Actor Robert Davi, known for roles in “The Goonies,” “Die Hard” and the James Bond film “License to Kill,” has confirmed he left California for Florida, citing homelessness, crime and what he described as political corruption and mismanagement in Los Angeles.
Davi, 75, was born and raised in Queens, New York, but moved to Los Angeles in 1977 as his acting career took off. He lived there for decades before selling his home and relocating with his family to Florida. This January will mark four years since the move.
“The overwhelming influx of homelessness in all communities, the political corruption and the waste of money by the local education agencies in Los Angeles that’s not used for students but for administration costs, and most of that goes to the political party of their choice, and the mismanagement of the LA fires were all [contributing] factors,” Davi told Fox News Digital.
He also pointed to a change in everyday life in the city as a sign of decline. “When I first came to LA, I could go to CVS and it was fine. I could go to a store. It was fine. Now they have gates, they have guards and items are behind lock and key because of the rampant crime,” Davi said. “It’s about people coming in and the acceptable aspect of going into any store and ripping off what they want and not being stopped.”
Despite his frustrations, Davi held onto his California home for years, hoping conditions would improve. According to Davi, the turning point came after the Dec. 1, 2021, home invasion and killing of Jacqueline Avant, the wife of Grammy-winning music executive Clarence Avant, at her Beverly Hills home. Jacqueline Avant, 81, was the mother of Alexander Avant and Nicole Avant, the former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas and wife of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
“Why did I leave California? It was knowing this and watching this happen. It was the nail in my coffin,” Davi said. “California was seeping into this s—, the crime that was happening within communities and continually encroaching into communities … a home invasion and murder by a criminal that was let go three different times?”
Davi, a classically trained singer known for performing the music of Frank Sinatra, has long been connected to Hollywood’s music community and was close to the late record producer Quincy Jones, who in turn was close with Clarence Avant. Within months of the Avant killing, Davi and his family left the state.
Davi, who has spoken publicly about his support for President Donald Trump and what he sees as a political blacklist against conservatives in Hollywood, also reflected on how the industry’s political culture has shifted over the decades. He recalled the treatment Ronald Reagan received from Hollywood when he ran for president, but said conservatives at the time still felt free to speak openly.
“The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) wasn’t afraid. Conservatives were not afraid to talk. Johnny Carson was fair,” Davi said. “You had conservatives that were big stars that spoke out and you had liberals. Since that time, liberalism has taken on another form.”
Davi played Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev in the 2024 biopic “Reagan,” which was re-released in theaters on Sept. 25.
Fox News Digital reached out to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office for comment.
