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David Leisure | |
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| 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]
Leisure was born [4] and raised [5] [6] in San Diego. He graduated from Grossmont High School and attended San Diego State University. [2]
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. [7] He was not cast in any more roles for the next several years; this, combined with his first divorce in 1983, led to a brief period of homelessness during which he lived in a Volkswagen van. [2] He eventually 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. [8] [9] Other roles include Roger Wilkes on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless [8] and, as of July 2010, a recurring role as Salem District Attorney Charles Woods on Days of Our Lives . [10]
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 .
| 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 |
| 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!" |
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