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