David Lander

This article is about David L. Lander. For the television series, see This is David Lander.
David Lander
Born David Leonard Landau
(1947-06-22) June 22, 1947
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor, composer, musician
Years active 1967–present
Spouse(s) Kathy Fields (m. 1979)
Children Natalie Lander (b. 1983)

David Leonard Lander (born June 22, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, composer, musician, and baseball scout. He has also worked as the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He is best known for his portrayal of Squiggy on the sitcom Laverne & Shirley. David Lander is also the father of Natalie Lander.

Biography

Lander was born David Leonard Landau in Brooklyn, New York, to schoolteacher parents.[1] He is best known for his role of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman on the situation comedy Laverne & Shirley from 1976 to 1982 along with sitcom sidekick Lenny, played by Michael McKean. He also played "Tanning Intruder" in "Christmas with the Kranks."

Lander's partnership with McKean began during their acting classes at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh where they developed the characters of Lenny and Squiggy. After Pittsburgh they teamed up in the Los Angeles-based comedy ensemble The Credibility Gap. The duo released an album as Lenny and the Squigtones in 1979 featuring Christopher Guest on guitar, credited as Nigel Tufnel, a name Guest would later reuse in the spoof rock band Spinal Tap. Lander and McKean also appeared together in the 1979 Steven Spielberg comedy 1941, and the 1980 Kurt Russell film Used Cars. Lander and McKean lent their vocal talents to the animated TV series Oswald, which ran from 2001-2004. Lander and McKean voiced the characters of the penguin cousins Henry and Louie, respectively.

Lander has also appeared in numerous other TV shows and movies including The Bob Newhart Show, Barney Miller, Happy Days, Viva Valdez, Married... with Children, Twin Peaks, On the Air, The Weird Al Show, Mad About You, Pacific Blue, and The Drew Carey Show. His film roles were more sparse but still memorable; these included the part of a minor league baseball radio announcer in the film, A League of Their Own and a bit part of the minister officiating the marriage ceremony in Say It Isn't So. Lander created the starring role of the demented fast food franchise clown Bruce Burger in the cult film Funland directed by Michael A. Simpson.

Lander also has experience as a voice actor, with a resume dating back to 1969 where he "dramatically reproduced" Elvis Presley quotations for the Pop Chronicles music documentary[2] and 1970 when he was the voice of Jerry Lewis in the Filmation series Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down. Later voice roles included The Big Bang, A Bug's Life, The Garfield Show, Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills, Oswald, Titan A.E., Tom and Jerry: The Movie and the animated TV series Galaxy High as the six-armed Milo de Venus. He also reprised his role as Squiggy in the animated sitcom, The Simpsons. Lander also provided the voice of Smart Ass, the chief weasel of Judge Doom's Toon Patrol in the 1988 Disney film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Lander reprised his role for Smart Ass on the related ride, but his character was renamed Wiseguy. He was credited as Stephen Lander in Boo, Zino and the Snurks. His latest voice role is that of Ch'p in the DC Comics animated movie, Green Lantern: First Flight.

Lander suffers from multiple sclerosis. Officially diagnosed on 15 May 1984 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, he went public in 1999 and regularly speaks at related conventions. In 2002, his autobiography was published, Fall Down Laughing: How Squiggy Caught Multiple Sclerosis and Didn't Tell Nobody (ISBN 1-58542-052-2), written with Lee Montgomery.

In addition to acting, Lander, a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, has a small stake in the Portland Beavers. He has worked as a baseball talent scout since 1997, first for the Anaheim Angels, and later for the Seattle Mariners.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1977 Cracking Up Various Characters Credited as The Credibility Gap
1979 1941 Joe
1980 Wholly Moses! The Beggar
Used Cars Freddie Paris
1982 Pandemonium Pepe
1985 The Man with One Red Shoe Stemple
1987 The Big Bang Fred (voice) English version
Steele Justice Army Guard
Funland Bruce Burger
1988 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Smart Ass (voice)
1990 Masters of Menace Squirt
1991 Steel and Lace Schumann
1992 A League of Their Own Radio Sportscaster Uncredited
Tom and Jerry: The Movie Frankie da Flea (voice)
1993 Betrayal of the Dove Norman
1998 A Bug's Life Thumper (voice)
Ava's Magical Adventure The Mayor
The Modern Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mayor Burgabom
1999 Baby Huey's Great Easter Adventure Bernie Direct-to-video
2000 Titan A.E. The Mayor (voice)
Scary Movie Principal "Squiggy" Squiggman
The Tangerine Bear Theodore, Store Clerk (voice) Direct-to-video
2001 Say It Isn't So Reverend Stillwater
Dr. Dolittle 2 Bird (voice)
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius Yokian Guard, Gus (voice)
2002 Jane White Is Sick & Twisted Gerry King
2004 Christmas with the Kranks Tanning Intruder
2006 Zoom Wendy's Employee
Tomoko's Kitchen Gene Short film
2009 Green Lantern: First Flight Ch'p (voice) Direct-to-video

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1969 Department S Lorio Episode: "Who Plays the Dummy?"
1970–72 Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down Jerry Lewis (voice) 18 episodes
1972 Love, American Style Additional voices Episode: "Love and the Old-Fashioned Father"
The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie Jud Episode: "Gidget Makes the Wrong Connection"
1973 Fem myror är fler än fyra elefanter Magnus (voice) 40 episodes, English version
1974 The Bob Newhart Show Milt the Delivery Boy Episode: "Ship of Shrinks"
1975 Rhoda Mel Towers Episode: "Call Me Grandma"
Barney Miller David Gordon Episode: "Hot Dogs"
1976 Viva Valdez Harry Episode: "Weekend"
1976–83 Laverne & Shirley Andrew 'Squiggy' Squiggman 156 episodes
1979 Happy Days Andrew 'Squiggy' Squiggman Episode: "Fonzie's Funeral: Part 2"
1984 The Love Boat Arnold Herlick 2 episodes
1985 Highway to Heaven Ed Episode: "The Smile in the Third Row"
George Burns Comedy Week Episode: "The Honeybunnies"
1986 Tall Tales & Legends Mr. Sylvester Episode: "My Darlin' Clementine"
Galaxy High Milo de Venus (voice) 13 episodes
1987 Matlock Eli Walsh Episode: "The Convict"
A Garfield Christmas Doc Boy (voice) TV special
1988 Simon & Simon Alvie 'The Weasel' Hortsnagel Episode: "Bad Betty"
1989 Father Dowling Mysteries Eric Becker Episode: "What Do You Call a Call Girl Mystery"
Monsters James Self Episode: "Their Divided Self"
Married... with Children Eli Episode: "Married... with Prom Queen: The Sequel"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Tactician Episode: "Peak Performance"
Knight & Daye Episode: "Stalk Radio"
Freddy's Nightmares Lenny Nordhoff Episode: "Lucky Stiff"
1990 Head of the Class Mr. Freelik Episode: "Alan Goes Crimson"
TaleSpin Weazel (voice) Episode: "Vowel Play"
Midnight Patrol: Adventures in the Dream Zone Additional voices 13 episodes
1990–91 Twin Peaks Tim Pinkle 3 episodes
1991 ProStars Additional voices
1991–93 Tom & Jerry Kids Bernie the Swallow (voice) 3 episodes
1992 On the Air Valdja Gochktch 7 episodes
Camp Candy Additional voices Episode: "When It Rains... It Snows"
Batman: The Animated Series Nitro (voice) Episode: "Appointment in Crime Alley"
The Little Mermaid Da Shrimp (voice) 3 episodes
1993 Matrix Freddy Flanagan Episode: "False Witness"
Family Album Mr. DeVito Episode: "Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall All You Gotta Do Is Call..."
1994 Getting By Sid Smollen Episode: "Sell It Like It Is"
1994–95 Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills Lechner (voice) 26 episodes
1994–96 Saturday Night Live Squiggy 2 episodes
1995 Family Matters Oliver
Dream On The Other Norman Mailer Episode: "Significant Author"
The Nanny The Landlord Episode: "Val's Apartment"
1996 Homeboys in Outer Space Inspector 17 Episode: "House Party or, Play That Funky White Music Droid"
The Tick Filth #4 (voice) Episode: "The Tick vs. Filth"
Superman: The Animated Series Sqweek (voice) 2 episodes
Hey Arnold! Sewer King (voice) Episode: "The Sewer King"
1996–97 Pacific Blue Elvis Kryzcewski 14 episodes
1996–98 Jungle Cubs Arthur (voice) 20 episodes
1997 L.A. Heat Cecil Rusk Episode: "In Transit"
Nash Bridges Norman Guilfoyle Episode: "Gun Play"
Johnny Bravo Christopher, Beaver (voice) 2 episodes
Space Ghost Coast to Coast Himself Episode: "Boobookitty"
The Weird Al Show Miner Episode: "Mining Accident"
1997–1998 The Bold and the Beautiful Dr. Martin 'Marty' Guthrie 12 episodes
101 Dalmatians: The Series Horace Badun (voice) 28 episodes
1998 Diagnosis: Murder Willie Andrews Episode: "Food Fight"
1999 Sabrina, the Teenage Witch Postmaster Episode: "Sabrina, the Teenage Writer"
Mad About You Announcer #1 Episode: "Separate Beds"
Arliss Wrestling Promoter Episode: "To Thine Own Self Be True"
Recess Leonard Weems (voice) 2 episodes
2000 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd Caesar (voice) 2 episodes
2001 Black Scorpion Eugene Gardner/Greenthumb Episode: "Roses Are Red, You're Dead"
2001–03 Oswald Henry (voice) 22 episodes
2002 The Simpsons Squiggy (voice) Episode: "Helter Shelter"
2004 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Brain (voice) Episode: "The Nerve"
2005 Hopeless Pictures Les (voice)
2007 The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy Curtis (voice) Episode: "Wrath of the Spider Queen"
2009–11 The Garfield Show Doc Boy (voice) 4 episodes
2015 Break a Hip Charlie Pre-production
2016 SpongeBob SquarePants Donnie the Shark Episode: "Sharks vs. Pods"

Video games

Year Title Role
1997 Lego Island The Brickster, Shark, Gideon Worse
Zork: Grand Inquisitor Voice of the Inquisition, Bickering Torch

References

  1. ↑ "David L. Lander Biography (1947-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  2. ↑ "Show 7 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 1] : UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. 1969-03-23. Retrieved 2010-08-30.

External links

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