David William Duchovny (born August 7, 1960) is an American actor, writer, and director. He is best known for playing Fox Mulder on The X-Files and Hank Moody on Californication, both of which have earned him Golden Globe awards Duchovny was born in New York City, New York in 1960. He is the son of Margaret "Meg" (née Miller), a school administrator and teacher, and Amram "Ami" Ducovny (1927–2003), a writer and publicist who worked for the American Jewish Committee. His father was Jewish, from a family that immigrated from the Russian Empire and Poland. His mother is a Lutheran emigrant from Aberdeen, Scotland. His father dropped the h in his last name to avoid the sort of mispronunciations he encountered while serving in the Army.
Duchovny attended Grace Church School and The Collegiate School For Boys; both are in Manhattan. He graduated from Princeton University in 1982 with a B.A. in English Literature. He was a member of Charter Club, one of the university's eating clubs. In 1982, his poetry received an honorable mention for a college prize from the Academy of American Poets. The title of his senior thesis was The Schizophrenic Critique of Pure Reason in Beckett's Early Novels. Duchovny played a season of junior varsity basketball as a shooting guard and centerfield for the varsity baseball team.
He received a Master of Arts in English Literature from Yale University and subsequently began work on a Ph.D. that remains unfinished. The title of his uncompleted doctoral thesis was Magic and Technology in Contemporary Poetry and Prose. At Yale, he was a student of popular literary critic Harold Bloom.
Duchovny married actress Téa Leoni on May 6, 1997. In April 1999, Leoni gave birth to a daughter, Madelaine West Duchovny. Their second child, a son, Kyd Miller Duchovny, was born in June 2002. Duchovny is a former vegetarian and, as of 2007, is a pescetarian.
On August 28, 2008, Duchovny announced that he had checked himself into a rehabilitation facility for treating sex addiction. On October 15, 2008, Duchovny's and Leoni's representatives issued a statement revealing they had separated several months earlier.A week later, Duchovny's lawyer said that he planned to sue the Daily Mail over an article it ran that claimed he had an affair with Hungarian tennis instructor Edit Pakay while still married to Leoni, a claim that Duchovny has denied. On November 15, 2008, the Daily Mail retracted their claims. After getting back together, Duchovny and Leoni once again split on June 29, 2011.
Strokes
Footage as Fox Mulder
2025
Reverse the Curse
Marty Fullilove
2024
Adam the First
James
2024
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World
Narrator (voice)
2024
What Happens Later
Bill
2023
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
Bill Baterman
2023
You People
Arnold
2023
The Estate
Richard
2022
The Bubble
Dustin Mulray
2022
The Craft: Legacy
Adam
2020
Louder Than Words
John Fareri
2013
Phantom
Bruni
2013
Goats
Goat Man
2012
FOX 25th Anniversary Special
Self
2012
The Joneses
Steve Jones
2010
The X Files: I Want to Believe
Fox Mulder
2008
VH1 Rock Honors: The Who
Self
2008
Quantum Hoops
Narrator
2007
The Secret
Dr. Benjamin Marris
2007
Things We Lost in the Fire
Steven Burke
2007
The TV Set
Mike Klein
2007
Queer Duck: The Movie
Tiny Jesus (voice)
2006
Trust the Man
Tom
2005
House of D
Tom Warshaw
2004
Connie and Carla
Jeff
2004
Red Shoe Diaries: Forbidden Zone
2002
Full Frontal
Gus
2002
Zoolander
J.P. Prewitt
2001
Evolution
Dr. Ira Kane
2001
Return to Me
Bob Rueland
2000
SNL: The Best of Adam Sandler
Pauline (archive footage) (uncredited)
1999
Red Shoe Diaries 8: Night of Abandon
Jake Winters (archive footage)
1998
The X-Files
Agent Fox Mulder
1998
Akte X Intern - Was Sie schon immer wissen wollten
Fox Mulder / Self
1998
Inside The X-Files
Self
1998
Skip Chasers
1998
Playing God
Dr. Eugene Sands
1997
Red Shoe Diaries Movie 10: Some Things Never Change
Jake Winters (archive footage)
1996
Red Shoe Diaries 6: How I Met My Husband
Jake Winters (archive footage)
1996
Red Shoe Diaries 5: Weekend Pass
Jake Winters (archive footage)
1995
Red Shoe Diaries 4: Auto Erotica
Jake Winters (archive footage)
1994
Red Shoe Diaries 3: Another Woman's Lipstick
Jake Winters (archive footage)
1993
Kalifornia
Brian Kessler
1993
Red Shoe Diaries 2: Double Dare
Jake Winters (archive footage)
1993
Chaplin
Rollie Totheroh
1992
Red Shoe Diaries
Jake Winters
1992
Baby Snatcher
David Anderson
1992
Venice/Venice
Dylan
1992
Beethoven
Brad
1992
Ruby
Officer Tippit
1992
The Rapture
Randy
1991
Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
Bruce
1991
Julia Has Two Lovers
Daniel
1990
Bad Influence
Clue Goer with Glasses
1990
New Year's Day
Billy
1990
Denial
John
1990
Working Girl
Tess's Birthday Party Friend
1988
See You When I See You
FEEL
Sitter 7
2025
The Sympathizer
Thespian / Ryan Glenn · (3 episodes)
2024
History of the World: Part II
Howard Cosell Impersonator · (1 episode)
2023
The Chair
David Duchovny · (1 episode)
2021
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Self · (2 episodes)
2019
The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling
Self · (2 episodes)
2018
The Nineties
Self (archive footage) · (1 episode)
2017
Better Things
David Duchovny / Teak · (1 episode)
2016
Aquarius
Detective Sam Hodiak · (26 episodes)
2015
The Late Late Show with James Corden
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2015
Late Night with Seth Meyers
Self · (3 episodes)
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Self · (1 episode)
2014
Californication
Hank Moody · (84 episodes)
2007
The One Show
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2006
VH1 Rock Honors
(1 episode)
2006
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Self · (1 episode)
2005
The Tony Danza Show
Self · (1 episode)
2004
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Self · (2 episodes)
2003
Real Time with Bill Maher
Self · (2 episodes)
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self / Fox Mulder · (1 episode)
2003
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Self · (1 episode)
2003
Life with Bonnie
Johnny Volcano · (2 episodes)
2002
Richard & Judy
Self · (1 episode)
2001
The Lone Gunmen
Fox Mulder · (1 episode)
2001
The Early Show
Self · (1 episode)
1999
Rove
Self · (1 episode)
1999
The Magic Hour
Self · (1 episode)
1998
Sex and the City
Jeremy · (1 episode)
1998
The View
Self · (2 episodes)
1997
The View
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
1997
Millennium
Bobby Wingood (uncredited) · (1 episode)
1996
The Daily Show
Self · (1 episode)
1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
Self · (1 episode)
1996
Space: Above and Beyond
(0 episode)
1995
Space: Above and Beyond
Handsome Alvin · (1 episode)
1995
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
David (voice) · (1 episode)
1995
Eco-Challenge
(17 episodes)
1995
Inside the Actors Studio
Self · (1 episode)
1994
Duckman
Richard (voice) · (1 episode)
1994
Frasier
Tom (voice) · (1 episode)
1993
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Self - Guest · (4 episodes)
1993
The X-Files
Fox Mulder · (218 episodes)
1993
GMTV
Self · (1 episode)
1993
Eek! The Cat
Fox Mulder (voice) · (1 episode)
1992
The Larry Sanders Show
David Duchovny · (1 episode)
1992
Red Shoe Diaries
Jake Winters · (66 episodes)
1992
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(1 episode)
1992
Twin Peaks
Denise Bryson · (4 episodes)
1990
The Simpsons
Fox Mulder (voice) · (1 episode)
1989
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self · (3 episodes)
1988
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
Self - Guest · (2 episodes)
1988
Jeopardy!
(1 episode)
1984
Saturday Night Live
Self - Host · (2 episodes)
1975
Malice
Jamie Tanner · (1 episode)
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee · (3 episodes)
1944
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee/Presenter · (2 episodes)
1944
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Audience Member · (1 episode)
1944
Golden Globe Awards
Self - Nominee / Presenter · (1 episode)
1944