David Paymer


David Charles Paymer is an American actor and television director. He is known for his character actor roles on stage and screen. He has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Paymer made his feature film debut as a cab driver in the action comedy The In-Laws. He went on to receive an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination for playing a caring brother and exhausted agent in the showbiz drama Mr. Saturday Night. He is also known for his comedic roles in Airplane II: The Sequel, Crazy People, City Slickers, Get Shorty, The [American President], Carpool, State and Main, and In Good Company as well as dramatic roles in Quiz Show, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Nixon, Amistad, The Hurricane, Ocean's Thirteen, and ''Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit''

Early life

Paymer was born on August 30, 1954, in Oceanside, New York, the son of Sylvia, a travel agent, and Marvin Paymer, a pianist and musical director who originally worked in the scrap metal business. They divorced in 1973. Paymer, who is Jewish, has a brother, Steve. His mother was born in Belgium and left for the United States to escape the Nazi occupation.
Paymer graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in theater and psychology. He is married to Liz Georges; they have two children.

Career

Paymer's acting career began in 1979 with the film The In-Laws. He has appeared in over 90 films in his career. He has also appeared in many popular television shows, including Taxi, Happy Days, L.A. Law, Cheers, Ghost Whisperer, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Entourage, Diff'rent Strokes, The Good Wife, and Family Ties. He has had recurring roles on Cheers, Murphy Brown, and The Larry Sanders Show. He has also appeared in such films as Amistad, City Hall, RFK, and Into the West. He received an Academy Award nomination for Mr. Saturday Night. His voice-over work includes Sheldon in the Kids' WB cartoon series Channel Umptee-3, and neurotic Welsh Terrier Mel in Balto 3: Wings of Change.
Paymer has directed episodes of several popular television series, including Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Melrose Place, Everwood, Brothers & Sisters, and Bunheads.