David Ackroyd was born on May 30, 1940, in Orange, New Jersey, to Arthur, an insurance adjuster, and Charlotte (nee Henderson) Ackroyd.
He studied at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, receiving his BA in 1962 as a ROTC student. After graduating, he appeared in community theater productions while serving in Arizona with the military.
Ackroyd then focused on the arts as a career after enrolling at the Yale Drama School, where he earned his Master of Fine Arts in 1968.
He garnered early credits at Yale Repertory Theatre and Williamstown Theatre Festival. He also found challenging and varied stage work outside the U.S., in Taiwan, Russia, Poland, Germany, France, and the former Czechoslovakia.
Dark and handsome, Ackroyd extended his stage career on-screen in the early 1970s, beginning with daytime soap operas The Secret Storm and Another World. He progressed to prime-time work as Gary Ewing in Dallas until Ted Shackelford took over the role when the character moved front and center with the spin-off drama Knots Landing.
Ackroyd was a durable guest star for decades on popular TV series such as Lou Grant, Trapper John, M.D., St. Elsewhere, Cagney & Lacey, MacGyver, Highway to Heaven, Doogie Howser, M.D., Murder, She Wrote, Walker, Texas Ranger, and Xena: Warrior Princess.
He had recurring roles as Dr. Boyer in AfterMASH and Dr. Bart Langley in A Peaceable Kingdom. Ackroyd provided strong support in the two-part TV special The Dark Secret of Harvest Home and several made-for-television movies.
He appeared in feature films, including The Mountain Men, The Sound of Murder, Wrestling with God, Dark Angel, Love, Cheat & Steal, Dead On, Raven, and No Strings Attached.
Ackroyd is prone to playing intelligent, upscale types or white-collar professionals. He continued to prevail on the stage with potent performances in various plays.
A well-seasoned narrator in documentary stories for the History Channel, Ackroyd has sometimes utilized his well-modulated vocals for animated cartoons.
He is married to wife Ruth Liming, a college admissions officer, and they have two daughters, Jessica and Abigail. Ackroyd is a professor of drama at Flathead Valley Community College and a founding member of the Alpine Theatre Project.
