All Topics  
David Paymer

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

David Paymer
 
 
  Topics David Paymer Topic Home

David Paymer (born August 30 1954) is an Academy Award-nominated American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 character actor
Character actor

A character actor is one who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading actor ones. Character actor roles can range from bit parts to leading actor....
, seen in such films as Quiz Show
Quiz Show

Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film which tells the true story of the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s. It stars John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Ralph Fiennes, Paul Scofield, David Paymer, Hank Azaria, and Christopher McDonald....
, Searching for Bobby Fischer
Searching for Bobby Fischer

Searching for Bobby Fischer is an acclaimed 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 in film comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern , Helen Slater, Jack Palance and Bruno Kirby....
, Crazy People
Crazy People

Crazy People is a 1990 in film movie starring Dudley Moore as a burnt out advertising executive whose mental breakdown lands him in a psychiatric hospital....
, State and Main
State and Main

State and Main is a 2000 comedy film, screenwriting and film director 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
Payback (film)

Payback is a 1999 in film action film starring Mel Gibson and directed by Brian Helgeland. The film shares the same source material as the 1967 in film Film noir-classic Point Blank , directed by John Boorman and starring Lee Marvin; both are based on the book The Hunter , written by Donald E....
, Get Shorty
Get Shorty

Get Shorty is a 1990 in literature novel by American novelist Elmore Leonard. In 1995 in film, the novel was adapted into a Get Shorty ....
, Carpool
Carpool (film)

Carpool is a 1996 in film comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Tom Arnold and David Paymer....
, The American President
The American President (film)

The American President is a 1995 in film romantic comedy film film director by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin. It stars Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Richard Dreyfuss and Michael J....
 and Ocean's Thirteen
Ocean's Thirteen

Ocean's Thirteen is a 2007 in film heist film directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring an ensemble cast. It is the third 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 in film Rat Pack film Ocean's Eleven ....
. 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 Award 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....
 in 1992 for Mr. Saturday Night
Mr. Saturday Night

Mr. Saturday Night is a 1992 film that marks the feature film directorial debut of actor Billy Crystal. The film focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr....
. He played a Mob
Mafia

The Mafia is a Sicily criminal society which is believed to have emerged in late 19th century Sicily. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct....
 boss in the short-lived series Line of Fire
Line of Fire

Line of Fire is a crime drama television series that was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company for 11 episodes in the winter of 2003-2004....
.

er was born in Oceanside, New York
Oceanside, New York

Oceanside is a hamlet located in the south part of the Town of Hempstead, New York, Nassau County, New York. The population was 32,733 at the 2000 census....
, 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 musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
 and musical director who originally worked in the scrap metal
Scrap Metal

Scrap Metal were a band from Broome, Western Australia, 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....
 business.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'David Paymer'
Start a new discussion about 'David Paymer'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


David Paymer (born August 30 1954) is an Academy Award-nominated American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 character actor
Character actor

A character actor is one who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading actor ones. Character actor roles can range from bit parts to leading actor....
, seen in such films as Quiz Show
Quiz Show

Quiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film which tells the true story of the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s. It stars John Turturro, Rob Morrow, Ralph Fiennes, Paul Scofield, David Paymer, Hank Azaria, and Christopher McDonald....
, Searching for Bobby Fischer
Searching for Bobby Fischer

Searching for Bobby Fischer is an acclaimed 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 in film comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Billy Crystal, Daniel Stern , Helen Slater, Jack Palance and Bruno Kirby....
, Crazy People
Crazy People

Crazy People is a 1990 in film movie starring Dudley Moore as a burnt out advertising executive whose mental breakdown lands him in a psychiatric hospital....
, State and Main
State and Main

State and Main is a 2000 comedy film, screenwriting and film director 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
Payback (film)

Payback is a 1999 in film action film starring Mel Gibson and directed by Brian Helgeland. The film shares the same source material as the 1967 in film Film noir-classic Point Blank , directed by John Boorman and starring Lee Marvin; both are based on the book The Hunter , written by Donald E....
, Get Shorty
Get Shorty

Get Shorty is a 1990 in literature novel by American novelist Elmore Leonard. In 1995 in film, the novel was adapted into a Get Shorty ....
, Carpool
Carpool (film)

Carpool is a 1996 in film comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Tom Arnold and David Paymer....
, The American President
The American President (film)

The American President is a 1995 in film romantic comedy film film director by Rob Reiner and written by Aaron Sorkin. It stars Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Richard Dreyfuss and Michael J....
 and Ocean's Thirteen
Ocean's Thirteen

Ocean's Thirteen is a 2007 in film heist film directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring an ensemble cast. It is the third 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 in film Rat Pack film Ocean's Eleven ....
. 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 Award 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....
 in 1992 for Mr. Saturday Night
Mr. Saturday Night

Mr. Saturday Night is a 1992 film that marks the feature film directorial debut of actor Billy Crystal. The film focuses on the rise and fall of Buddy Young Jr....
. He played a Mob
Mafia

The Mafia is a Sicily criminal society which is believed to have emerged in late 19th century Sicily. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct....
 boss in the short-lived series Line of Fire
Line of Fire

Line of Fire is a crime drama television series that was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company for 11 episodes in the winter of 2003-2004....
.

Biography


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, New York, Nassau County, New York. The population was 32,733 at the 2000 census....
, 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 musical ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
 and musical director who originally worked in the scrap metal
Scrap Metal

Scrap Metal were a band from Broome, Western Australia, 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....
 business. The two divorced in 1973. Paymer's family is Jew
Jew

A Jew is a member of the Jewish people, an ethnoreligious group that traces its ancestry to the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East....
ish; his mother was born in Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
 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, Ann Arbor, Michigan is a public university research university located in the state of Michigan. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, which also includes two regional campuses in University of Michigan-Flint and University of Michigan-Dearborn....
 with a BA
Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin language Artium Baccalaureus, is an Undergraduate education bachelor's degree awarded for either a course or a program in either the liberal arts, the sciences or both....
 in theater and psychology.

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 is an United States Situation comedy that originally aired from 1978 to 1982 on American Broadcasting Company, and from 1982 to 1983 on NBC....
, Happy Days
Happy Days

Happy Days is an Television in the United States television sitcom that originally aired from 1974 in television to 1984 in television on American Broadcasting Company....
, L.A. Law
L.A. Law

L.A. Law is an United States television legal drama that ran from 1986 in television to 1994 in television. It was one of the most popular American television shows of the late 1980s and early 1990s....
, Ghost Whisperer
Ghost Whisperer

Ghost Whisperer is an United States Television drama series-Fantasy television-Thriller that premiered on CBS September 23, 2005. The show was developed by medium James Van Praagh and created by John Gray ....
 and Entourage
Entourage (TV series)

Entourage is an HBO original series created by Doug Ellin that chronicles the rise of Vincent Chase ? a young A-list movie star ? and his childhood friends from Queens, New York City as they navigate the unfamiliar terrain of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, California....
. He has had recurring roles on Cheers
Cheers

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

Murphy Brown is an United States 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 , an investigative journalist and news anchor for FYI, a fictional CBS television newsmagazine....
, and The Larry Sanders Show
The Larry Sanders Show

The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television sitcom that originally aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the Home Box Office cable television network in the United States....
. He has also appeared in such films as Amistad
Amistad (1997 film)

Amistad is a 1997 in film Steven Spielberg film based on the true story of a slave mutiny that took place aboard a La Amistad in 1839, and the Amistad that followed....
, City Hall
City Hall (film)

City Hall is a 1996 in film film directed by Harold Becker. Al Pacino and John Cusack star as the idealistic Mayor of New York John Pappas, and Deputy Mayor, Kevin Calhoun respectively....
, RFK, and Into the West.

he has also appeared in the Friends episode The One with the Stoned Guy playing the stoned guy

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

Gilmore Girls is a Creative Arts Emmy Award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated, Television in the United States comedy-drama television program created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel....
, Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy

Grey?s Anatomy is an American primetime medical drama. It debuted on American Broadcasting Company as a mid-season replacement for Boston Legal on March 27, 2005, immediately following Desperate Housewives....
, One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)

One Tree Hill is a Teen drama which takes place in a small fictional North Carolina town. It was created by Mark Schwahn and premiered on September 23, 2003 on The WB Television Network....
, and Everwood
Everwood

Everwood was a prime time television drama that aired in the United States on The WB Television Network. The series was set in the fictional small town of Everwood, Colorado....
. In the television series Angel
Angel (TV series)

Angel is an American television series, a spin-off of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer . The series was created by Buffys creator, Joss Whedon in collaboration with David Greenwalt, and first aired on October 5, 1999....
, there is a running gag about Cordelia Chase
Cordelia Chase

Cordelia Chase is a fictional character created by Joss Whedon for the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off series Angel ....
 socializing with Paymer and his brother, Steve.

External links