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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 (1967), which starred a young Dustin Hoffman. He grew up in Oceanside, New Jersey, 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 (1982) as Dr. Wayne Fiscus - then promptly dumped and replaced by 'Howie Mandel' . Luckily, his real big break was destined to be on the big screen, as Ira Shalowitz is the Billy Crystal vehicle City Slickers (1991). 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 (1992), especially for Paymer. The part earned Paymer an Oscar nomination in 1993. |
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