With the recent cancellation of NBC’s Smash, I can no longer look forward to seeing the marvelous British actor Jack Davenport on my television screen.
I have been actively following his career since the first time I stumbled upon BBC’s Coupling one fateful day many years ago and have always been pleased to see him pop up in various series and movies.
I consider him to be one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood and sincerely hope that no longer being committed to a series gives him ample time to attack new projects. I will certainly be on the lookout for his next starring role, but in the meantime I would like to share with those who may be unaware some of the many reasons that Jack Davenport is awesome.
#6 – He starred in the music video for Snow Patrol’s ‘Called Out in the Dark’
This song is great all by itself, but combine it with the fact that Jack Davenport stands in for Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody in this video and it becomes epic. Jack swaggers with the best of them in a fabulously tailored grey suit, busting moves with the aid of excitable back-up dancers. The real lead singer is able to steal back the show by the end of the video, but Jack certainly makes a welcome and hilarious distraction.
#5 – He put on an American accent and a 1970s haircut to play a swinger
Swingtown only ran on CBS for 13 episodes, but you better believe I watched every one. The show wasn’t that great, but I thought Jack hit on the right mix of awkward and believable as Bruce Miller, an up and coming futures trader. He and his wife become entangled in their neighbor’s open marriage, resulting in some pretty steamy scenes between Jack and Lana Parilla (that’s right, the Evil Queen herself).
#4 – He made us laugh and tugged at our heartstrings in ‘The Wedding Date’
While he wasn’t the star of this surprisingly cute romantic comedy about a woman who hires a gigolo as her date to a family wedding, Jack stole the show whenever he was on screen. He will smile, quip, and waltz himself into your good graces while also showing some dramatic acting chops when the plot turns serious.
#3 – He managed to charm us out of hating him even when being a womanizing jerk
While I certainly could have used more than two seasons of Derek Wills, I will forever treasure every moment of snarky goodness that he gave on this show. Not only do his dreamy accent and salt ‘n’ pepper hair make the girls swoon, his deadpan sarcasm will have you in stitches. Leather jackets, sweaters, and scarves – oh my!
#2 – He was so likeable that he wrote himself into a huge movie franchise
From the sassy Commodore in The Curse of the Black Pearl to the self-sacrificing Admiral in At World’s End, this bad guy turned good guy turned drunk guy turned good guy is hard not to love. While Norrington was only intended to be in the first film, the character was so liked by audiences and critics that he was kept around far longer. Props must go to Jack Davenport, who made us love him even when he was trying to hang our beloved anti-hero.
#1 – He made some of the best observational relationship rants you never would
If you have not seen this show, you have no idea what you are missing. I have seen every episode numerous times and it never stops being hysterical. Before Steven Moffat helmed Doctor Who, he penned this beloved British sitcom in the early 2000s. Jack Davenport plays Steve, one of six friends who get themselves into some of the stickiest situations you could imagine. The dialogue, the acting, and the plots of this brilliant series will have you laughing until your sides hurt.
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