Editing David Hedison

{{Short description|American actor (1927–2019)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = David Hedison
| image              = 10.17.09DavidHedisonByLuigiNovi.jpg
| caption            = Hedison at the [[Big Apple Comic Con|Big Apple Convention]] in 2009
| birth_name         = Albert David Hedison Jr.
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1927|5|20}}
| birth_place        = [[Providence, Rhode Island]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2019|7|18|1927|5|20}}
| death_place        = [[Los Angeles|Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| other_names        = Al Hedison
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1949–2017
| spouse             = {{marriage|Bridget Mori Hedison|1968|2016|end=her death}}
| children           = 2; including [[Alexandra Hedison|Alexandra]]
}}

'''Albert David Hedison Jr.''' (May 20, 1927 – July 18, 2019) was an American film, television, and stage actor.<ref name="NYT">{{Cite web|title=David Hedison|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/31488/David-Hedison/biography|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103190948/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/31488/David-Hedison/biography|url-status=dead|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Hal|last=Erickson|author-link=Hal Erickson (author)|date=2014|archive-date=2014-01-03}}</ref> He was known for his roles as the title character in ''[[The Fly (1958 film)|The Fly]]'' (1958), Captain Lee Crane in the television [[science fiction]] drama ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)|Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'' (1964–1968), and CIA agent [[Felix Leiter]] in two [[James Bond]] films, ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]'' (1973) and ''[[Licence to Kill]]'' (1989).

==Biography==
===Early life and career===
Albert David Hedison, Jr was born in [[Providence, Rhode Island]], to [[Armenians|Armenian]] immigrants Albert David Hedison (Heditsian) Sr ({{langx|hy|Ալբերտ Դավիթ Հեդիցյան}}) and Rose Boghosian ({{langx|hy|րոսե բողոսիան հեթիցյան}}).<ref>{{cite book |last=Karentz |first=Varoujan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pu1lPgv_soYC&pg=PA191 |title=Mitchnapert the Citadel: A History of Armenians in Rhode Island |date=2004 |publisher=[[iUniverse]] |isbn=0-595-30662-4 |location=Lincoln, Nebraska |page=191}}</ref> Hedison decided he wanted to be an actor after he saw [[Tyrone Power]] in the film ''[[Blood and Sand (1941 film)|Blood and Sand]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Naylor |first=Donita |date=July 22, 2019 |title=R.I.-born actor David Hedison dies at 92 — star of 'The Fly' and 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' |url=https://www.providencejournal.com/news/20190722/ri-born-actor-david-hedison-dies-at-92---star-of-the-fly-and-voyage-to-bottom-of-sea |work=[[The Providence Journal]] |access-date=July 22, 2019}}</ref> Hedison enlisted in the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] in 1945 during [[World War II]], but the war ended before he completed basic training. He served 18 months before his discharge.<ref>[https://www.actordatabase.com/davidhedison/bio.htm David Hedison Biography] ''Actor Database''. Retrieved June 16, 2023.</ref>

He began his acting career with the Sock and Buskin Players at [[Brown University]] before moving to New York to study with [[Sanford Meisner]] and [[Martha Graham]] at the [[Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre]] and with [[Lee Strasberg]] at the [[Actors Studio]].<ref>{{Cite book|first=David|last=Garfield|title=A Player's Place: The Story of The Actors Studio|year=1980|publisher=MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.|location=New York|isbn=0-02-542650-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf/page/278 278]|chapter=Appendix: Life Members of The Actors Studio as of January 1980|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/playersplacestor00garf/page/278}}</ref><ref name="hedda">He Sold Anything and Finally Himself Hopper, Hedda. ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' July 3, 1960: b14.</ref> Early in his career, he had gotten a [[nose job]].<ref>https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1155927090/2-daughters-reflect-on-a-secret-their-dad-shared-nearly-20-years-ago</ref>

He was billed as '''Al Hedison''' in his early film work until 1959 when he was cast in the role of Victor Sebastian in the short-lived espionage television series ''[[Five Fingers (American TV series)|Five Fingers]].'' [[NBC]] insisted that he change his name,{{Why|date=December 2023|reason=Is it is some kind of SAG or SAG-adjacent reason?}} so he proposed his middle name, which was accepted; he was billed as '''David Hedison''' from then on.

===Theatre===
He acted at Newport Casino Theatre. In 1951, he won a Barter Theatre Award for most promising young actor, entitling him to work at a theatre in Virginia.<ref>3 PLAYERS SHARE DERWENT AWARDS: GETS ACTING PRIZE By SAM ZOLOTOW. ''New York Times'', 21 May 1951: 23.</ref> He did radio in North Carolina and worked on stage in Pittsburgh.<ref name="hedda" />

His work on the New York stage included an appearance in ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' (1952).<ref name="Variety">{{cite news |last=Nichols |first=Mackenzie |date=July 22, 2019 |title=David Hedison, Actor in 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' and 'The Fly', Dies at 92 |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/david-hedison-dead-dies-the-fly-voyage-to-the-bottom-of-the-sea-1203275257/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref> He was studying with [[Uta Hagen]] who recommended him for a role in the Broadway production of ''[[A Month in the Country (play)|A Month in the Country]]'' (1956), directed by [[Michael Redgrave]].<ref>Theatre: Charming Play by Turgenev: 'Month in the Country' Staged at Phoenix By BROOKS ATKINSON. New York Times April 4, 1956: 23.</ref> It ran for 48 performances on Broadway. The Theatre World declared Hedison as one of the most promising theatre personalities of the 1955–56 season.<ref>STAGE AWARDS MADE: Theatre World Prizes Go to 'Promising Personalities' New York Times May 23, 1956: 35.</ref>
<!-- COMMENT OUT TILL A SOURCE IS ADDED ---- 
Hedison also appeared on television in ''[[Kraft Television Theatre]]'' and ''[[Star Tonight]]''.-->

===20th Century Fox===
After his role in ''A Month in the Country'', Hedison signed a film contract with [[20th Century Fox]] in May 1957.<ref name="Deadline" /> His first movie with them was the classic war film ''[[The Enemy Below]]'' (1957), which also starred [[Robert Mitchum]].<ref>Looking at Hollywood: Chicago Daily Tribune May 25, 1957: 17.</ref><ref name="HollywoodReporter" />

He followed that up with the lead role in the horror film ''[[The Fly (1958 film)|The Fly]]'' (1958) with [[Vincent Price]] as his brother.<ref name="Variety" /> Hedison got the role after [[Rick Jason]] turned it down. The film was very successful at the box office.<ref name="Thomas thespectrum">{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=Nick |date=May 19, 2016 |title=David Hedison's Hollywood 'Voyage' |url=https://www.thespectrum.com/story/entertainment/2016/05/19/david-hedisons-hollywood-voyage/84459442/ |work=[[The Spectrum (Utah)|The Spectrum]] |access-date=July 4, 2018}}</ref>

Hedison went to England to play the lead role in ''[[The Son of Robin Hood]]'' (1958).<ref name="HollywoodReporter" /><ref>$4 MILLION LATER: 20th Has Its Stars of Tomorrow Los Angeles Times August 16, 1959: E1.</ref>

===Television===
Hedison was cast in the lead of a TV series made by Fox for NBC, ''[[Five Fingers (American TV series)|Five Fingers]]'' (1959).<ref name="Deadline" /> He was reluctant to make it, especially when NBC insisted he change his first name (Al) to David (which was his middle name). The series lasted only one season.<ref>MRS. ROOSEVELT PLANS TV SERIES, New York Times, June 9, 1959: 75.</ref><ref name="hedda" />

Hedison had the lead role in an adventure film ''[[The Lost World (1960 film)|The Lost World]]'' (1960), directed by [[Irwin Allen]].<ref name="Gates nytimes">{{cite news |last=Gates |first=Anita |date=July 23, 2019 |title=David Hedison, Actor Who Found Fame in a Submarine, Dies at 92 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/arts/television/david-hedison-dead.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref> <!-- COMMENT OUT TILL A SOURCE IS ADDEDAllen liked Hedison and offered him the lead in the film ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'' (1961) but the actor turned it down. -->

Hedison guest starred on some Fox shows, ''[[Hong Kong (TV series)|Hong Kong]]'' and ''[[Bus Stop (TV series)|Bus Stop]]''. He co-starred with [[Tom Tryon]] in ''[[Marines, Let's Go]]'' (1961).<ref>Tryon Will Star in Marine Drama: Locale to Be Japan, Okinawa; 'Exodus' Premiere Picketed Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times December 24, 1960: A4.</ref>

Hedison worked regularly on television, guest starring in ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]'', ''[[Wonder Woman (TV series)|Wonder Woman]]'' and ''[[The Farmer's Daughter (TV series)|The Farmer's Daughter]]''. He co-starred in an episode of ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]'', starring [[Roger Moore]] who became a great friend. The episode's plot prophetically involves Moore's Saint mistaken for 007 and Hedison as an FBI agent — roles they would play seven years later as 007 and Felix Leiter in ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]''.<ref name="Thomas thespectrum" /> He was one of many stars in the film ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]'' (1965).<ref name="Deadline">{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Greg |title=David Hedison Dies: 'Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea' Actor Was 92 |url=https://deadline.com/2019/07/david-hedison-dead-voyage-to-the-bottom-of-the-sea-actor-obituary-1202650432/ |access-date=July 24, 2019 |work=[[Deadline Hollywood|Deadline]] |date=July 22, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>[[File:David Hedison Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 1965.jpg|thumb|right|Hedison as Lee Crane in ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)|Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'', 1965.]] 

After turning down the role of Captain Crane in the film version of Irwin Allen's ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (film)|Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]'', Allen again offered the same role to him in the [[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)|television series of the same name]], co-starring with [[Richard Basehart]], which ran from 1964 to 1968.<ref>
*p.157 Weaver, Tom "David Hedison Interview" in ''Eye on Science Fiction: 20 Interviews with Classic SF and Horror Filmmakers'' McFarland, June 1, 2007
*"CAMERA ANGLES: Smooth sailing for David Hedison" MacMINN, ALEENE. ''Los Angeles Times'' July 4, 1965: H4.</ref>

After ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' concluded, Hedison was offered the role of Mike Brady on ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'', but turned it down, stating, "after four years of subs and monsters, who needs kids and dogs?" The role eventually went to [[Robert Reed]].<ref name="Gates nytimes" />

Hedison moved to London. "I liked London very much," he later said. "I just wanted to go and spend a couple years there&nbsp;... It's two years I'm not sorry for. The problem was, when I came back to the US, it was more difficult getting work then."<ref name="felix" />

Hedison guest starred on ''[[Journey to the Unknown]]''; ''[[Love, American Style]]''; ''[[ITV Sunday Night Theatre]]''; the BBC's ''[[Play of the Month]]''; ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]''; and ''[[The New Perry Mason]]''. He could be seen in ''Kemek'' (1970), ''[[A Kiss Is Just a Kiss]]'' (1971), ''Crime Club'' (1973), ''[[The Cat Creature]]'', and ''The Man in the Wood''. He was most proud of doing an adaptation of ''[[Summer and Smoke]]'' with [[Lee Remick]].<ref name="felix" />

===James Bond appearances===
Hedison played [[Felix Leiter]] in ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]'' (1973), with his friend Roger Moore starring as the new [[James Bond]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Moore|first=Roger|title=My Word is My Bond|year=2008|publisher=Michael O'Mara Books|location=London|isbn=978-1-84317-318-2|page=175}}</ref> Bond scholars Pfeiffer and Worrall praised the friendship between Leiter and Bond for being depicted with "genuine chemistry" between the two.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Pfeiffer|first1=Lee|last2=Worrall|first2=Dave|title=The essential Bond|year=1998|publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Boxtree Ltd]]|location=London|page=91|isbn=978-0-7522-2477-0}}</ref>

Sixteen years later, Hedison returned to play Leiter in ''[[Licence to Kill]]'' (1989), with Bond now being portrayed by [[Timothy Dalton]].<ref name="felix">{{cite news |last=Goldberg |first=Lee |date=June 2, 1989 |title=DAVID HEDISON HOPES FOR FAME, AGAIN, IN 'LICENSE TO KILL' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1989-06-02-8902060079-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=July 4, 2018}}</ref> Hedison became the first actor to reprise the role of Felix Leiter and is the only actor to play Leiter with two different James Bonds.<ref name="felix" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Karasin |first=Ekin |date=July 23, 2019 |title=James Bond actor David Hedison dies aged 92 |url=https://metro.co.uk/2019/07/23/james-bond-actor-david-hedison-dies-aged-92-10442326/ |work=[[Metro (British newspaper)|Metro]] |access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref>

Hedison thought he was asked back because "there was much more to do in the film than in the past, and they were afraid of using an unknown or someone they were not quite sure of."<ref name="felix" /> "I think in this kind of film, it won't lead to other work unless you do something stand-out with a really wonderfully written scene," added Hedison. "Otherwise you're just doing a job, part of the ensemble. And in this case, I have lots of action scenes, but no one scene that is memorable&nbsp;... Felix is a fairly one-dimensional character, you never get into any depth. You do what you can. There's not much to play. All you can do is perform it with a simple reality&nbsp;... It was running around, bang bang, getting wet, screaming and yelling, and all kinds of fun, but not serious acting."<ref name="felix" />
<!-- COMMENT OUT TILL SOURCE IS ADDED 
He mostly made guest appearances on television shows&nbsp;— ''[[Shaft (TV series)|Shaft]]'', ''[[Medical Center (TV series)|Medical Center]]'', ''[[The Manhunter]]'', ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]'', ''[[Bronk (TV series)|Bronk]]'', ''[[Ellery Queen (TV series)|Ellery Queen]]'', ''[[Family (1976 TV series)|Family]]'', ''[[Barnaby Jones]]'', ''[[Wonder Woman (TV series)|Wonder Woman]]'', ''[[Gibbsville (TV series)|Gibbsville]]'', ''[[The Bob Newhart Show]]'',''[[Project U.F.O.]]'', ''[[Flying High (TV series)|Flying High]]'', ''[[Benson (TV series)|Benson]]'', ''[[Greatest Heroes of the Bible]]''&nbsp;— or acted in movies&nbsp;— ''[[ABC's Wide World of Entertainment|The Wide World of Mystery]]'' (1974), ''[[The Compliment]]'' (1974), ''[[For the Use of the Hall]]'' (1975), ''[[Adventures of the Queen]]'' (1975), ''[[The Lives of Jenny Dolan]]'' (1975), ''[[The Art of Crime]]'' (1975), ''[[Murder in Peyton Place]]'' (1977), ''[[Colorado C.I.]]'' (1978) ''[[The Power Within (1979 film)|The Power Within]]'' (1979).
-->

===1980s===
Hedison toured with [[Barbara Anderson (actress)|Barbara Anderson]] and [[Anita Gillette]] in [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[Chapter Two (play)|Chapter Two]]'' in 1979 and 1980.<ref>SIMON COMEDY 'CHAPTER TWO' AT FOX THEATRE, ''Los Angeles Times'', September 26, 1979: sd4.</ref>

He could be seen in the movie ''[[North Sea Hijack]]'' (1980), which starred Roger Moore, and TV episodes of ''[[Charlie's Angels]]'', ''[[Nero Wolfe (1981 TV series)|Nero Wolfe]]'',<!-- This is a guess; there have been several Nero Wolfe series --> ''[[Hart to Hart]]'', ''[[T. J. Hooker]]'', ''[[Matt Houston]]'', ''[[Amanda's]]'', ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]'', ''[[Fantasy Island]]'', ''[[Partners in Crime (American TV series)|Partners in Crime]]'', ''[[The Fall Guy]]'', ''[[The Love Boat]]'', ''[[Simon & Simon]]'', ''[[Double Trouble (American TV series)|Double Trouble]]'', ''[[Finder of Lost Loves]]'', ''[[Knight Rider (1982 TV series)|Knight Rider]]'', ''[[Crazy Like a Fox (TV series)|Crazy Like a Fox]]'', ''[[The A-Team]]'', ''[[Trapper John, M.D.]]'', ''[[Hotel (American TV series)|Hotel]]'', ''[[The Colbys]]'', ''[[Who's the Boss?]]'', ''[[The Law & Harry McGraw]]'', and ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''.<ref name="Variety" /><ref name="Deadline" />

He was in ''The Awakening of Cassie'' for ''Romance Theatre'', ''[[The Gambler (film series)#1983|Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues]]'', and ''[[The Naked Face (film)|The Naked Face]]'' (1984) with Moore.<ref>{{cite news |last=Christiansen |first=Richard |date=January 29, 1985 |title=MOORE, STEIGER CAN'T SAVE PROFILE OF 'NAKED FACE' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-01-29-8501060447-story.html |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=July 22, 2019}}</ref>

Hedison appeared in the West Coast premiere of ''Forty Deuce'' in 1985.<ref>STAGE REVIEW `FORTY-DEUCE' LOOKS AT MALE HUSTLERS' WORLD Los Angeles Times January 23, 1985: 7.</ref> <!-- COMMENT OUT TILL A SOURCE IS ADDED ---- He was in the mini series ''[[A.D.]]''. He toured with [[Elizabeth Ashley]] in ''Come into My Parlour'' in 1988, and was in the world premiere run of [[Bernard Slade]]'s ''Return Engagements'' that same year.-->
<!-- COMMENT OUT TILL A SOURCE IS ADDED ----
He appeared at the Cape Playhouse in 1998 in ''Alone Together'' with [[Anita Gillette]]. -->

===Later career===
<!-- COMMENT OUT TILL A SOURCE IS ADDED ---- &nbsp;Hedison's later performances include ''[[Fugitive Mind]]'' (1999), ''[[Mach 2 (film)|Mach 2]]'' (2000), ''[[Megiddo: The Omega Code 2]]'' (2002), and ''[[Spectres (film)|Spectres]]'' (2004).
-->
From 1991 to 1996, Hedison was a regular on the long-running soap opera ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''.<ref name="HollywoodReporter">{{cite news |title=David Hedison, 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' Actor, Dies at 92 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/david-hedison-dead-voyage-bottom-sea-actor-was-92-1226038 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |language=en}}</ref>

He also starred in the New York City premiere of ''First Love'' with [[Lois Nettleton]] in 1999. He returned to the Cape Playhouse to appear in ''Tale of the Allergist's Wife'' (2002), and at [[Monmouth University]]'s Pollak Theatre, in ''[[Love Letters (play)|Love Letters]]'' with [[Nancy Dussault]] in 2007.<ref>First Love Gets a Shot At a Rare Second Chance Newsday, November 12, 1999: B35.</ref>

He had a role in ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'' and could be seen in ''The Reality Trap'' (2005).<ref>Soap star made a buzz in original Fly Soapsuds Toronto Star, January 17, 1994: C7.</ref>

In 2006, he acted in ''The Scent of Jasmine'' at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles on November 13. In 2008, Hedison performed ''[[Uncle Vanya]]'' at the Actors Studio West. He also participated in performances of ''[[The Cherry Orchard]]'' and ''[[I Never Sang for My Father]]'' in Los Angeles in 2009. He later appeared in ''The Marriage Play'' by [[Edward Albee]].<ref name="Thomas thespectrum" />

He was in ''Superman and the Secret Planet'' and ''[[Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://comicbook.com/horror/2019/07/23/david-hedison-actor-death-the-fly-voyage-to-the-bottom-of-the-sea/ |title=The Fly Star David Hedison Dies at 92 |last=Anderson |first=Jenna |date=July 23, 2019 |publisher=ComicBook.com |access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref>
<!-- COMMENT OUT TILL A SOURCE IS ADDED ---- 
He then wrote an introduction to the James Bond comic ''The Paradise Plot'' that was released in the United States on July 8.

===Books===
In 2006 and 2007, Hedison worked on four audio books. The first, ''McKnight's Memory'', was released in October 2007. The second, ''The King, McQueen and the Love Machine'', was released June 15, 2008. The third was a 12-minute introduction to the reissue of ''The James Bond Lifestyle'' that came out June 7, 2007. His fourth audio book project, ''The Casino Caper'', was released in August 2007.

A book by Diane Kashmir about Hedison's 1959 television series ''Five Fingers'', was published by BearManor Media in 2015. -->

==Personal life==
He and his wife Bridget were married in London on June 29, 1968. Bridget Hedison died of [[breast cancer]] on February 22, 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/latimes/obituary.aspx?pid=177876673|title =Obituary|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=February 28, 2016}}</ref> They had two daughters, actor/director/photographer [[Alexandra Hedison]] and editor/producer Serena Hedison. Alexandra Hedison has appeared in ''[[L.A. Firefighters]]'' and ''[[The L Word]]'' and is married to actress and director [[Jodie Foster]].

== Death ==
He died on July 18, 2019, at his home in Los Angeles.<ref name="HollywoodReporter" /><ref>{{Cite web |author=SOD |author-link=Soap Opera Digest |title=Soap Alum David Hedison Dies at 92 |url=https://www.soapoperadigest.com/content/soap-alum-david-hedison-dies-at-92/ |website=[[Soap Opera Digest]] |publisher=[[American Media, Inc.]] |access-date=July 22, 2019 |location=United States |date=July 22, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Nichols |first=Mackenzie |date=July 22, 2019 |title=David Hedison, Actor in 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' and 'The Fly', Dies at 92 |url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/david-hedison-dead-dies-the-fly-voyage-to-the-bottom-of-the-sea-1203275257/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=2019-12-17}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1957
| ''[[The Enemy Below]]''
| Lt. Ware
|
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1958
| ''[[The Fly (1958 film)|The Fly]]''
| Andre Delambre
|
|-
| ''[[The Son of Robin Hood]]''
| Jamie
|
|-
| ''[[Rally Round the Flag, Boys!]]''
| Narrator
| Voice, Uncredited
|-
| 1960
| ''[[The Lost World (1960 film)|The Lost World]]''
| Ed Malone
|
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Marines, Let's Go]]''
| Pfc. Dave Chatfield
|
|-
| 1965
| ''[[The Greatest Story Ever Told]]''
| Philip
|
|-
| 1970
| ''Kemek''
| Nick
|
|-
| 1973
| ''[[Live and Let Die (film)|Live and Let Die]]''
| [[Felix Leiter]]
|
|-
| 1980
| ''[[North Sea Hijack]]''
| Robert King
|
|-
| 1984
| ''[[The Naked Face (film)|The Naked Face]]''
| Dr. Peter Hadley
|
|-
| 1986
| ''Smart Alec''
| Frank Wheeler
|
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Licence to Kill]]''
| Felix Leiter
|
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Undeclared War]]''
| US Ambassador
|
|-
| 1999
| ''[[Fugitive Mind]]''
| Senator Davis
| Direct-to-video
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2001
| ''[[Mach 2 (film)|Mach 2]]''
| Stuart Davis
|
|-
| ''[[Megiddo: The Omega Code 2]]''
| Daniel Alexander
|
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Spectres (film)|Spectres]]''
| William
|
|-
| 2005
| ''The Reality Trap''
| Morgan Jameson
|
|-
| 2013
| ''Superman and the Secret Planet''
| [[Jor-El]]
| Direct-to-video
|-
| 2017
| ''Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk''
| Interviewee #2
| (final film role)
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1954
| ''[[Danger (TV series)|Danger]]''
| 
| Episode: "Padlocks"
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Kraft Television Theatre]]''
| 
| Episode: "Eleven O'Clock Flight"
|-
| 1956
| ''[[Star Tonight]]''
| 
| Episode: "The Mirthmaker"
|-
| 1959–1960
| ''[[Five Fingers (American TV series)|Five Fingers]]''
| Victor Sebastian
| 16 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1961
| ''[[Hong Kong (TV series)|Hong Kong]]''
| Roger Ames
| Episode: "Lesson in Fear"
|-
| ''[[Bus Stop (TV series)|Bus Stop]]''
| Max Hendricks
| Episode: "Call Back Yesterday"
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Perry Mason (1957 TV series)|Perry Mason]]''
| Damion White
| Episode: "The Case of the Dodging Domino"
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1964
| ''[[The Saint (TV series)|The Saint]]''
| Bill Harvey
| Episode: "Luella"
|-
| ''[[The Farmer's Daughter (TV series)|The Farmer's Daughter]]''
| Richard Barden
| Episode: "The Mink Machine"
|-
| 1964–1968
| ''[[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)|Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea]]''
| Captain Lee Crane
| 110 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1967
| ''[[Hollywood Squares]]''
| rowspan="3" | Himself
| 5 episodes
|-
| ''[[The Mike Douglas Show]]''
| rowspan="2" | 1 episode
|-
| ''[[The Merv Griffin Show]]''
|-
| 1968
| ''[[Journey to the Unknown]]''
| William Searle
| Episode: "Somewhere in a Crowd"
|-
| 1969
| ''[[Love, American Style]]''
| Rob
| Segment: "Love and the Other Love"
|-
| 1971
| ''[[A Kiss Is Just a Kiss]]''
| Kit Shaeffer
| Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1972
| ''[[ITV Sunday Night Theatre]]''
| Bill Kromin
| Episode: "A Man About a Dog"
|-
| ''[[Play of the Month]]''
| John Buchanan
| Episode: "Summer and Smoke"
|-
| 1972–1973
| ''[[The F.B.I. (TV series)|The F.B.I.]]''
| Scott Jordan / Lou Forrester
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1973
| ''Crime Club''
| Nick Kelton
| rowspan="2" | Television film
|-
| ''[[The Cat Creature]]''
| Prof. Roger Edmonds
|-
| ''[[The New Perry Mason]]''
| Calvin Ryan
| Episode: "The Case of the Frenzied Feminist"
|-
| ''The Man in the Wood''
| Edmund Hardy
| Television film
|-
| 1973–1975
| ''[[Cannon (TV series)|Cannon]]''
| David Farnum / John Sandler / Gordon Bell
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="6" | 1974
| ''[[Shaft (TV series)|Shaft]]''
| Gil Kirkwood
| Episode: "The Capricorn Murders"
|-
| ''[[Medical Center (TV series)|Medical Center]]''
| Dave
| Episode: "Dark Warning"
|-
| ''The Wide World of Mystery''
| Herbert Kasson
| Episode: "Murder Impossible"
|-
| ''The Compliment''
| Steve Barker
| Television film
|-
| ''[[The Manhunter]]''
| Jeffrey Donnenfield
| Episode: "The Man Who Thought He Was Dillinger"
|-
| ''[[The ABC Afternoon Playbreak]]''
| Clay
| Episode: "Can I Save My Children?"
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1975
| ''For the Use of the Hall''
| Allen
| rowspan="4" | Television film
|-
| ''[[Adventures of the Queen]]''
| Dr. Peter Brooks
|-
| ''[[The Lives of Jenny Dolan]]''
| Dr. Wes Dolan
|-
| ''The Art of Crime''
| Parker Sharon
|-
| ''[[Bronk (TV series)|Bronk]]''
| Lyle Brewster
| Episode: "Betrayal"
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Ellery Queen (TV series)|Ellery Queen]]''
| Roger Woods
| Episode: "The Adventure of the Eccentric Engineer"
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Family (1976 TV series)|Family]]''
| Peter Towne
| 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1977
| ''[[Barnaby Jones]]''
| Paul Nugent
| Episode: "The Deadly Charade"
|-
| ''[[Murder in Peyton Place]]''
| Steven Cord
| Television film
|-
| ''[[Wonder Woman (TV series)|Wonder Woman]]''
| Evan Robley
| Episode: "The Queen and the Thief"
|-
| ''[[Gibbsville (TV series)|Gibbsville]]''
| 
| Episode: "The Grand Gesture"
|-
| 1977–1985
| ''[[The Love Boat]]''
| Cliff Jacobs / Barry Singer / Bradford York / Allan Christensen / Sherman / Buddy Stanfield
| 7 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1978
| ''[[The Bob Newhart Show]]''
| Steve Darnell
| Episode: "It Didn't Happen One Night"
|-
| ''[[Project U.F.O.]]''
| Frederick Flanagan
| Episode: "Sighting 4011: The Dollhouse Incident"
|-
| ''[[Colorado C.I.]]''
| David Royce
| Television film
|-
| ''[[Flying High (TV series)|Flying High]]''
| Glen Dodson
| Episode: "High Rollers"
|-
| 1978–1981
| ''[[Charlie's Angels]]''
| John Thornwood / Carter Gillis
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1978–1984
| ''[[Fantasy Island]]''
| Daniel Garman / Phillip Camden / Captain John Day / David Tabori / Karl Dixon / Claude Duncan / Carlyle Cranston
| 6 episodes
|-
| 1979
| ''Greatest Heroes of the Bible''
| Ashpenaz
| Episode: "Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar"
|-
| 1979
| ''[[The Power Within (1979 film)|The Power Within]]''
| Danton
| Television film
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Benson (TV series)|Benson]]''
| John Taylor
| Episode: "Pilot"
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Nero Wolfe (1981 TV series)|Nero Wolfe]]''
| Phillip Corrigan
| Episode: "Murder by the Book"
|-
| rowspan="4" | 1982
| ''[[Hart to Hart]]''
| Miles Wiatt
| Episode: "Hart of Diamonds"
|-
| ''[[T. J. Hooker]]''
| Saxon
| Episode: "The Protectors"
|-
| ''[[Romance Theatre]]''
| Marc
| 4 episodes
|-
| ''[[Matt Houston]]''
| Pierre Cerdan
| Episode: "Recipe for Murder"
|-
| 1982–1985
| ''[[The Fall Guy]]''
| Monte Sorrenson / Milo / Jordan Stevens
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="3" | 1983
| ''[[Amanda's]]''
| David
| Episode: "All in a Day's Work"
|-
| ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''
| Sam Dexter
| 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[The Gambler (film series)#Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues (1983)|Kenny Rogers as The Gambler: The Adventure Continues]]''
| Carson
| Television film
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Partners in Crime (American TV series)|Partners in Crime]]''
| Davidson
| Episode: "Fantasyland"
|-
| rowspan="8" | 1985
| ''[[Simon & Simon]]''
| Austin Tyler
| 2 episodes
|-
| ''[[Double Trouble (American TV series)|Double Trouble]]''
| David Burke
| Episode: "September Song"
|-
| ''[[Finder of Lost Loves]]''
| Neil Palmer
| Episode: "Haunted Memories"
|-
| ''[[Knight Rider (1982 TV series)|Knight Rider]]''
| Theodore Cooper
| Episode: "Knight in Retreat"
|-
| ''[[A.D. (miniseries)|A.D.]]''
| [[Porcius Festus]]
| Television miniseries
|-
| ''[[Crazy Like a Fox (TV series)|Crazy Like a Fox]]''
| Ed Galvin
| Episode: "Eye in the Sky"
|-
| ''[[The A-Team]]''
| David Vaughn
| Episode: "Mind Games"
|-
| ''[[Trapper John, M.D.]]''
| Miles Warner
| Episode: "The Second Best Man"
|-
| 1985–1987
| ''[[Hotel (American TV series)|Hotel]]''
| Dr. Howard Bentley / Jack Fitzpatrick
| 2 episodes
|-
| 1985–1987
| ''[[The Colbys]]''
| Roger Langdon
| 9 episodes
|-
| 1986–1989
| ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]''
| Victor Casper / Victor Caspar / Mitch Payne
| 3 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1987
| ''[[Who's the Boss?]]''
| Jim Ratcliff
| Episode: "Mona"
|-
| ''[[The Law & Harry McGraw]]''
| Blake Devaroe
| Episode: "Mr. Chapman, I Presume?"
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''
| Spencer Harrison
| 
|-
| 2004
| ''[[The Young and the Restless]]''
| Arthur Hendricks
| 50 episodes
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Iobdb name}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* [http://www.classicfilmtvcafe.com/2013/03/david-hedison-talks-with-cafe-about.html Interview with David Hedison at Classic Film & TV Cafe]
* [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bridget-hedison-dead-david-hedison-869738 Bridget Hedison obituary]

{{S-start}}{{s-text|style=background:#C1D8FF; font-weight: bold;|text=Acting roles}}

{{S-bef | before=[[Norman Burton]]}}
{{S-ttl | title=[[Felix Leiter]] actor <br><small>''in EON James Bond films''</small> | years=1973}}
{{S-aft | after=[[John Terry (actor)|John Terry]]}}
|-
{{s-new}}
{{s-ttl | title=Sam Dexter actor<br>''<small>from [[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]</small>'' | years=1983}}
{{s-aft | after=[[Ed Nelson]]}}
{{S-bef | before= John Terry}}
{{S-ttl | title=''Felix Leiter'' actor| | years=1989}}
{{S-aft | after= [[Jeffrey Wright]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedison, David}}
[[Category:1927 births]]
[[Category:2019 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th Century Studios contract players]]
[[Category:Male actors from Providence, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Actors Studio alumni]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:American male soap opera actors]]
[[Category:American male stage actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of Armenian descent]]
[[Category:Brown University alumni]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre alumni]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:United States Navy sailors]]
[[Category:Writers from Providence, Rhode Island]]