---
name: "Thayer David"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/thayer-david"
fi1m_id: "thayer-david"
imdb_id: "nm0203076"
tmdb_id: 16524
wikidata_id: "Q738838"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "4 March 1927"
died: "17 July 1978"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 4
average_fi1m_score: 81
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 4
updated: "2026-09-26T17:08:29.431213+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Thayer David

## Identity

Thayer David

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/thayer-david
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** thayer-david
- **IMDb ID:** nm0203076
- **TMDB ID:** 16524
- **Wikidata ID:** Q738838
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thayer_David, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q738838, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0203076/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/16524

Actor. Born 4 March 1927 in Medford, Massachusetts, USA. Died 17 July 1978.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 4 March 1927, Medford, Massachusetts, USA
- **Died:** 17 July 1978
- **Active:** 1970–1977
- **Also known as:** David Thayer Hersey
- **Average Fi1m score:** 81, as actor, over 4 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 1 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 4, Adventure 1, Comedy 1, Crime 1, Mystery 1, Sport 1
- **Screen time:** 4 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $149m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thayer_David, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q738838, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0203076/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/16524

## Streaming the US now

- **AMC+:** [*Rocky*](https://film.one/film/rocky.md) (85)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Thayer David (born David Thayer Hersey) was an American actor. He was born on 4 March 1927 in Medford, Massachusetts, and died on 17 July 1978 in New York City.

He attended Harvard University but left to pursue theatre, co-founding the Brattle Theater Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He appeared in numerous Broadway productions and stage roles, including the Inquisitor in a 1956 Phoenix Theater production of Shaw's Saint Joan.

David was known for film roles including Count Saknussemm in *Journey to the Center of the Earth* (1959), the Reverend Silas Pendrake in *Little Big Man* (1970), Dragon in *The Eiger Sanction* (1975) and George 'Miles' Jergens in *Rocky* (1976). He also appeared in television series such as *Dark Shadows* (1966–1971), *Columbo*, *Roots* (1977) and the television film *Nero Wolfe* (1979). His distinctive voice was used in commercials and voice-over work. He was married to actress Valerie French from 1970 to 1975.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, nytimes.com, rottentomatoes.com.*

## On Fi1m (4)

- *Roots* (1977), Fi1m 83, as Harlan — [page](https://film.one/tv/roots.md)
- *Rocky* (1976), Fi1m 85, as George 'Miles' Jergens — [page](https://film.one/film/rocky.md)
- *The Rockford Files* (1974), Fi1m 83, as Carl Birrell — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md)
- *Little Big Man* (1970), Fi1m 72, as Rev. Silas Pendrake — [page](https://film.one/film/little-big-man.md)

## Complete filmography (53)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse* (2009), as Ben Stokes (archive footage)
- *Dark Shadows: The Haunting of Collinwood* (2009), as Professor Stokes (archive footage)
- *Nero Wolfe* (1979), as Nero Wolfe
- *Spider-Man* (1977), as Edward Byron
- *Sudden Death* (1977), as Hauser
- *The Amazing Howard Hughes* (1977), as Floyd Odlum
- *The Amazing Howard Hughes* (1977), series, as Floyd Odlum
- *Fun with Dick and Jane* (1977), as Deacon
- *The Rhinemann Exchange* (1977), series, as Industrialist
- *The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries* (1977), series, Actor
- *Roots* (1977), series, as Harlan — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/roots.md)
- *Rocky* (1976), as George 'Miles' Jergens — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/rocky.md)
- *Francis Gary Powers: The True Story of the U-2 Spy Incident* (1976), as Nikita Khrushchev
- *Charlie's Angels* (1976), series, as Meeker
- *The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox* (1976), as Josiah Widdicombe (Mormon patriarch)
- *Peeper* (1975), as Frank Prendergast
- *Hearts of the West* (1975), as Bank Manager
- *Ellery Queen* (1975), series, as Marcus Halliday (uncredited)
- *Starsky & Hutch* (1975), series, as George Felton
- *Switch* (1975), series, as Paul Berryman
- *The Eiger Sanction* (1975), as Dragon
- *The Invisible Man* (1975), series, as Jack Pierson
- *Fore Play* (1975), as General
- *The Secret Night Caller* (1975), as Mr. Henry
- *The Rockford Files* (1974), series, as Carl Birrell — Fi1m 83, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-rockford-files.md)
- *Harry O* (1974), series, as Peter MacNamara
- *Petrocelli* (1974), series, as Arnold MacIver
- *Kojak* (1973), series, as Tyrone, Mr. B — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/kojak.md)
- *The Werewolf of Washington* (1973), as Inspector
- *Happy Mother's Day, Love George* (1973), as Minister Pollard
- *Save the Tiger* (1973), as Charlie Robbins
- *The Reformation: Age of Revolt* (1973), as Johann Tetzel
- *The Stoolie* (1972), as Lattimore
- *Savages* (1972), as Otto Nurder, a Capitalist
- *Columbo* (1971), series, as Clerk — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/columbo.md)
- *Night of Dark Shadows* (1971), as Rev. Strack
- *Little Big Man* (1970), as Rev. Silas Pendrake — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/little-big-man.md)
- *House of Dark Shadows* (1970), as Professor T. Eliot Stokes
- *Dead of Night: A Darkness at Blaisedon* (1969), as Seth Blakely
- *Hawaii Five-O* (1969), series, as Doyle Weston
- *The Crucible* (1967), as Thomas Putnam
- *Dark Shadows* (1966), series, as Matthew Morgan/Ben Stokes/Dr. Timothy Stokes
- *The Wild Wild West* (1965), series, as Hannibal Egloff, Cortez
- *The Story of Ruth* (1960), as Hedak
- *Journey to the Center of the Earth* (1959), as Count Saknussem
- *Wolf Larsen* (1958), as Mugridge
- *A Time to Love and a Time to Die* (1958), as Oscar Binding
- *Baby Face Nelson* (1957), as Connelly
- *Suspicion* (1957), series, as Turko
- *Matinee Theater* (1955), series, Actor
- *General Electric Theater* (1953), series, Actor
- *Hallmark Hall of Fame* (1951), series, as Magini
- *Schlitz Playhouse of Stars* (1951), series, as Prosser

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/thayer-david