Last Updated on February 25, 2024
David William Duchovny is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, novelist, and singer-songwriter. Duchovny is best known for his award-winning role as FBI agent Fox Mudler on the television series The X-Files (1993 – 2002). His other noteworthy television appearance was as writer Hank Moody on the series Californication (2007 – 2014). Both projects earned him a Golden Globe Award.
In addition to his smashing success on television, David Duchovny also has more than 30 film credits to his name. These include Hollywood blockbusters like Kalifornia (1993), The X Files (1998), Evolution (2001), Zoolander (2001), and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008).
Outside the film & television industry, David Duchovny has also enjoyed moderate success as an author and musician. As at the time of writing (November 1, 2022), Duchovny has authored at least five hard-cover novels and released three studio albums.
David Duchovny Quick Facts
Full Name: | David William Duchovny |
Popular Name: | David Duchovny |
Nicknames: | N/A |
Birth Date: | August 7, 1960 |
Age: | 62 years |
Parents: | Amram Ducovny and Margaret Miller |
Siblings: | Daniel Duchovny and Laurie Duchovny |
Birth Place: | New York City, New York, United States |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | Mixed (Jewish and Scottish) |
Religion: | Unknown |
Education: | The Collegiate School For Boys, Princeton University, and Yale University |
Marital Status: | Divorced; was married to actress Téa Leoni (from 1997 until their divorce in 2014) |
Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
Children: | Madelaine West Duchovny (daughter) and Kyd Miller Duchovny (son) |
Net Worth: | USD 80 million |
Source of Wealth: | Acting, Screenwriting, Film & Television Directing, Film & Television Producing, Novel Writing, Singing, Songwriting, and Other Ventures |
Height: | 6′ 0″ (1.84 m) |
Weight: | In kilograms: 86 kg; In pounds: 190 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
David William Duchovny was born on August 7, 1960, in New York City, New York, United States, to Amram “Ami” Ducovny and Margaret “Meg” Miller. His father was a writer and publicist whose career involved a long stint at the American Jewish Committee, whereas his mother was a teacher and school administrator.
David Duchovny attended The Collegiate School For Boys in Manhattan, during which he was classmates with John F. Kennedy Jr. He graduated from the school as head boy in 1978.
Duchovny then pursued a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at Princeton University and graduated from the institution Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude in 1982. He later earned a Master of Arts in English Literature from Yale University.
After earning his master’s degree, David began working on his Ph.D., which remains unfinished.
Career Information
David Duchovny kicked off his television career in 1987 by appearing in a commercial for Löwenbräu beer. The following year, he had a minor non-speaking role in the film ‘Working Girls.’
In 1989, Duchovny appeared as Billy in the film ‘New Year’s Day.’ He was then cast in three 1990 films, namely ‘Denial,’ ‘Bad Influence,’ and ‘Julia Has Two Lovers.’
From 1990 – 1991, David Duchovny had recurring roles portraying a transgender DEA agent named Denise Bryson on the television series ‘Twin Peaks.’ He also appeared in several films around the same period. They include Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead (1991), The Rapture (1991), Ruby (1992), Beethoven (1992), Red Shoe Diaries (1992), Venice/Venice (1992), and Chaplin (1992), as well as the television movie Baby Snatcher (1992).
In 1993, Duchovny portrayed Brian Kessler in the film Kalifornia. He also had recurring roles as Jake Winters in the television series Red Show Diaries (1992 – 1997) and as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder in the series The X-Files (1992 – 2002; 2016 – 2018). He appeared in a total of 191 episodes of the X-Files.
Between 1995 and 1998, Duchovny appeared as himself on three episodes of ‘The Larry Sanders Show.’ He also hosted two episodes of ‘Saturday Night Live’ between 1995 and 1998. David’s other noteworthy projects during the same period include portraying Dr. Eugene Sands in the 1997 film ‘Playing God’ and FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder in the 1998 movie ‘The X-Files: Fight the Future.’ He also lent his voice to various characters, including Fox Mulder on the television series Eek! The Cat (1995), Tom on the TV series Frasier (1996), FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The Simpsons (1997), and Richard on Duckman: Private Dick/Family (1997).
David Duchovny ushered in the new millennium by appearing as Bob Rueland in the movie ‘Return to Me.’ The following year, he starred in the films ‘Evolution’ and ‘Zoolander,’ in addition to a role on an episode of the TV series ‘The Lone Gunmen.’
The following are other noteworthy films and television shows that David Duchovny has graced to date;
Films
• Full Frontal (2002)
• Connie and Carla (2004)
• House of D (2004)
• Trust the Man (2005)
• The TV Set (2006)
• The Secret (2007)
• The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)
• The Joneses (2009)
• Goats (2012)
• Phantom (2013)
• The Bubble (2020)
• The Craft: Legacy (2020)
Television
• Life with Bonnie (2002)
• Sex and the City (2003)
• Californication (2007 – 2014)
• Aquarius (2015 – 2016)
• Twin Peaks (2017)
• The Chair (2021)
• Ten Year Old Tom (2021)
Music Career
David Duchovny launched his music career in 2011. He has since released three studio albums. They include Hell or Highwater (2015), Every Third Thought (2018), and Gestureland (2021).
Duchovny’s musical endeavors include serving as a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter.
Writing Career
David Duchovny published his first novel, titled ‘Holy Cow: A Modern-Day Dairy Tale,’ in 2015. The book reached number 15 on the New York Times Bestseller List. He has since followed up with four more novels, namely;
• Bucky F*cking Dent (2016)
• Miss Subways: A Novel (2018)
• Truly Like Lightning: A Novel (2021)
• The Reservoir: A Novella (2022)
Besides the hard-cover novels, Duchovny also has three audiobooks to his name. They include;
• Audiobook To Legend He Goes: A Tale from The Legend of Drizzt (2015)
• Audiobook X-Files – cold cases – an Audible original (2017)
• Audiobook X files – stolen lives – an Audible original (2017)
David Duchovny’s Net Worth
As at November 1, 2022, David Duchovny had a net worth of 80 million. Expectedly, the vast majority of his fortune comes from his numerous film and television roles.
The X-Files franchise is one of Duchovny’s highest income earners. He earned $150,000 per episode during the first three seasons of The X-Files series. That works out as $3.6 million annually or around $7 million after adjusting for inflation.
From the fourth season, David’s The X-Files per episode salary leaped to $240,000. This equates to $5.76 million annually or roughly $10 million in today’s dollars.
For the X-Files films, Duchovny earned $4 million in base salary from the first movie and $6 million from its second installment.
Note that David Duchovny has also enjoyed moderate success as an author and musician. It’s safe to presume that he also earns considerable amounts from these ventures.
Lessons from David Duchovny
1. Spread your wings
David Duchovny appreciates the fact that success rarely comes from working one job. That explains why he has ventured into multiple income-generating ventures, including acting, singing, and writing.
2. Know your worth
Duchovny knew he was already a valuable brand by the time he made The X-Files cast. He capitalized on his popularity to negotiate lucrative pay hikes in both The X-Files films and television series.
3. Flexibility is a crucial skill in career development
Flexibility has played a massive role in David Duchovny’s cinematic success. The actor has taken up roles that transcend multiple genres, including drama, sci-fi, and horror, to mention but a few.
Famous Quotes by David Duchovny
• Fame does lead to money, which I don’t have a close relationship with. I’m the kind of guy who never sees the money – it all goes somewhere else. I don’t understand it, I don’t like to deal with it. I have a fear of not having it, because I grew up without it.
• I love dogs. They live in the moment and don’t care about anything except affection and food. They’re loyal and happy. Humans are just too damn complicated.
• My entire life has been an attempt to get back to the kind of feelings you have on a field. The sense of brotherhood, the esprit de corps, the focus – there being no past or future, just the ball. As trite as it sounds, I was happiest playing ball.
• On the one hand, people think they own kids; they feel that they have the right to tell the kids what to do. On the other hand, people envy kids. We’d like to be kids our whole lives. Kids get to do what they do. They live on their instincts.
• The happiest moment of my life was probably when my daughter was born.
Wrap Up
David Duchovny is a decorated actor with a career spanning over 30 years. The ‘X-Files’ superstar has amassed a net worth of $80 million from his various endeavors in and outside the entertainment industry.