Who is David from Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia and what is their importance?

Davis is Elizabeth Gilbert's lover, into whose arms she falls desperately immediately after leaving her husband, David is an bigger-than-life character, a New York actor and writer with the big Italian eyes that "unstitch" Liz. He is initially attentive and romantic, and their falling in love is like a giddy movie montage. Liz's "reprieve," however, is short-lived, as David draws back from her despondency and dependence.