# Clifton Davis

Clifton Duncan Davis (born October 4, 1945) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, minister, and author.
Davis wrote The Jackson 5's No. 2 hit "Never Can Say Goodbye" in 1971. He has numerous Broadway credits, including Hello, Dolly! (opposite Pearl Bailey); Aladdin; Wicked; and his Tony Award–nominated turn in Two Gentlemen of Verona, among others. Davis starred in the television shows That's My Mama, Amen, Madam Secretary, and others. He has hosted the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, Gospel Superfest and Lifestyle Magazine. Davis has appeared on the game shows Match Game and Pyramid and appeared in many movies.
Davis is a minister of a Baptist church and has also operated an interdenominational ministry for many years. He has been a guest on the Trinity Broadcasting Network many times. Davis wrote "A Mason-Dixon Memory", one of the chapters in the book Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul, about the racism that he experienced while growing up.

## Early life

Davis was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Thelma van Putten Langhorn, a nurse, and Toussaint L'Ouverture Davis, a Seventh-day Adventist minister. He was raised in Mastic, New York, and he is a graduate of Pine Forge Academy, a Black boarding school operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Davis holds a BA in Theology from Oakwood University and a Master of Divinity degree from Andrews University.

## Career

Before becoming an actor Davis was a songwriter who wrote The Jackson 5's No. 2 hit "Never Can Say Goodbye."
He made his Broadway debut in the mid-1960s as a replacement in the original Broadway production of Hello, Dolly! In 1969, he replaced Cleavon Little in the role of Lee Haines in Jimmy Shine, opposite Dustin Hoffman and Rue McClanahan. The following year, he served as standby for Al Freeman, Jr. in the short-lived Broadway play Look to the Lillies, followed by a featured role in The Engagement Baby. He created the role of Valentine in Galt MacDermot and John Guare's musical Two Gentlemen of Verona, based on the eponymous Shakespeare comedy. For this production, he was nominated for a 1972 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He left the Broadway production on November 27, 1972, to open the touring company in January 1973. He played the role of Joey Evans in the 1978 West Coast Revival of Pal Joey, which was called Pal Joey '78. He returned to Broadway in 2014, creating the role of the Sultan in the stage adaptation of Disney's Aladdin. In 2022, Davis joined the Broadway company of Wicked, playing Dr. Dillamond, a role he had previously played in the show's two separate touring companies. He has amassed several Off-Broadway credits as well, including How to Steal an Election (1968), Horseman, Pass By (1969), Lorraine Hansberry's To Be Young, Gifted, and Black (1969), Do It Again! (1971), and Hapgood (1994).
He starred as barber Clifton Curtis in the mid-1970s television show That's My Mama with Theresa Merritt, Theodore Wilson, and Ted Lange.
Davis co-starred with singer and Broadway performer Melba Moore on her musical variety television show. Later he made a guest appearance on the third episode of the first season of The Bobby Vinton Show in September 1975, singing "I've Got the Music in Me" and "Never Can Say Goodbye". He sang the Polish lyrics with Vinton to the show's theme song, titled "My Melody of Love".
A triple heart bypass survivor, Davis participated in the "Superstars" celebrity TV sports competitions of the 1970s as well as made several appearances as one of the celebrity panelists on the game show Match Game. He appeared in the film Scott Joplin, in 1977. Davis made numerous appearances on several incarnations of Pyramid from the early 1970s to the early 1990s.
From 1986 to 1991, Davis co-starred with Sherman Hemsley and Anna Maria Horsford as the Reverend Doctor Ruben Gregory in the sitcom Amen, which ran for five seasons. Davis released one acclaimed studio recording in 1991 on Benson Records titled Say Amen. He also played the mayor of Miami in the 1999 film Any Given Sunday. Davis starred in Toronto and on Broadway in Aladdin, playing the Sultan of Agrabah.
In October 2024, it was announced Davis had been cast as Vernon Dupree on the new CBS soap opera Beyond the Gates. The serial premiered in February 2025.

## Ministry

From 1987 to 1989, he was an Associate Pastor of the Loma Linda University Seventh-day Adventist Church in southern California. For the last twenty-five years, Davis has been an active member of Youthville, USA a children's services organization. He served as the co-founder and co-pastor of the Welcome Christian Center in Huntington Beach, California. Davis is a licensed minister at St. Luke Baptist Church, New York, New York. He has had an interdenominational ministry for over 30 years. Davis has served as its National Spokesperson and Advisory Board Chairman. He is the emcee and host of The Most Soulful Sound, an annual gospel choir competition in Raleigh, North Carolina. Davis also hosts an annual celebrity golf tournament in Elizabeth City State University, where he served as its vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement. Since the end of 2005, Davis has held the position of executive director for Welcome America, a non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which hosts the largest Fourth of July celebration in the nation each year. He is a frequent guest and host on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. Davis also hosted the TV show Gospel Superfest from 2000 to 2008, syndicated by United Television.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1972 | Together for Days | Gus |
| 1974 | Lost in the Stars | Absalom |
| 1977 | Scott Joplin | Louis Chauvin |
| 1994 | Heart of Stone | Richard Polite |
| 1999 | Any Given Sunday | Mayor Tyrone Smalls |
| 2001 | Kingdom Come | Charles Winslow |
| 2001 | Max Keeble's Big Move | Supt. Bobby 'Crazy Legs' Knebworth |
| 2001 | The Painting | Thomas Ayers |
| 2002 | The Climb | Cheryl's Dad |
| 2006 | The Engagement: My Phamily BBQ 2 | Uncle Joe |
| 2007 | Cover | D.A. Simmons |
| 2012 | David E. Talbert's What My Husband Doesn't Know | Franklin |
| 2013 | God's Amazing Grace... Is Just A Prayer Away | Wilbert Richardson |
| 2016 | Prayer Never Fails | Michael Brown |
| 2020 | A Shot Through the Wall | Deputy Chief Bill Walker |
| 2022 | We Are Gathered Here Today | Joe Wyatt |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1971 | A World Apart | Matt Hampton | 2 episodes |
| 1972 | The Melba Moore-Clifton Davis Show | Co-host | Series |
| 1973 | Love Story | James Monroe | Episode "A Glow of Dying Embers" |
| 1973, 1977 | Police Story | Mark Randolph / Ed Webber | Episodes: "The Ho Chi Minh Trail" & "The Malflores" |
| 1974 | The Wide World of Mystery | Saxon | Episode: "Legacy of Blood" |
| 1974–1975 | That's My Mama | Clifton Curtis | 39 episodes |
| 1977 | Little Ladies of the Night | Comfort | TV movie |
| 1978 | Superdome | P.K. Jackson | TV movie |
| 1978 | Cindy | Captain Joe Prince | TV movie |
| 1979 | Vega$ | Leon Hazlett | Episode: "The Eleventh Event" |
| 1980 | The Love Boat | Mr. Reeves | Episode: "Invisible Maniac" |
| 1980 | The Littlest Hobo | Phil McLean | Episode: "Licence to Steal" |
| 1980 | The Night the City Screamed | Arnold Clements | TV movie |
| 1981 | Don't Look Back: The Story of Leroy 'Satchel' Paige | Cool Papa Bell | TV movie |
| 1986–1991 | Amen | Reverend Reuben Gregory | 110 episodes |
| 1989 | Dream Date | Bill Fairview | TV movie |
| 1990–1994 | Stellar Gospel Music Awards | Co-host | Specials |
| 1993 | The John Larroquette Show | Jada Sweet | Episode: "Pros and Cons" |
| 1996 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Charles | Episode: "Seems Like Old Times" |
| 1997 | Living Single | Harrison Cushmore | Episode: "Mother Inferior" |
| 1997 | Sparks | Pastor Alexander | Episode: "It's the Gospel" |
| 1997 | Malcolm & Eddie | Leonard Larson | Episode: "Club Story" |
| 1997 | Party of Five | Martin Wilcox | Episode: "Point of No Return" |
| 1997 | Grace Under Fire | Dr. Swanson | Episode: "Sam's Dad" |
| 1997 | The Sentinel | President Lemec | Episode: "Fool Me Twice" |
| 1997 | The Gregory Hines Show | Pauley's Father | Episode: "Three's Not Company" |
| 1998 | Any Day Now | Councilman Lyle Hammond | Episode: "No Comment" |
| 1999 | In the House | Ted Miller | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | City of Angels | Dr. Langston Ellis | Episode: "Bride and Prejudice" |
| 2000 | Veronica's Closet | Brian's Father | Episode: "Veronica Checks Out" |
| 2000–2008 | Gospel Superfest | Host | |
| 2001 | Lifestyle Magazine | Host | Series |
| 2002 | American Dreams | Alvin Lewis | Episode: "The Home Front" |
| 2004 | Half & Half | Pastor David Adams | Episode: "The Big Practice What You Preach Episode" |
| 2004 | Halloweentown High | Principal Phil Flannagan | TV movie |
| 2012 | Political Animals | Reporter | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2012 | Mr. Box Office | Judge | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2013 | The First Family | Clayton | Episode: "The First Triangle" |
| 2015–2019 | Madam Secretary | Ephraim Ware | 42 episodes |
| 2017 | Iron Fist | Lawrence Wilkins | 5 episodes |
| 2017 | The Good Fight | Anthony Spiegel | Episode: "Not So Grand Jury" |
| 2017–2023 | Billions | Judge Wailand | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | New Amsterdam | Pierre Pampil | Episode: "Rituals" |
| 2018 | Blue Bloods | Inspector Azoulay | Episode: "Mind Games" |
| 2019 | I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson | Jeffrey Carter | Episode: "It's the Cigars You Smoke That Are Going to Give You Cancer" |
| 2019–2021 | Godfather of Harlem | Elijah Muhammad | 6 episodes |
| 2023 | Survival of the Thickest | Emmanuel | Episode: "Let It Out, Bitch!" |
| 2024 | Clipped | Elgin Baylor | 4 episodes |
| 2025 | Beyond the Gates | Vernon Dupree | series regular |