Name: William Bruce Davis

Date of Birth: 13 January 1938

Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Character on the X Files: Cigarette Smoking Man/ Cancerman

Height: almost 6'3"

Facts: After success in radio dramas, he studied theatre and philosophy at the University of Toronto, then left Canada to train at the London Academy Of Music And Dramatic Arts. One year of school stretched to five spent in Britain, where he directed at the Dundee Repertory Theatre and was an assistant director at The National Theatre in its Laurence Olivier era.
In the mid-sixties, he returned to Canada to become the artistic director of the National Theatre School of Canada, then ran Festival Lennoxville in Quebec.
He is a spokesman for the Canadian Cancer Society and a Canadian national champion water-skier in his division. He also has takes the time to operate the Vancouver-based William Davis Centre for Actors' Study (opened in 1989), an acting school for beginners and professionals.
Mr. Davis' stage credits include "Wilson" in Back To Beulah, "Harry" in On The Job, "Jeffry" in Two for the See Saw, "The Puppet Master" in The Puppet Master, "George" in Chapter Two, and "Tony Orr" in Emma Orr.

X Files trivia: Despite playing he chain smoker in the series he actually quit smoking in the late 1970's. He smokes herbal cigarettes while filming the X-Files. Fans often ask him to autograph cigarettes.

About his character: From the Toronto Sun, May 1996 - "(Executive producer) Chris Carter wanted somebody who could radiate a certain power without speaking. I think he kind of always imagined this figure being shadowy and in the background and probably never emerging particularly," says Davis, who read each script from back to front to see if the character was being killed off. "It's gradually built and it's become a much more prominent role than it was originally intended. And probably if they'd thought it was going to be that prominent in the first place, they'd have cast it in Los Angeles." (Ironically the show has shifted there now.)

First lines on X-Files: "Of course I do" -- spoken in 20th episode.

Filmography: Mr. Davis has appeared in a number of TV movies like Anything To Survive, It, Beyond Suspicion, Circumstances Unknown, Voyage of Terror and Murder Most Likely. He hosted the show Smoking:Why Can't I Quit? and is in the TV movie Killing Moon in 2000.
He has had guest roles on The Outer Limits, MacGyver, Sliders and 21 Jump Street.
For a more detailed filmography visit: