Actor and director DB Woodside knows a thing or two about plot twists.
After all, he’s been a high school principal with a dark secret on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” a terrorist-thwarting U.S. president on “24,” a fallen angel on “Lucifer” and a secret service agent with a troubled past on “The Night Agent.” These are just a few of the more than 50 TV and film roles he has played over the course of a steady, successful 27-year acting career, in addition to recent stints as a director and writer.
Perhaps the biggest plot twist in Woodside’s life happened not on a film set, but on the UAlbany campus – a college from which he had never intended to graduate, and certainly not with a theatre degree.
Woodside had eschewed a football scholarship to Northeastern University in order to attend UAlbany with his high school girlfriend. The two had a “secret plan” (unknown to their parents) to transfer after two years. In the meantime, Woodside had secured a spot on the UAlbany football team, where he would work toward his dream of becoming a star running back in the NFL.
Girlfriend. Football. Transfer. What could go wrong? Early into his first semester, however, Woodside suffered a severe back injury on the football field, and the “secret plan” suddenly unraveled.
“My football career was over, my girlfriend broke up with me and I’m here at UAlbany – with no clue about what to do with my life,” said Woodside. He quickly added with a grin: “It was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Woodside had not yet declared a major at that point, and he was leaning toward psychology. However, he felt an inexplicable connection to the University’s Performing Arts Center (PAC). Without football to occupy his time, Woodside had rekindled his passion for playing guitar and piano, and he started jamming with a friend in the PAC’s rehearsal spaces.
The center also offered another attraction. “We noticed that the most interesting women on campus – smart, strong women – were all in the PAC building,” noted Woodside, who found himself spending more and more time there. He finally decided to stop observing and take an acting class. Like a scene from a show or movie that Woodside might later star in, his life suddenly changed dramatically.
“I had found my people!” said Woodside. “What I loved about theatre was that I loved everyone there. These were people who may have felt like an outsider in every other part of their lives – so many cultures, so many ways to live your life – but here they had a home. It became like a second family to me.”
It was in that same acting class that a UAlbany professor told Woodside something that would both inspire him and challenge him to this day.
“She said ‘You have something special. If you take it seriously, if you focus on your craft—you can be something special,’” recalled Woodside. “This is where that seed was first planted.”
After graduating from UAlbany, Woodside pursued graduate classes in acting, writing and direction at the University of Iowa and later earned his master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama. He then moved to New York City, not far from his birthplace in Queens (his family had moved upstate to Wappingers Falls when he was in elementary school). Woodside diligently auditioned for acting work on both coasts, while workshopping with other aspiring New York actors in Manhattan. One fateful day in 1996, a call came in. Or, rather, a buzz.
“I was in NYC with a girlfriend. We were walking uptown to Central Park because we had no money for the subway,” recalled Woodside. “Suddenly my ‘ancient technology’ – a beeper – went off. And I had to go find an even more ancient technology: a payphone!”
Woodside had gotten his first big break: a recurring role on “Murder One,” a network drama from writer-producer Steven Bochco, the 80s-90s TV titan whose previous megahits included “Hill Street Blues,” “L.A. Law” and NYPD Blue. While “Murder One” would only last two more seasons, it gave Woodside the exposure and big-name credibility that would open many more doors.
“I got the part, and my life changed overnight,” said Woodside. This remarkable trajectory is evident with one glance at Woodside’s imdb.com page, where his credits stretch with almost no interruption from “Murder One” to his present-day role on “9-1-1 Lonestar.” Along the way, Woodside has found himself in some of the biggest, buzziest hits of the past 25 years – including a recent stint where he was simultaneously on two of Netflix’s top 10 shows (“Lucifer” and “The Night Agent”).
“I consider myself fortunate and blessed,” said Woodside. “But not ‘lucky.’ My family and friends have told me to stop using that word because they know that I’ve worked really hard for this. Yes, in this business, you need to be in the right place at the right time – but you also need to be prepared.”
Woodside attributes his work ethic and dedication to his craft to the foundation he learned at UAlbany and to lessons instilled by his parents. His mother was a registered nurse and department administrator of a cardiovascular intensive care unit, and his father, now deceased, worked for IBM. Both placed a great value on education and hard work, but they also exposed their children to theatre, dance and the arts.
“I have fantastic parents, always supportive,” said Woodside. “And I told them ‘It’s your fault I’m in acting – you made sure we were well-rounded!’”
He also credits his family with keeping him grounded in real life. “What I love about my parents is that they’re very proud of me, but they’re not going to treat me any differently,” said Woodside with a laugh. “They would say ‘You’re not better than anybody—you just happen to have a job where you’re on TV.’”
Beyond adding to his acting credits, Woodside is focused on expanding his sphere of influence – both in the industry and in society. He was recently able to direct an episode of “Lucifer” and he’s in the process of pitching his own projects to major studios and streaming services.
“Look at any successful artist – they’re vulnerable, they’re putting themselves out there,” he noted. “If you’re not a little nervous, you’re not doing it right.”
Woodside was recently invited to Washington, D.C., by the prestigious Brady Center to participate in a forum about promoting gun safety in films and on TV and is also busy raising his 13-year-old daughter.
Thirty-two years after graduating from UAlbany — the school from which he thought he would transfer — he returned as the 2023 commencement speaker.
It’s clear that, after all the plot twists in both his life and in his many on-screen roles, Woodside remains ready and eager for new challenges and it was a message he shared with the class of 2023: “Be bold. Hold true to your purpose, hold true to your optimism, your dreams. Let no one diminish you.”
On a perfectly sunny Saturday morning on May 13, 2023, Woodside returned to his alma mater for the first time in 30 years to deliver the keynote address at UAlbany’s 2023 Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony. From amusing anecdotes to inspiring oration, Woodside made a relatable connection with this year’s graduates. Here are a few of his notable quotes:
“My older brother is a financial planner. My younger sister is a lawyer. And I’m an actor. So, you can imagine when I first told my parents about my career choice, they were worried. But now, I’ve got two top 10 shows on Netflix, and I’ve been asked to give the commencement address to my alma mater. So, Mom…and my older brother…and my little sister…I win.”
“Folks will tell you there will be no shortage of issues facing you. I see the promise of a better tomorrow in you. Keep moving forward towards hope – hope is powerful.”
“Use your power, your voice to shape your world. Be agents of change for the country you want to live in.”
When Woodside earned his first TV role on “Murder One” back in 1996, four major networks, along with a handful of cable channels and small upstarts, created the majority of original TV programming. New shows usually debuted in the fall of each year, and made-for-TV movies with modest production budgets were sporadically released. Viewers watched programs on a TV in their homes, or they could record them on a VCR for later viewing.
Fast forward to 2023. There are now dozens of broadcast and cable networks plus global streaming services like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Max, Disney+ and Apple+ churning out an endless array of big-budget shows, movies and limited series all year long. And we, of course, can watch all of this on our TVs, computers, tablets and phones. Anywhere and anytime.
Woodside has had a front row seat for this remarkable evolution – and he sees both pros and cons.
“On one hand, as an actor, there are now more opportunities than ever,” said Woodside. “But in making all this content, are we losing some of the craft, the storytelling and attention to detail?”
That’s one reason why Woodside is hoping to add more director, writer and even producer credits to his already voluminous resume – to give himself more creative control over his own projects.
His commitment to quality goes back to lessons learned in his very first UAlbany acting class. “This is not a job, it’s a craft,” noted Woodside. “It needs to be studied, respected and revered.”
