← Back

John Doe

John Doe

Born: 1954-02-25 • Decatur, Illinois, USA

John Doe (born John Nommensen Duchac on February 25, 1954 in Decatur, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, poet and bass player. Doe founded the much-praised L.A. punk band X, of which he is still an active member. His musical compositions and performances span the rock, country and folk music genres. As an actor, he has dozens of television appearances and several movies to his credit, including the role of Jeff Parker in the television series Roswell.

In addition to X, Doe performs with the country-folk-punk band The Knitters and has released records as a solo artist. In the early 1980s, he performed on two albums by The Flesh Eaters.

In the 1989 biopic Great Balls of Fire!, Doe played Jerry Lee Lewis's cousin-turned-father-in-law J. W. Brown. Doe starred in the 1992 film Roadside Prophets and in the 1998 short Lone Greasers. Other movie acting credits include Road House, Vanishing Point, Salvador, Boogie Nights, The Specials, The Good Girl, Gypsy 83 and Pure Country. As a musician with X, he has two feature-length concert films, several music videos, and an extended performance-and-interview sequence in The Decline of Western Civilization, Penelope Spheeris's seminal documentary about the early-1980s L.A. punk scene.

Along with co-writer Exene Cervenka, Doe composed most of the songs recorded by X. Wild Gift, an album from that band's heyday, was named "Record of the Year" by Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, and The New York Times. With Dave Alvin, he co-wrote two of the songs on the Blasters' 1984 album Hard Line, "Just Another Sunday" and "Little Honey".

In the 1992 movie The Bodyguard (starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston), it was Doe's version of "I Will Always Love You" that plays on the jukebox when Costner and Houston's characters are dancing. It was released on audio cassette by Warner Bros. in September 1992, but is difficult to obtain (though bootleg copies can be downloaded from the Internet). No version is believed to have been released on CD.

"The Meanest Man in the World" by Doe was featured in Season 4 of the television series Friday Night Lights and included on the second soundtrack album.

John Doe released an album with Canadian indie rock band The Sadies called Country Club on April 14, 2009. The album features covers of country classics along with original songs.

Description above from the Wikipedia article John Doe (musician), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

Filmography
Highway 99: A Double Album poster
Highway 99: A Double Album
2025 • Self
Quantum Cowboys poster
Quantum Cowboys
2023 • John the Gunslinger/John the Bartender/John the Businessman
D.O.A. poster
D.O.A.
2022 • Frank Bigelow
The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon poster
The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon
2022 • Self
Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness poster
Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness
2020 • Self
All Creatures Here Below poster
All Creatures Here Below
2019 • Uncle Doug
My Little One poster
My Little One
2019 • Matt
You Can Color Outside the Lines... The Big Boys poster
You Can Color Outside the Lines... The Big Boys
2018
You're Gonna Miss Me poster
You're Gonna Miss Me
2017 • Jake Fillmore
Electric Slide poster
Electric Slide
2014 • Detective Bill Holiday
Move Me Brightly - Celebrating Jerry Garcia's 70th Birthday poster
Move Me Brightly - Celebrating Jerry Garcia's 70th Birthday
2013 • Self
Zombex poster
Zombex
2013 • Seamus O'Connor
No Image
Pleased to Meet Me
2013 • Pete Jones
Ring of Fire poster
Ring of Fire
2013 • A.P. Carter
Hated poster
Hated
2012 • Sam
Song 1 poster
Song 1
2012 • Man
Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind poster
Taking Punk to the Masses: From Nowhere to Nevermind
2011 • Self
No Image
Absent Father
2008 • Tony
The Darwin Awards poster
The Darwin Awards
2007 • Guy in Bar #2
Ten Inch Hero poster
Ten Inch Hero
2007 • Trucker
Ghost on the Highway: A Portrait of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Gun Club poster
Ghost on the Highway: A Portrait of Jeffrey Lee Pierce and The Gun Club
2006 • Interviewee, X
Live Freaky! Die Freaky! poster
Live Freaky! Die Freaky!
2006 • Tex (voice)
X: Live in Los Angeles poster
X: Live in Los Angeles
2005 • Himself
No Image
Celebrity Mix
2005 • Self (archive footage)
Lucky 13 poster
Lucky 13
2005 • Mr. Baker
Return to Sin City: A Tribute to Gram Parsons poster
Return to Sin City: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
2004 • Self (vocals, acoustic guitar)
Torque poster
Torque
2004 • Sheriff Barnes
Wuthering Heights poster
Wuthering Heights
2003 • Earnshaw
Mayor of the Sunset Strip poster
Mayor of the Sunset Strip
2003 • Self
The Good Girl poster
The Good Girl
2002 • Mr. Worther
No Image
Media Whore
2002 • Self
Bug poster
Bug
2002 • Record Store Owner
Gypsy 83 poster
Gypsy 83
2001 • Ray Vale
25 Years of Punk poster
25 Years of Punk
2001 • Self
The Red Right Hand poster
The Red Right Hand
2001 • Jake Stabler
The Specials poster
The Specials
2000 • Eight
Wildflowers poster
Wildflowers
2000 • Teacher
Drowning on Dry Land poster
Drowning on Dry Land
1999 • Les
Sugar Town poster
Sugar Town
1999 • Carl
Brokedown Palace poster
Brokedown Palace
1999 • Bill Marano
The Rage: Carrie 2 poster
The Rage: Carrie 2
1999 • Boyd Wallace
Forces of Nature poster
Forces of Nature
1999 • Carl
Black Cat Run poster
Black Cat Run
1998 • Martin James
The Pass poster
The Pass
1998 • Bus Station Clerk
Boogie Nights poster
Boogie Nights
1997 • Amber's Husband
Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story poster
Get to the Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story
1997 • Joe Maphis
The Last Time I Committed Suicide poster
The Last Time I Committed Suicide
1997 • Lewis
The Price of Kissing poster
The Price of Kissing
1997 • Mouse
Touch poster
Touch
1997 • Elwin Worrel
Black Circle Boys poster
Black Circle Boys
1997 • Bonfiglio
Scorpion Spring poster
Scorpion Spring
1996 • Deputy
Georgia poster
Georgia
1995 • Bobby
Shake, Rattle and Rock! poster
Shake, Rattle and Rock!
1994 • Lucky
Pure Country poster
Pure Country
1992 • Earl Blackstock
Roadside Prophets poster
Roadside Prophets
1992 • Joe Mosley
Liquid Dreams poster
Liquid Dreams
1991 • Cab Driver
No Image
A Matter of Degrees
1991 • Peter Downs
Without You I'm Nothing poster
Without You I'm Nothing
1990 • John Doe
Great Balls of Fire! poster
Great Balls of Fire!
1989 • J.W. Brown
Road House poster
Road House
1989 • Pat McGurn
Border Radio poster
Border Radio
1987 • Dean
Slam Dance poster
Slam Dance
1987 • Det. John Gilbert
Salvador poster
Salvador
1986 • Roberto, Restaurant Owner
X: The Unheard Music poster
X: The Unheard Music
1986 • Self
3:15 the Moment of Truth poster
3:15 the Moment of Truth
1986 • Drunk at Club
Smithereens poster
Smithereens
1982 • Door Guy (uncredited)
The Decline of Western Civilization poster
The Decline of Western Civilization
1981 • Self
Unplugged poster
Unplugged
— • Drake (voice)