David Paymer
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
One of modern TV 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 Jewish family that
urged him to become a doctor or lawyer, Paymer felt more at home in the
world of the thespian. At 14, he used a fake I.D. to see The Graduate,
which starred a young Dustin Hoffman. He grew up in Oceanside, New
York, where his father was in the scrap metal business. His mother, a
homemaker, had fled Belgium with her family to escape the Nazis. When
his father quit the scrap metal business to pursue music, it inspired
young Paymer to give his acting dream a try. His aborted big break came
when he was cast in the TV series, St. Elsewhere, as "Dr. Wayne Fiscus"
the Billy Crystal vehicle, City Slickers. Crystal was so pleased with
Paymer's work that he wrote the part of "Stan Yankelman", beleaguered
brother of the titular character in the movie, Mr. Saturday Night,
especially for Paymer. The part earned Paymer an Oscar nomination 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 13"), and Sam Raimi ("Drag me to Hell").
Chameleon-like in his portrayals, Paymer has since starred in hundreds
of roles in film & television, notably "The American President", "Get
Shorty", "Payback", "The Hurricane", "In Good Company", Francis Ford
Coppola's "Twixt" and Kenneth Branagh's "Jack Ryan: Shadow One".
Paymer received Golden Globe nominations for "Mr. Saturday Night" and
for HBO's "Crime of the Century". Paymer became a hyphenate in 2002,
directing the acclaimed comedy short "Candor City Hospital" for
Showtime. He has since directed over 60 episodes for broadcast
television, including such hits as "Grey's Anatomy", "The Mentalist",
"Brothers & Sisters", "Medium" & "The Unit". He is also a producer and
director on the CW series "Hart of Dixie". Paymer resides in Santa
Monica, CA with his wife and two daughters.
actors, David Paymer dreamed of being an actor from early childhood.
Although he came from a traditional middle-class Jewish family that
urged him to become a doctor or lawyer, Paymer felt more at home in the
world of the thespian. At 14, he used a fake I.D. to see The Graduate,
which starred a young Dustin Hoffman. He grew up in Oceanside, New
York, where his father was in the scrap metal business. His mother, a
homemaker, had fled Belgium with her family to escape the Nazis. When
his father quit the scrap metal business to pursue music, it inspired
young Paymer to give his acting dream a try. His aborted big break came
when he was cast in the TV series, St. Elsewhere, as "Dr. Wayne Fiscus"
- then promptly dumped and replaced by Howie Mandel. Luckily, his real
the Billy Crystal vehicle, City Slickers. Crystal was so pleased with
Paymer's work that he wrote the part of "Stan Yankelman", beleaguered
brother of the titular character in the movie, Mr. Saturday Night,
especially for Paymer. The part earned Paymer an Oscar nomination 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 13"), and Sam Raimi ("Drag me to Hell").
Chameleon-like in his portrayals, Paymer has since starred in hundreds
of roles in film & television, notably "The American President", "Get
Shorty", "Payback", "The Hurricane", "In Good Company", Francis Ford
Coppola's "Twixt" and Kenneth Branagh's "Jack Ryan: Shadow One".
Paymer received Golden Globe nominations for "Mr. Saturday Night" and
for HBO's "Crime of the Century". Paymer became a hyphenate in 2002,
directing the acclaimed comedy short "Candor City Hospital" for
Showtime. He has since directed over 60 episodes for broadcast
television, including such hits as "Grey's Anatomy", "The Mentalist",
"Brothers & Sisters", "Medium" & "The Unit". He is also a producer and
director on the CW series "Hart of Dixie". Paymer resides in Santa
Monica, CA with his wife and two daughters.