Bio
David Paymer is an American actor, seen in such films as The In-Laws, Crazy People, State and Main, Payback, Get Shorty, The American President, Armistad, Carpool, City Hall, and Into the West.
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1992 for Mr. Saturday Night.
Paymer was born in Oceanside, New York to Sylvia, a travel agent, and Marvin Paymer, a pianist and musical director who originally worked in the scrap metal business. The two divorced in 1973.
Paymer's family is Jewish; his mother was born in Belgium and left for the United States because of the Nazi occupation.
Paymer has a brother, Steve, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a BA in theatre and psychology. He has a close uncanny resemblance to the short-lived Gambino crime family mob boss Paul Castellano.
Paymer's acting career began in 1979 with the film The In-Laws. Paymer has appeared in over 90 films in his career.
He has also appeared in many popular television shows, including Taxi, Happy Days, L.A. Law, and Entourage. He has had recurring roles on Cheers, Murphy Brown, and The Larry Sanders Show.
He has also appeared in such films as Amistad, City Hall, RFK, and the mini-series Into the West.
Paymer has directed episodes of several popular television series, including Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, and Everwood.
In the television series Angel, there is a running gag about Cordelia Chase socializing with Paymer and his brother, Steve.