Actor, comedian, composer, musician, and baseball scout David L. Lander (born David Leonard Landau on June 22, 1947-died December 4, 2020) played the role Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman on Laverne & Shirley. He, along with several members of the L & S main cast, guest starred in the Happy Days episode "Fonzie's Funeral: Part 2".
Biography[]
Early life and career[]
Lander was born David Leonard Landau in Brooklyn, NY to schoolteacher parents.[1] He is best known for his role of Andrew "Squiggy" Squiggman on the situation comedy Laverne & Shirley from 1976 to 1982 along with sitcom sidekick Lenny, played by Michael McKean. He also played "Tanning Intruder" in "Christmas with the Kranks."
Lander's partnership with McKean began during their acting classes at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, where they developed the characters of Lenny and Squiggy. After Pittsburgh they teamed up in the Los Angeles-based comedy ensemble The Credibility Gap. The duo released an album as Lenny and the Squigtones in 1979 featuring Christopher Guest on guitar, credited as Nigel Tufnel, a name Guest would later reuse in the spoof rock band Spinal Tap. Lander and McKean also appeared together in the 1979 Steven Spielberg comedy 1941, and the 1980 Kurt Russell film Used Cars. Lander and McKean lent their vocal talents to the animated TV series Oswald, which ran from 2001 to 2004. Lander and McKean voiced the characters of the penguin cousins Henry and Louie, respectively.
Acting career[]
Lander has also appeared in numerous other TV shows and movies including The Bob Newhart Show, Barney Miller, Happy Days, Viva Valdez, Married... with Children, Twin Peaks, On the Air, The Weird Al Show, Mad About You, Pacific Blue, and The Drew Carey Show. His film roles were more sparse but still memorable; these included the part of a minor league baseball radio announcer in the film, A League of Their Own and a bit part of the minister officiating the marriage ceremony in Say It Isn't So. Lander created the starring role of the demented fast food franchise clown Bruce Burger in the cult film Funland directed by Michael A. Simpson.
Voice over work[]
Lander also had experience as a voice actor, with a resume dating back to 1969 where he "dramatically reproduced" Elvis Presley quotations for the Pop Chronicles music documentary[2] and 1970 when he was the voice of Jerry Lewis in the Filmation series Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down.
Later voice roles included The Big Bang, A Bug's Life, The Garfield Show, Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills, Oswald, Titan A.E., Tom and Jerry: The Movie and the animated TV series Galaxy High as the six-armed Milo de Venus. He also reprised his role as Squiggy in the animated sitcom, The Simpsons.
David also provided the voice of Smart Ass, the chief weasel of Judge Doom's Toon Patrol in the 1988 Disney film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Lander reprised his role for Smart Ass on the related ride, but his character was renamed Wiseguy. He was credited as Stephen Lander in Boo, Zino and the Snurks. His latest voice role is that of Ch'p in the DC Comics animated movie, Green Lantern: First Flight.
Lander suffered from multiple sclerosis (MS). Officially diagnosed on May 15, 1984, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, he went public in 1999 and regularly spoke at related conventions. In 2002, his autobiography was published, Fall Down Laughing: How Squiggy Caught Multiple Sclerosis and Didn't Tell Nobody (Template:ISBN), written with Lee Montgomery.
In addition to acting, Lander, a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, had a small stake in the Portland Beavers. He worked as a baseball talent, first for the Anaheim Angels, and later for the Seattle Mariners.
Death[]
Lander died from complications from multiple sclerosis at the Cedars-Siani Medical Center in Los Angeles on December 4, 2020. He was 73 years old.[3][4]
References[]
- ↑ David L. Lander Biography (1947-). Filmreference.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-30.
- ↑ Show 7 - The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the rock-a-billies. [Part 1] : UNT Digital Library. Digital.library.unt.edu (1969-03-23). Retrieved on 2010-08-30.
- ↑ "'Laverne & Shirley' Star David Lander, 'Squiggy' Star, Dead at 73", December 5, 2020.
- ↑ Mike, Barnes. "David L. Lander, Squiggy on 'Laverne & Shirley,' Dies at 73", December 5, 2020.
External links[]
David L. Lander at the Internet Movie Database- David L. Lander article at Wikipedia
