September 7, 2022. He was approached in 2021 to direct the film by documentary filmmakers Phelim McAleer and Ann McElhinney, which focuses on the relationship between Hunter Biden and his father.

Recording

In high school, Davi was praised for his singing, and auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera after being awarded first place at the New York State School Music Association's Solo Competition, where he sang Vincent Youman's "Without A Song". He subsequently received classical training with vocal teachers Samuel Margolis and Danial Ferro of Juilliard and Tito Gobbi. Davi damaged his voice and later explained that he was a baritone with the "heart of a tenor and had pushed too hard, too early".

Davi began to focus again on singing in 2011, and worked with Gary Catona as he prepared to record his first children's album.

With a thirty-piece orchestra, Davi recorded the album at the Capitol Records Building in Hollywood. The album was produced by Phil Ramone, engineered by Dan Wallin, and mixed by Al Schmitt. The album, Davi Sings Sinatra -- On The Road To Romance, was released on October 24, 2011, and garnered positive reviews. Jazztimes called Davi Sings Sinatra "uniformly impressive", and critic Don Heckman wrote in the Orange County Register that "there are, of course, dozens of Sinatra imitators and simulators. But what Davi does is a whole different matter. A tribute? Yes, indeed; all that and more." AllMusic noted that "Davi makes no attempt to copy Sinatra's vocal sound ... Rather, he is his own singer." The album reached the Top 10 on the Billboard jazz charts.

In December 2012, Davi appeared along with Roger Cicero in the French/German Arte TV program Durch die Nacht mit … The episode was shot in the Little Italy area of New York City and featured conversation between Cicero and Davi and solos of Sinatra standards by both performers. In December 2013, Davi released a Christmas single, "Mistletoe and Holly", with all proceeds benefiting The Salvation Army.

That year he performed tribute concert series for Frank Sinatra at the Venetian Showroom in Las Vegas. During his Sinatra performances, which he has toured with, he has a selection of 300 songs to choose from depending on the audience and mood in the room.

He has been called one of the premiere Frank Sinatra cover acts in the United States, with the Huffington Post calling him “A legend in the making” in 2013.

Personal life

Davi was married to Jan Borenstein from 1970 to 1980. His second marriage was to Jeri McBride from 1980 to 1990; they had one son. His next marriage was to Christine Bolster in 1990, which ended in 2019. They have four children together. Davi married Diana Davi in 2019, and they have a daughter. He is a recipient of the George M. Estabrook Distinguished Service Award from the Hofstra University Alumni Association, has served on the Steering Committee for George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute, and is a past recipient of the Man of the Year Award from the Los Angeles FBI.

Political views

Davi is a right wing political conservative, often speaking at Republican Party gatherings and expressing far-right views on immigration. He has been invited to comment on numerous political shows and backed John McCain during his presidential campaign. He narrated several film montages that aired during the 2008 Republican National Convention. Davi has spoken at numerous Conservative Political Action Conferences in Washington, D.C. He was a frequent guest on Fox News's late-night satire program Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld. Davi endorsed Donald Trump in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, again in 2020, and again in 2024.. He has issued statements supporting fellow conservative celebrities, including Jon Voight.

Davi is an outspoken political conservative whose commentary on immigration, integration, and Islam has drawn significant public backlash. In a November 2015 op-ed for far-right Breitbart News, Davi argued that Islam requires a "reformation", expressed support for the condemnation of "all Muslims", and advocated for a total suspension of immigration to the United States until incoming immigrants are fully assimilated.

In July 2026, Davi generated widespread controversy after posting a highly hostile video targeting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The dispute arose after a City Hall map of "immigrant enclaves" mistakenly omitted the historic neighborhood of Little Italy. In the video, Davi repeatedly insulted the mayor as a "jerk", a "garbage man", and a "leftist Marxist Communist" before threatening to spit on Mamdani, and telling Mamdani, who immigrated to the U.S. from Uganda as a child, to "go back to where you belong". Davi further stated, "I hope every New York Italian American and Irish American spits on you when they see you," and proposed a constitutional amendment to prevent first-generation immigrants from holding public office. Critics and political commentators widely condemned Davi's rhetoric as xenophobic, Islamophobic, and an incitement to harassment.

Philanthropy

Davi has been active in various children’s non-profits. He is also a goodwill ambassador for the Saint Pio Foundation.

Awards and honors

For his contributions to the Canadian Italian community, Davi was added to Toronto's Italian Walk of Fame in 2013.

He was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Al Torres in Showgirls (1995).

Filmography