David Paymer is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 and television director

Television director

A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...

, seen in such films as Quiz Show, Searching for Bobby Fischer

Searching for Bobby Fischer

Searching for Bobby Fischer is a 1993 film based on the life of prodigy chess player Joshua Waitzkin, played by Max Pomeranc. Adapted from the book of the same name by Joshua's father Fred, the film was written and directed by Steven Zaillian...

, City Slickers

City Slickers

City Slickers is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Helen Slater and Jack Palance. Palance won an Academy Award for his performance....

, Crazy People

Crazy People

Crazy People is a 1990 comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah, and directed by Tony Bill.-Plot:Emory Leeson is an advertising executive who experiences a nervous breakdown. He designs a series of "truthful" advertisements, blunt and bawdy and of no use to his boss Drucker's firm.One of...

, State and Main

State and Main

State and Main is a 2000 comedy film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rebecca Pidgeon, about the on-location production in Waterford, Vermont of a film called The Old Mill...

, Payback, Get Shorty

Get Shorty

Get Shorty is a 1990 novel by American novelist Elmore Leonard. In 1995, the novel was adapted into a film of the same name.-Plot summary:...

, Carpool

Carpool (film)

Carpool is a 1996 comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring David Paymer and Tom Arnold.-Plot:Workaholic advertising executive of Bauer & Cole, Daniel Miller , has an important business meeting, but finds himself having to drive the neighborhood carpool for his sons, Bucky Miller and...

, The American President

The American President (film)

The American President is a 1995 romantic comedy film directed by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin. It stars Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox and Richard Dreyfuss...

, Ocean's Thirteen

Ocean's Thirteen

Ocean's Thirteen is a 2007 crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring an ensemble cast. It is the third and final film in the Soderbergh series following the 2004 sequel Ocean's Twelve and the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven, which itself was a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film Ocean's 11...

, and Drag Me to Hell

Drag Me to Hell

Drag Me to Hell is a 2009 American horror film, directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Sam and Ivan Raimi. The plot focuses on loan officer Christine Brown , who tries to impress her boss by refusing to extend a loan to a gypsy woman by the name of Mrs. Ganush...

. Paymer was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...

 in 1992 for Mr. Saturday Night

Mr. Saturday Night

Mr. Saturday Night is a 1992 film that marks the directorial debut of its star, Billy Crystal.It focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr., a fictional stand-up comedian. Crystal produced and co-wrote the screenplay with the writing duo Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz...

. He played the lead role as the Boss in Bartleby, an adaptation of Herman Melville

Herman Melville

Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....

's "Bartleby, the Scrivener." He played a mob

Mafia

The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...

 boss in the short-lived series Line of Fire.

Personal life

Paymer was born in Oceanside, New York

Oceanside, New York

Oceanside is a hamlet located in the south part of the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York. The population was 32,109 at the 2010 census.-History:...

, the son of Sylvia, a travel agent, and Marvin Paymer, a pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

 and musical director who originally worked in the scrap metal

Scrap Metal

Scrap Metal were a band from Broome, Western Australia who played rock music with elements of country and reggae. The members had Aboriginal, Irish, Filipino, French, Chinese, Scottish, Indonesian and Japanese heritage. The band toured nationally as part of the Bran Nue Dae musical and with...

 business. The two divorced in 1973. Paymer is Jewish; his mother was born in Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 and left for the United States because of the Nazi occupation. Paymer has a brother, Steve, and graduated from the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 with a BA

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in theater and psychology. Paymer is married to Liz Georges, with whom he has two children.

Career

Paymer's acting career began in 1979 with the film The In-Laws. Paymer has appeared in over 90 films in his career. He has also appeared in many popular television shows, including Taxi

Taxi (TV series)

Taxi was an American sitcom that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on ABC and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC. The series, which won 18 Emmy Awards, including three for "Outstanding Comedy Series", focuses on the everyday lives of a handful of New York City taxi drivers and their abusive dispatcher...

, Happy Days

Happy Days

Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....

, L.A. Law

L.A. Law

L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...

, Ghost Whisperer

Ghost Whisperer

Ghost Whisperer is an American television supernatural drama, which ran on CBS from September 23, 2005 to May 21, 2010.The series follows the life of Melinda Gordon , who has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts...

, Law and Order: SVU and Entourage

Entourage (TV series)

Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...

. He has had recurring roles on Cheers

Cheers

Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...

, Murphy Brown

Murphy Brown

Murphy Brown is an American situation comedy which aired on CBS from November 14, 1988, to May 18, 1998, for a total of 247 episodes. The program starred Candice Bergen as the eponymous Murphy Brown, a famous investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television...

, and The Larry Sanders Show

The Larry Sanders Show

The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network in the United States. It starred stand-up comedian Garry Shandling as vain, neurotic talk show host Larry Sanders, and centered on the running of his TV show, and the...

. He has also appeared in such films as Amistad

Amistad (1997 film)

Amistad is a 1997 historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg based on the true story of a mutiny in 1839 by newly captured African slaves that took place aboard the ship La Amistad off the coast of Cuba, the subsequent voyage to the Northeastern United States and the legal battle that...

, City Hall

City Hall (film)

City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. Al Pacino and John Cusack star as the Mayor of New York and his idealistic deputy mayor....

, RFK

RFK (film)

RFK is an American TV movie directed by Robert Dornhelm released in 2002. It takes place through the eyes of Robert F. Kennedy after his brother John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. As he lives through the loss, he starts to identify himself as a political figure, not just the former...

, and Into the West. Paymer has also dabbled into the world of animation, lending his voice to the character "Sheldon" in the Kids' WB

Kids' WB

Kids' WB! was Warner Bros. American childrens programing division brand for The WB Television Network. In September 2006, the block moved to The CW Television Network. The CW is the result of The WB's merger with UPN in 2006...

 cartoon series Channel Umptee-3

Channel Umptee-3

Channel Umptee-3 was a Saturday morning animated television series created by Jim George and produced by Norman Lear that aired on The WB in 1997. Ogden Ostrich, Sheldon S...

.

Paymer has directed episodes of several popular television series, including Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls

Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...

, Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...

, One Tree Hill

One Tree Hill (TV series)

One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...

, Melrose Place

Melrose Place (2009 TV series)

Melrose Place is an American television series broadcast on The CW Television Network from September 8, 2009 to April 13, 2010. The fifth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise, it is an updated version of the 1990s Fox prime time drama of the same name, featuring a group of young adults...

, and Everwood

Everwood

Everwood is an American drama television series that initially aired in the United States on The WB. The series is set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado, and was filmed in Ogden, South Salt Lake, and Draper, Utah, except the series pilot which was filmed in Canmore, Alberta,...

. He also appears in a cameo for an AT&T commercial in 2011.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1979	The In-Laws	Cab Driver
1981	This House Possessed	Pasternak
1982	Airplane II: The Sequel Airplane II: The Sequel Airplane II: The Sequel is an American comedy sequel to the 1980 film Airplane!. First released on December 10, 1982, the film was written and directed by Ken Finkleman and stars Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Chad Everett, William Shatner, Rip Torn, and Sonny Bono.-Plot:In the near...	Court Photographer
1983	Grace Kelly	Jay Kanter
1984	Best Defense Best Defense Best Defense is a comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy. It was released in 1984 by Paramount Pictures.-Plot:The movie takes place as two parallel plots separated by several years: Moore is an engineer developing a targeting system on a tank for the United States Army and Murphy is an...	Kurly
	Irreconcilable Differences Irreconcilable differences The concept of irreconcilable differences provides a possible ground for divorce in a number of jurisdictions.In Australian family law with no-fault divorce it is the sole ground, adequate proof being that the estranged couple have been separated more than 12 months.In the United States it can be...	Alan Sluiser
1985	Perfect	Managing Editor
1986	Howard the Duck Howard the Duck (film) Howard the Duck is a 1986 American science fiction comedy film directed by Willard Huyck and produced by George Lucas. It is loosely based on the Marvel comic book of the same name, created by Steve Gerber and quoting scripts by Bill Mantlo, the film focuses on Howard, an alien from a planet...	Larry
	Night of the Creeps Night of the Creeps Night of the Creeps is a 1986 zombie horror film written and directed by Fred Dekker, starring Tom Atkins, Jason Lively, Steve Marshall and Jill Whitlow. The film is notable as an earnest attempt at a B movie and a homage to the genre...	Young scientist
1987	No Way Out No Way Out (1987 film) No Way Out is a 1987 thriller film about a U.S. Naval officer investigating a Washington, D.C. murder. It stars Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young...	David
1988	Rock 'n' Roll Mom	Boris
1989	No Holds Barred	Unger
1989	The Lesser Evil (1998 film) The Lesser Evil (1998 film) The Lesser Evil is a dark thriller that was released by MGM in 1998. The story involves four old friends, Derek , George , Ivan , and Frank who reunite when they become suspects in a double murder. The murders took place twenty years ago and the men covered it up and went on with their lives...	George
1990	Crazy People Crazy People Crazy People is a 1990 comedy film starring Dudley Moore and Daryl Hannah, and directed by Tony Bill.-Plot:Emory Leeson is an advertising executive who experiences a nervous breakdown. He designs a series of "truthful" advertisements, blunt and bawdy and of no use to his boss Drucker's firm.One of...	George
1991	City Slickers City Slickers City Slickers is a 1991 American comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern, Bruno Kirby, Helen Slater and Jack Palance. Palance won an Academy Award for his performance....	Ira Shalowitz
1991-96	The Commish The Commish The Commish is a television series that aired on ABC in the United States from 1991 to 1996. The series focused on the work and home life of a suburban police commissioner in upstate New York....	Arnie Metzger
1992	Mr. Saturday Night Mr. Saturday Night Mr. Saturday Night is a 1992 film that marks the directorial debut of its star, Billy Crystal.It focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr., a fictional stand-up comedian. Crystal produced and co-wrote the screenplay with the writing duo Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz...	Stan	Nominated — Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
1993	Searching for Bobby Fischer Searching for Bobby Fischer Searching for Bobby Fischer is a 1993 film based on the life of prodigy chess player Joshua Waitzkin, played by Max Pomeranc. Adapted from the book of the same name by Joshua's father Fred, the film was written and directed by Steven Zaillian...	Kalev
	Heart and Souls	Hal
1994	City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold is a 1994 comedy film directed by Paul Weiland. It is the sequel to City Slickers and stars Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, Jon Lovitz and Daniel Stern....	Ira Shalowitz
	"In Search of Dr. Seuss In Search of Dr. Seuss In Search of Dr. Seuss is a feature film chronicling the adventures of a news reporter who enters the world of Dr. Seuss by opening a magical book. It came to DVD in 2003 and again in 2008 as a bonus feature for the TV movie Horton Hears a Who!.-Plot:A reporter named Kathy Lane comes to Theodor... "	Ad Man
	Quiz Show	Dan Enright Dan Enright Daniel "Dan" Enright was one of the most successful game show producers in American television. Enright worked with Jack Barry from the 1940s until Barry's death in 1984. They were partners in creating programs for radio and television...
	Cagney & Lacey: The Return	Feldberg
1995	Cagney & Lacey: Together Again	Feldberg
	Get Shorty Get Shorty (film) Get Shorty is a 1995 crime-comedy film based on Elmore Leonard's novel of the same name. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and Danny DeVito, the plot remained true to the book except for a few minor details....	Leo Devoe	Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
	The American President	Leon Kodak
	Nixon Nixon (film) Nixon is a 1995 American biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former US President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins....	Ron Ziegler Ron Ziegler Ronald Louis "Ron" Ziegler was White House Press Secretary and Assistant to the President during United States President Richard Nixon's administration.-Early life:...	Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
1996	Unforgettable Unforgettable (film) Unforgettable is a 1996 thriller with science fiction elements, directed by John Dahl and starring Ray Liotta and Linda Fiorentino. The movie is about a man named David Krane , who is obsessed with finding out who murdered his wife....	Curtis Avery
	City Hall City Hall (film) City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. Al Pacino and John Cusack star as the Mayor of New York and his idealistic deputy mayor....	Abe Goodman
	Carpool Carpool (film) Carpool is a 1996 comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring David Paymer and Tom Arnold.-Plot:Workaholic advertising executive of Bauer & Cole, Daniel Miller , has an important business meeting, but finds himself having to drive the neighborhood carpool for his sons, Bucky Miller and...	Daniel Miller
	Crime of the Century Crime of the Century (TV film) Crime of the Century is a 1996 HBO television film directed by Mark Rydell. It presents a dramatization of the Lindbergh kidnapping. The film stars Stephen Rea as Bruno Hauptmann and Isabella Rossellini as his wife Anna. The film earned five Golden Globe nominations in the "Mini-Series or Motion...	David Wilentz	Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film
1997	The Sixth Man The Sixth Man The 6th Man is a supernatural sports comedy starring Marlon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison. The film was directed by Randall Miller. The film features real NCAA schools, although the rosters are fictitious...	Pederson
	Gang Related	Elliot Goff
	Amistad	Forsyth
	Channel Umptee-3 Channel Umptee-3 Channel Umptee-3 was a Saturday morning animated television series created by Jim George and produced by Norman Lear that aired on The WB in 1997. Ogden Ostrich, Sheldon S...	Sheldon S. Cargo (voice)
1998	The Lesser Evil	George
	Outside Ozona Outside Ozona Outside Ozona is a 1998 American comedy film written and directed by J. S. Cardone. The film follows a group of strangers who are all listening to the same radio station.-Plot:...	Alan Defaux
	Mighty Joe Young Mighty Joe Young (1998 film) The Music was composed and conduced by James Horner. The Soundtrack was released on December of the year 1998.- Tracklist :...	Dr. Harry Ruben
1999	Payback	Stegman
	Chill Factor	Dr. Richard Long
	Mumford Mumford (film) Mumford is a 1999 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan. It is set in a small town where a new psychologist gives offbeat advice to the neurotic residents...	Dr. Ernest Delbanco
	The Hurricane The Hurricane (1999 film) The Hurricane is a 1999 biographical film directed by Norman Jewison, and starring Denzel Washington. The script was adapted by Armyan Bernstein and Dan Gordon from the books Lazarus and the Hurricane by Sam Chaiton and Terry Swinton and The Sixteenth Round by Rubin "Hurricane" Carter.The film...	Myron Bedlock
2000	State and Main State and Main State and Main is a 2000 comedy film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rebecca Pidgeon, about the on-location production in Waterford, Vermont of a film called The Old Mill...	Marty Rossen	Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cast National Board of Review Award for Best Cast National Board of Review Award for Best Cast The National Board of Review Award for Best Acting by an Ensemble is an annual film award given by the National Board of Review.-1990s:... Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast
	Bait	Agent Wooly
	For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story is a film about Arturo Sandoval starring Andy García.The biographical drama was produced for the HBO premium cable network and first aired on October 18, 2000...	Embassy interviewer
	Partners	Bob
	Bounce Bounce (film) Bounce is a 2000 romantic drama film starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow and directed by Don Roos.-Plot:Advertising executive Buddy has just signed an airline in Chicago as a big client but is later delayed by a snow storm waiting for a flight to Los Angeles on the same airline...	Prosecuting Attorney Mandel	(uncredited)
	Enemies of Laughter	Paul Halpern
2001	Focus Focus (film) Focus is a 2002 movie, starring William H. Macy, Laura Dern, David Paymer, and Meat Loaf based on a 1945 novel by playwright Arthur Miller.-Plot:...	Mr. Finkelstein
	Bartleby	The Boss
2002	Joe & Max	Joe Jacobs
2003	Alex & Emma	John Shaw
	Line of Fire	Jonah Malloy	13 episodes Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama
2004	In Good Company	Morty
	Spartan Spartan (film) Spartan is a 2004 American political thriller film written and directed by David Mamet. It features Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, Tia Texada, Ed O'Neill, William H. Macy, and Kristen Bell. It was released in The United States and Canada on 12 March 2004....	TV News Anchor	(uncredited)
2005	School of Life School of Life School of Life is a 2005 made-for-television drama film starring Ryan Reynolds about a teacher who moves to a town and shakes the old school ways up a bit.-Plot:...	Matt Warner
	Warm Springs Warm Springs (film) Warm Springs is a 2005 television film about American President Franklin D. Roosevelt's struggle with polio, his discovery of the Warm Springs, Georgia spa resort and his work to turn it into a center for the aid of polio victims, and his resumption of his political career...	Louis Howe
	Checking Out Checking Out (2005 film) Checking Out is a 2005 feature film directed by Jeff Hare and written by Richard Marcus and Allen Swift.-Reviews:The film received generally average reviews upon its release. Based on 7 professional reviews, Checking Out gained a "rotten" seal on review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes, with an approval...	Ted Applebaum
2007	Resurrecting the Champ Resurrecting the Champ Resurrecting the Champ is a 2007 American drama film directed by Rod Lurie and written by Michael Bortman and Allison Burnett, based on the L.A. Times Magazine article by J.R. Moehringer. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett and Alan Alda, among others. It was filmed in Calgary, Alberta,...	Whitley
	Ocean's Thirteen Ocean's Thirteen Ocean's Thirteen is a 2007 crime comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring an ensemble cast. It is the third and final film in the Soderbergh series following the 2004 sequel Ocean's Twelve and the 2001 film Ocean's Eleven, which itself was a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film Ocean's 11...	V.U.P.
2008	Redbelt Redbelt Redbelt is a 2008 martial arts film written and directed by David Mamet and starring Chiwetel Ejiofor. The film opened in wide release in the United States and Canada on May 9, 2008.-Plot:...	Richard
2009	Drag Me to Hell Drag Me to Hell Drag Me to Hell is a 2009 American horror film, directed by Sam Raimi, with a screenplay by Sam and Ivan Raimi. The plot focuses on loan officer Christine Brown , who tries to impress her boss by refusing to extend a loan to a gypsy woman by the name of Mrs. Ganush...	Mr. Jacks
2011	Twixt	Sam Malkin

External links