Sonny Carl Davis came to the movies from an earlier stint on the music scene in Austin, TX. His rock group, Sons of Coyote, appeared for a time in the 1970s before metamorphosing into the Sons of Uranium Savage. His entertainment career took an upward turn when director Eagle Pennell cast him as one of the two lead characters in the offbeat film The Whole Shootin' Match (1979). Thus began the actor's career of making memorable portrayals of the diverse character parts assigned to him. After playing a redneck entrepreneur in The Whole Shootin' Match, Davis performed in one more Pennell film. Turning in one of his most outstanding performances, Davis played the aging Don Juan character in Last Night at the Alamo (1983). One of the great scenes in film occurs when the handsome, suave, pick-up artist removes his cowboy hat only to reveal a balding head. The change in persona is so great that audiences gasped out loud at the contrast.
Davis is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the businessman with attitude in the highly acclaimed film Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), in which Davis set the benchmark for how to make yourself heard at a fast-food restaurant. Davis also starred as Louise's restaurant co-worker in Thelma & Louise (1991).
Throughout the '80s and '90s, Davis appeared in dramas and comedies in the theaters as well as made-for-television movies, often turning in performances that deserved a wider audience than these limited vehicles gave him. Notable among these were his portrayals in Nowhere to Run (1988); A Pair of Aces (1990); Bad Channels, Seedpeople, and Ned Blessing, all made in 1992; and Fair Game in 1995. Davis' next performances included his 2001 portrayal of a Santa Claus at the wrong place at the wrong time, in I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus; and in Big Time, made the same year.
