Biography

David Harris

Jump to

New York native David Dominic Harris studied at the Manhattan High School of Performing Arts and joined their drama department upon the advice of an English teacher. He made his acting debut in the made-for-television drama Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys (1976). Three years later, he had a leading role in the cult movie The Warriors (1979), achieving lasting fame as the flamboyantly attired Cochise (complete with turquoise necklace and red bandanna), a key member in a New York street gang. Notable among his subsequent film appearances are the Robert Redford-starring prison drama Brubaker (1980), the murder mystery A Soldier's Story (1984) (set in a segregated U.S. Army regiment during World War II) and Quicksilver (1986) (as a character named 'Apache'). He was seen more frequently on the small screen in episodes of Kojak (1973), MacGyver (1985), Hill Street Blues (1981), Simon & Simon (1981) , The Equalizer (1985), and Profiler (1996), among many others. Harris is also well-remembered as the abused Mont Royal house slave Priam, brother of Semiramis, in the epic miniseries North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985); and as the uniformed Officer Donny Simmons in several instalments of NYPD Blue (1993).

Harris died from cancer on October 25 2024 in New York.
- IMDb mini biography by: I.S.Mowis

David Harris was an American television and film actor, most notable for his portrayal of Cochise, a young gang member, in the 1979 film The Warriors.
Throughout the 1980s, he appeared in a number of fairly high-profile films, and in the 1990s, he did mostly television work.
In "The Warriors," Harris played Cochise, an integral member of the eponymous red vest-wearing gang. Harris' character Cochise was set apart from the others by his unique choice of fashion style that included on a headband and a big turquoise necklace as a sign of rebellion.
He lent his voice to The Warriors video game in 2005, reprising his role as Cochise.
He also appeared in TV shows like "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "ER," "NYPD Blue," "Mike Hammer: Private Eye" and more.

I was in Hong Kong, I was in the Philippines, I was in Tokyo, and I've done a lot of movies, but I get off the plane and people go, It's the guy from 'The Warriors.'

Suggest an edit or add missing content