David Paymer

One of television and moviedom’s most sturdy and reliable character actors, David Paymer dreamed of being an actor from early childhood. Although he came from a traditional middle-class family that urged him to become a doctor or lawyer, Paymer felt more at home in the world of the theatre. He grew up in Oceanside, New York where his father was a musician and composer. His mother, a homemaker, had fled Belgium with her family to escape the Nazis. After he graduated from the University of Michigan as a theatre/psychology major, Paymer attended an open call and was cast in the National Tour and then the Broadway production of Grease in 1977. Paymer made his feature film debut in the classic comedy, The In-Laws (1979). He appeared in scores of TV and film roles throughout the 80’s, but his big break was on the big screen. Following his appearance in the hit film City Slickers, Paymer so impressed Billy Crystal that Crystal cast him as his brother and manager, Stan Yankelman, in the film Mr. Saturday Night. The role earned Paymer an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 1993. "That was like getting my passport stamped,’ said Paymer, and he was quickly in demand by directors such as Spielberg (Amistad), Redford (Quiz Show), Oliver Stone (Nixon), David Mamet (State & Main), Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Thirteen), Sam Raimi (Drag Me to Hell), and Francis Ford Coppola (Twixt). Chameleon-like in his portrayals, Paymer has since starred in hundreds of roles in film and television, notably The American President, Get Shorty, Payback, The Hurricane, In Good Company, The Five-Year Engagement, and Kenneth Branagh’s Jack Ryan: Shadow One. Paymer has appeared in recurring roles in The Good Wife, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and FX’s Dave, with stints on The Morning Show and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Paymer received Golden Globe nominations for Mr. Saturday Night and for HBO’s Crime of the Century, as well as two SAG Award Ensemble nominations for Get Shorty and Nixon. Paymer became a hyphenate, directing the comedy short Candor City Hospital for Showtime. He has since directed over 70 episodes for television, including such hits as Grey’s Anatomy, The Mentalist, Brothers & Sisters, Medium, and The Unit. He produced and directed the CW series Hart of Dixie. David Paymer and Billy Crystal reunited on Broadway in 2022 in a musical comedy version of Mr. Saturday Night. The show received five Tony nominations, including Best Musical. Paymer and his wife and family reside in Santa Monica, California.