Chicago native who started as an assistant cameraman on famed cinematographer Haskell Wexler's "Medium Cool" (1968). Davis moved to L.A. and began his first career as a director of photography working on "Hit Man", "Cool Breeze" (both 1972) and Jonathan Kaplan's "The Slams" (1973). He made his feature directorial debut with the independent musical "Stony Island" (1977), which he co-wrote and produced. Davis returned to cinematography with the unsettling teen drama "Over the Edge" (1979) directed by Jonathan Kaplan and the enjoyably trashy "Angel" (1983).Davis made his first foray into action
Worked as a journalist, TV cameraman and photographer prior to his college graduation
1968
Worked as an assistant cameraman on Haskell Wexler's "Medium Cool"
Moved to L.A. working as a cinematographer on commercials and documentaries
1972
First feature as director of photography, "Cool Breeze"
1976
Led class-action suit "Davis et al vs. IATSE et al", which challenged the union's restrictive roster system, and forced the industry to allow young technicians to work
