David Leisure
David Leisure | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Russell Leisure November 16, 1950 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Bunch (1997–?)(divorced) Kelly Hutchinson (1989–1994) (divorced) Flora Kleinfeld (1975–1983) (divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
David Russell Leisure (born November 16, 1950)[1] is an American actor. He played Charley Dietz in the sitcom Empty Nest from 1988 to 1995 and fictional automotive "pitch man" Joe Isuzu in a series of North American television commercials for Isuzu from 1986 to 1990, and again from 1999 to 2001.[2][3]
Early life[edit]
Leisure was born in San Diego[4] and attended San Diego State University.[2]
Career[edit]
Leisure moved to Los Angeles after graduating.[2] His first acting job was a minor role in Airplane! (1980) as a Hare Krishna. He had been roommates with the star, Robert Hays, in college, but attributed his casting to his willingness to shave his head.[5] After a period of hardship, in which he lived in his car, he found work as a commercial pitchman, including a series of commercials for Bell Atlantic.[2] Della Femina Travisano & Partners cast him as Joe Isuzu because they believe he could "lie like a pro". The character made over-the-top claims and obvious lies about Isuzu cars in a series of commercials throughout the 1980s.[2] The character's popularity led to a costarring role as Charley Dietz on the television series Empty Nest.[4] His Joe Isuzu character was brought back in 1999 and continued through 2001.[6][7] Other roles include Roger Wilkes on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless[6] and, as of July 2010, a recurring role as Salem District Attorney Charles Woods on Days of Our Lives.[8]
Roles[edit]
His additional credits include Sabrina the Teenage Witch, One on One, V.I.P., Diagnosis: Murder, The Parent 'Hood, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, For Your Love, Caroline in the City, The Wayans Bros., Touched by an Angel, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Renegade, The Golden Girls, Married... with Children, ALF, 227, T. J. Hooker, The Equalizer, Falcon Crest, Sledge Hammer!, Nurses, The Brady Bunch Movie, and Power Rangers Wild Force.
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Airplane! | First Krishna | |
| 1982 | Airplane II: The Sequel | Religious Zealot | |
| 1986 | Say Yes | Police Sergeant | |
| 1988 | You Can't Hurry Love | Peter Newcomb | |
| 1995 | The Brady Bunch Movie | Jason | |
| 1997 | Nowhere | Egg and Ducky's Dad | |
| 1997 | Hollywood Safari | Troy | |
| 1999 | Fallout | Colegrove | |
| 1999 | Dogmatic | Pal Acres | |
| 1999 | 10 Things I Hate About You | Mr. Chapin | |
| 2000 | 3 Strikes | District Attorney | |
| 2000 | Behind the Seams | Milos Breneschov | |
| 2001 | Downward Angel | Charles | |
| 2004 | Elvis Has Left the Building | Hole-in-the-Head Elvis | |
| 2005 | Welcome to September | Elliott Faydo | |
| 2009 | Bionicle: The Legend Reborn | Metus (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 2013 | Dancing on a Dry Salt Lake | Benny |
Television[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Crisis Counselor | Episode: "Child Prefers Uncle" | |
| 1982 | Wait Until Dark | Policeman | Television movie |
| 1983 | Falcon Crest | Waiter | Episode: "The Betrayal" |
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Man in Restaurant | Uncredited Episode: "Dead Drop" |
| 1986 | Sledge Hammer! | Officer Jackson | Episode: "Magnum Farce" |
| 1986 | T. J. Hooker | Ben Fairly | Episode: "Shootout" |
| 1987 | If It's Tuesday, It Still Must Be Belgium | Andrew Selsky | Television movie |
| 1987 | Sledge Hammer! | Guard Chester | Episode: "Hammer Hits the Rock" |
| 1987 | ALF | Nick "Nicky" (The Fish) Mintz/Brandon Tartikoff | Episodes: "The Gambler" and "Prime Time" |
| 1987 | The Golden Girls | Oliver | Episode: "Empty Nests" |
| 1988 | Married... with Children | Bink Winkleman | Episode: "Just Married... With Children" |
| 1988–1995 | Empty Nest | Charley Dietz | Main cast 170 episodes |
| 1991 | Dinosaurs | Mr. Teddy Wolfe (voice) | Episode: "What 'Sexual Harris' Meant" |
| 1992 | The Golden Girls | Charley Dietz | Episode: "Questions and Answers" |
| 1994 | Burke's Law | Stan "Stormy" Gilliss | Episode: "Who Killed the Anchorman?" |
| 1995 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Spencer Spencer | Episode: "Ordinary People" |
| 1995 | Too Something | Episode: "Money Grubbers" | |
| 1996 | Renegade | Derek Devlin / Mr. Success | Episode: "Mr. Success" |
| 1997 | Pepper Ann | Sergeant Gene Fagan (voice) | Episode: "The Big Pencil/Sani-Paper" |
| 1997 | The Wayans Bros. | Mr. Masada | Episode: "Stand Up Guy" |
| 1999 | Recess | Guy McMahon (voice) | Episode: "The Beauty Contest" |
| 1999 | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Trace Cagney | Episode: "Honey, It's the Ghostest with the Mostest" |
| 1999 | Diagnosis: Murder | Lenny | Episode: "The Roast" |
| 1999 | Timon and Pumbaa | Sal (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2002 | Teamo Supremo | Will 2 Wynn (voice) | Episode: "The Will of the People!" |
| 2002–2010 | General Hospital | Reverend Grace | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Purser/Bob Bermuda | Episode: "What a Witch Wants" |
| 2009 | The Young and the Restless | Roger Wilkes | 21 episodes Recurring cast |
| 2020 | The Goldbergs | Captain Roger | Episode: "Airplane!" |
References[edit]
- ^ "David Leisure". AllMovie. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
- ^ a b c d e Wolmuth, Roger (1986-11-10). "David Leisure—a.k.a. Joe Isuzu—Finds That the Road to Success Is Paved with Lies, Lies, Lies!". People. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
- ^ "American Isuzu Fires Ad Agency That Created Joe Isuzu Character". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
- ^ a b Elias, Thomas D. (1994-08-13). "WITH 'EMPTY NEST,' DAVID LEISURE STARTS TO LEAVE JOE ISUZU BEHIND". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
- ^ Harris, Will (2015-04-07). "Surely you can't be serious: An oral history of Airplane!". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
- ^ a b "David Leisure". USA Today. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2020-02-03 – via PressReader.
- ^ Krebs, Michelle (2001-07-01). "BEHIND THE WHEEL/Isuzu Axiom; Joe Isuzu Is Back, and He Has a New Sport Utility to Sell". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ Abraham, Zennie (2010-03-11). "Days of Our Lives David Leisure talks about fame – after The Oscars". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
External links[edit]
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| National | |
