"I never wanted to be the next Rock. I just want to be a good fucking actor. A respected actor."
David Michael Bautista (born January 18, 1969 in Arlington, Virginia) is an American actor, bodybuilder, mixed-martial artist and retired professional wrestler of Greek and Filipino (specifically Ilocano
) descent.
Bautista rose to fame in pro wrestling, where he took the ring name Batista (see that page for his wrestling career and tropes). He wrestled for almost two decades, debuting in 2000 before announcing his retirement in 2019.
In between, he began an acting career, starting out with guest appearances on shows like Smallville and Chuck. He gained fame outside of wrestling fandoms with the role of Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, beginning with Guardians of the Galaxy. Since then he's been a frequent face in action and Science Fiction franchises, with his roles frequently taking advantage of his physicality and imposing build, while also pushing the envelope in his dramatic chops.
Filmography:
- Smallville (2006) as Aldar (1 episode)
- Chuck (2010) as T.I. (1 episode)
- The Scorpion King 3: Battle For Redemption (2010) as Argomael
- The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) as Brass Body
- Riddick (2013) as Diaz
- Marvel Cinematic Universe as Drax the Destroyer:
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
- Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!note
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
- Avengers: Endgame (2019)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewindnote
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023)
- Heist (2015) as Jason Cox
- Spectre (2015) as Mr. Hinx
- Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016) as Tong Po
- Blade Runner as Sapper Morton:
- 2048: Nowhere To Run (2017)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
- Escape Plan as Trent DeRosa:
- Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018)
- Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)
- Final Score (2018) as Michael Knox
- Hotel Artemis (2018) as Everest
- Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018) as Owen Davidson
- What We Do In The Shadows (2019) as Garrett (1 episode)
- Stuber (2019) as Vic
- My Spy (2020) as JJ Cena
- Room 104 (2020) as Raw Dawg Avalanche/Doug Avalon (1 episode)
- Home Movie: The Princess Bride (2020) as Fezzik
- Army of the Dead (2021) as Scott Ward
- Army of Thieves (Stock Footage) (2021)
- Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas (TBA)
- See (2021) as Edo Voss (Main role, Season 2)
- Dune as Glossu "Beast" Rabban:
- Dune: Part One (2021)
- Dune: Part Two (2024)
- Little Demon (2022) as Baka (voice) (1 episode)
- Glass Onion (2022) as Duke Cody
- Knock at the Cabin (2023) as Leonard
- The Boy and the Heron (2023) as The Parakeet King (voice, English dub)
- Aang The Last Airbender (2025) as TBA (voice)
Tropes about his works:
- Baritone of Strength: His low, guttural voice is a perfect fit for the formidable, imposing characters he usually plays.
- The Big Guy: He's 6''4 and built like a truck, which means his roles are often this.
- Celebrity Endorsement:
- Appeared in some Smirnoff commercials, including this one targeting Red, White, and Berry seltzer to self-quarantining drinkers.
- Appeared in It's In Our Blood, the ad for Mortal Kombat 1, in 2023.
- Appeared in some Smirnoff commercials, including this one
- Chronically Killed Actor: His characters tend to go out with big attacks that fit such a large man dying (he's pulled off a train in Spectre, shot after a long fistfight in Blade Runner 2049 and a helicopter fighter with a zombie in Army of the Dead, disintegrated in Avengers: Infinity War...).
- Creator Backlash:
- His performance in Wrong Side of Town helped him realize he still needed to take a lot of acting lessons before he could become an actual movie star.
- While he's still grateful for the recognition the role gave him, Dave grew rather tired of playing Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe after some time. His particular grievances had to do with the arduous makeup sessions, the lack of closure regarding Drax's enmity with Thanos, and his dissatisfaction with acting as Plucky Comic Relief within the Guardians of the Galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was Bautista's last reprise of the role before leaving the franchise.
- Production Posse:
- Part of Denis Villeneuve's, who worked with him on Blade Runner 2049 and then cast him in his Dune films.
- He's worked with James Gunn on all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies — even threatening to leave the franchise at one point after Disney's initial firing of Gunn. He eagerly volunteered for The Suicide Squad as well, only not taking a part in it down due to being offered the lead role in Army of the Dead because he wanted to work with Zack Snyder.
- Star-Making Role: When it comes to filmmaking his visibility skyrocketed among those who don't follow wrestling after he was cast in Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Tom Hanks Syndrome: Bautista first became famous for portraying the comedic Drax the Destroyer in the MCU. His later filmography had him lean towards taking much more serious roles, such as Glossu "Beast" Rabban in Dune, Scott Ward in Army of the Dead and Leonard in Knock at the Cabin.
- What Could Have Been:
- He landed a role in the Manny Pacquiao vehicle Wapakman, as the Big Bad. However, this movie would have conflicted with his WWE schedule.
- He filmed a cameo for The Boss, as a Boy Scout troop leader whose troop gets into a fight with Michelle (Melissa McCarthy)'s Girl Scout troop. This cameo apparently got cut during a reshoot of the ending, turning it into a Missing Trailer Scene. The DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD versions include it as an alternate ending, a sample of which Universal shared here.
- He landed
