Squire Fridell
Encyclopedia
Squire Fridell is an American actor
, perhaps best known for his infectious enthusiasm displayed in over three thousand television commercials.
Since 1978, he has portrayed “The Toyotaman” in American TV ads for The Toyota Motor Corporation
. From 1984 to 1991, he served as the official "Ronald McDonald
" clown character in American television commercials for the McDonald's Corporation chain of fast-food restaurants. From the 1970s until the mid-1990s, Fridell also had supporting character roles in a number of popular TV series, such as Rosetti and Ryan, M*A*S*H, Newhart
, Ironside
and Adam-12
.
In 1980, Harmony Books
published Fridell's book, Acting in Television Commercials for Fun and Profit, subsequently re-released by Random House
in 2005.
Fridell returned as himself in several Toyota commercials in 2010, responding to the image damage the company suffered due to a slow response to safety issues in 2009.
Fridell was born in Oakland, California and currently resides with his wife, Suzy, at Glen Ellen (in the Sonoma Valley
region of that state) where they have operated the GlenLyon Vineyard
s and Winery
since 1987. Squire and Suzy (a professional dancer and dance teacher for many years) have one daughter, Lexy, who is pursuing an acting career in New York City
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, perhaps best known for his infectious enthusiasm displayed in over three thousand television commercials.
Since 1978, he has portrayed “The Toyotaman” in American TV ads for The Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
. From 1984 to 1991, he served as the official "Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. In television commercials, the clown inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland, and has adventures with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and...
" clown character in American television commercials for the McDonald's Corporation chain of fast-food restaurants. From the 1970s until the mid-1990s, Fridell also had supporting character roles in a number of popular TV series, such as Rosetti and Ryan, M*A*S*H, Newhart
Newhart
Newhart is a television situation comedy starring comedian Bob Newhart and actress Mary Frann as an author and wife who owned and operated an inn located in a small, rural Vermont town that was home to many eccentric characters. The show aired on the CBS network from October 25, 1982 to May 21, 1990...
, Ironside
Ironside (TV series)
Ironside is a Universal television series which ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as the wheelchair-using Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character's debut was in a TV-movie on March 28, 1967. The original title of the show in the...
and Adam-12
Adam-12
Adam-12 was a television police drama which followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, Pete Malloy and Jim Reed, as they patrolled the streets of Los Angeles in their patrol unit, 1-Adam-12. Created by Jack Webb who is known for creating Dragnet, the series captured a...
.
In 1980, Harmony Books
Harmony Books
Harmony Books is an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, itself part of publisher Random House. It focusses on topics such as religion, the occult, the paranormal and other pseudoscientific material...
published Fridell's book, Acting in Television Commercials for Fun and Profit, subsequently re-released by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in 2005.
Fridell returned as himself in several Toyota commercials in 2010, responding to the image damage the company suffered due to a slow response to safety issues in 2009.
Fridell was born in Oakland, California and currently resides with his wife, Suzy, at Glen Ellen (in the Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition...
region of that state) where they have operated the GlenLyon Vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s and Winery
Winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, bottling lines, laboratories, and large expanses of...
since 1987. Squire and Suzy (a professional dancer and dance teacher for many years) have one daughter, Lexy, who is pursuing an acting career in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.