# David Thornton (actor)

David Farrington Thornton (born June 12, 1953) is an American actor. He has appeared in John Q, Home Alone 3 as Earl Unger, Law & Order, The Notebook, and The Other Woman, among other roles. He is the husband of singer, songwriter and actress Cyndi Lauper.

## Personal life

Thornton was born in Cheraw, South Carolina. He is the son of professor Robert Donald Thornton (1917–2006), who taught English at Harvard University among other institutions, and Grace Ellen (née Baker; 1919–2019). He graduated from Hamilton College and Yale Drama School and studied at Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio.
Thornton met singer Cyndi Lauper on the set of the film Off and Running. They married in November 1991 and have a son, Declyn Wallace Thornton (born November 19, 1997).
In 2005, the New York Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Thornton in Thornton v. Baron, which is considered a landmark decision in the New York real estate industry, specifically dealing with rent stabilization in New York.

## Filmography

Key :
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988 | Java Burn | Lomax | |
| 1990 | Men of Respect | Philly Como (Fleance} | |
| 1991 | Off and Running | Reese | |
| 1994 | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | George S. Kaufman | |
| 1995 | Jeffrey | Man #3 | |
| 1995 | Search and Destroy | Rob | |
| 1996 | Unhook the Stars | Frankie Warren | |
| 1996 | Breathing Room | Brian | |
| 1996 | If Lucy Fell | Ted | |
| 1997 | Home Alone 3 | Earl Unger | |
| 1997 | The Real Blonde | Alex | |
| 1997 | Office Killer | Gary Michaels | |
| 1997 | She's So Lovely | Saul Sunday | |
| 1998 | A Civil Action | Richard Aufiero | |
| 1998 | The Last Days of Disco | Berrie Rafferty | |
| 1998 | Illuminata | Orlandini | |
| 1998 | Hush | Gavin | |
| 1998 | High Art | Harry | |
| 1998 | Too Tired to Die | Lulu | |
| 2000 | Blessed Art Thou | Elmo | |
| 2000 | Blue Moon | Frank's Father | |
| 2000 | Dead Dog | Stevenson Nagel | |
| 2001 | The Girl Under the Waves | David | |
| 2002 | Swept Away | Michael | |
| 2002 | Garmento | Ronnie Grossman | |
| 2002 | John Q | Jimmy Palumbo | |
| 2002 | XX/XY | Miles | |
| 2002 | For Earth Below | Ron | Short film |
| 2002 | Private Property | Sam | |
| 2002 | 100 Mile Rule | Jerry | |
| 2003 | Prologue | — | |
| 2004 | The Notebook | John Hamilton | |
| 2004 | Noise | Elliot | |
| 2004 | The Warrior Class | Sancerre | |
| 2005 | Life on the Ledge | Mr. Eddy | |
| 2005 | Romance & Cigarettes | Urologist | |
| 2006 | Alpha Dog | Butch Mazursky | |
| 2009 | Here and There | Robert | |
| 2009 | My Sister's Keeper | Dr. Chance | |
| 2010 | Zenith | Berger | |
| 2011 | Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life | Simon Rudolph | |
| 2011 | Dirty Movie | Little Johnny's Dad | |
| 2011 | Fake | Tay Murphy | |
| 2011 | Trophy Kids | Charlie | |
| 2014 | The Other Woman | Nick | |
| 2023 | God Is a Bullet | Arthur Naci | |
| TBA | Transfer at Aachen † | Ludwig Vnuk | Pre-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Sessions | Marc | Television film |
| 1985 | Miami Vice | Lile | Episode: "Rites of Passage" |
| 1986 | Tales from the Darkside | Werewolf | Episode: "The Circus" |
| 1988 | Crime Story | Thalberg | Episode: "Femme Fatale" |
| 1989 | American Playhouse | Nelson's Pal | Episode: "Ask Me Again" |
| 1993 | Blind Spot | Frank | |
| 1994 | The Cosby Mysteries | — | Episode: "The Lottery Winner Murders" |
| 1995 | New York News | — | Episode: "New York News" |
| 1995 | New York Undercover | Alan Warwick | Episode: "The Shooter" |
| 1996-2005 | Law & Order | Defense Attorney Lionel Granger / Jeremy Cook / Paul Radford / Paul Medici | 4 episodes |
| 2000 | The $treet | Carl Kettner | Episode: "Closet Cases" |
| 2000 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Kenny Strick | Episode: "Maledictus" |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Lionel Granger | 10 episodes |
| 2013 | Cyndi Lauper: Still So Unusual | Himself | 12 episodes |
| 2016 | Elementary | Joe Ballantine | Episode: "A Study in Charlotte" |
| 2017 | Homeland | George Pallis | 3 episodes |
| 2020 | Tommy | Robert 'Bob' Flake | Episode: "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" |
| 2021 | A Time to Kill | James Lapan | Episode: "Killer on the Roof" |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Voice Role | Notes |
| 1995 | Ripper | Twig | |