Davis, who struggled with substance abuse issues throughout his adult life, was diagnosed with HIV in 1985 and died of AIDS-related illness in 1991.
Biography
Early life
He was born in Tallahassee, Florida, to Eugene Davis, a dentist whose career declined due to alcoholism, and his wife, Anne (née Creel) Davis. His brother Gene is also an actor. Davis was known as Bobby during his youth, but took Brad as his stage name in 1973.[1] He attended and graduated from Titusville High School.
According to a 1997 New York Times interview with his widow Susan Bluestein, Davis suffered physical abuse from his father and sexual abuse from his mother. As an adult, Davis was an alcoholic and an intravenous drug user, then became sober in 1981.[1] Davis was bisexual.[2][3]
Early acting roles
At 16, after winning a music-talent contest, Davis worked at Theater Atlanta. He later moved to New York City and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and the American Place Theater where he studied acting. After a role on the soap opera How to Survive a Marriage, he performed in Off-Broadway plays.[4]
In 1976, he was cast in the television mini-series Roots, then as Sally Field's love interest in the television film Sybil. The same year, he married casting director Susan Bluestein. They would have one child together, Alex Blue Davis (b. 1983), a musician and actor.[1][5]
In 1980, Davis would play war correspondent Phil Caputo in the biographical made-for-television film A Rumor of War. The same year, he would be top-billed for his role in the film A Small Circle of Friends.
Diagnosed with HIV in 1985, Davis kept his condition private until shortly before his death at age 41 on September 8, 1991, in Los Angeles. In 1997, his wife Susan revealed that he probably contracted HIV through intravenous drug use, and that he committed assisted suicide by a drug overdose.[9][10] It was revealed in a book proposal that Davis had written before his death that he had to keep his HIV-positive status a secret to be able to continue to work and support his family.[11]
^Fox, David (1991-09-22). "How Much Does Hollywood Really Care About AIDS?". LA Times.
^Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 11241). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition
