William B. Davis

Theatre Director and Actor 

Better known now as an actor, particularly for his role as The Smoking Man in The X-Files, for much of his career Davis has been a highly regarded director in the theatre. 


Some of the positions he has held include:


Producer and Artistic Director, The Straw Hat Players, Ontario

Associate Director and Manager, The Civic Theatre, Chesterfield, UK

Artistic and General Director, The Dundee Repertory Theatre, Dundee, UK

Assistant Director, The National Theatre of Great Britain

Artistic Director, The National Theatre School of Canada

Artistic Director, Festival Lennoxville, Lennoxville, Quebec

Producer and Executive Producer, CBC Radio Drama

Artistic Director, Vancouver Playhouse Theatre School

Proprietor and Artistic Director, The William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study


In addition to his work with these companies, Davis has worked as a free lance director with many theatres in Britain as well as most of the regional theatres in Canada, including The Neptune Theatre in Halifax, The Globe Theatre in Regina, Theatre New Brunswick and three times at The Vancouver Playhouse. In 1975 he received the Best Director Award from The Montreal Star. Most recently he directed Matters Domestic in the 2009 Vancouver Fringe Festival. 


Beginning as a child actor, Davis has hundreds of acting credits. Most recently, he played Neils Bohr in Copenhagen at Centaur in Montreal, The Magistrate in Ecstasy of Rita Joe and Donald Rumsfeld in Stuff Happens for The Firehall, in addition to his extensive work in film and television.


Since the early eighties, Davis has worked increasingly as an actor in film and television and has well over a hundred on camera credits. He has taught many courses in film acting, both at his own school, The William Davis Centre for Actors’ Study, and elsewhere. He is also a produced writer for television, his episode En Ami having been part of The X-Files’ seventh season. 


Davis is also a film director and screenwriter. He has written and directed three short films all of which have been screened at major film festivals. He also directed several episodes of 49th and Main for CBC Television. 


Davis was a recent recipient of the UBCP Award of Excellence.