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David Schneider (actor)

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David Schneider
Schneider at Web Summit, November 2015
Born (1963-05-22) 22 May 1963 (age 61)
London, England
EducationCity of London School
Alma materExeter College, Oxford
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian, director
Years active1980s – present
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)

David Schneider (born 22 May 1963) is an English actor, comedian, and director. His acting roles include the role of Tony Hayers, in the Alan Partridge franchise.

Early life

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David Schneider was born in London, England on 22 May 1963 to a Jewish family.[1] He was educated at the City of London School, an independent school for boys in the City of London, before going to Exeter College, Oxford, where he studied modern languages,[2] and studied for a doctorate in Yiddish Drama. During his time at university, Schneider performed a predominantly physical comedy act that contrasted with the trend towards stand-up comedy in live performance comedy in the 1980s. It was at this time that he met Armando Iannucci, who in 1991 recruited him for news-radio spoof On the Hour. He is a fan of Arsenal F.C.[3]

Career

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He performed in the BBC Sketch show Up to Something (1990) with Shane Richie, Suzy Aitchison, Frances Dodge, & Lewis MacLeod (actor).

Schneider performed in The Day Today, the television spin-off from On the Hour and also appeared in the spin-offs Knowing Me, Knowing You... with Alan Partridge and I'm Alan Partridge where he played the fictional BBC commissioning editor, Tony Hayers. In 1994, he made an appearance on Mr. Bean, in Back to School Mr. Bean, as the judo teacher. In 1996, Schneider wrote The Eleventh Commandment, a play for the Hampstead Theatre about a Jew marrying a gentile. In the late 1990s he appeared in the topical satire The Saturday Night Armistice (subsequently retitled The Friday Night Armistice) alongside Armando Iannucci and Peter Baynham. In 1997 and 2000, Schneider played the part of Bradley Wilson in the BBC sitcom The Peter Principle.

Schneider wrote the screenplay for the 2001 feature film All the Queen's Men, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky and starring Matt LeBlanc and Eddie Izzard. Schneider has also performed in the BBC sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme and appeared on BBC Radio 4 panel show The 99p Challenge. He had small roles in several movies, including The Saint, 28 Days Later, A Knight's Tale and Mission: Impossible, where he played the driver of the Eurotunnel train. In 2004, Schneider played Joseph Goebbels in the satirical tongue-in-cheek comedy Churchill: The Hollywood Years. Following this, in 2006 Schneider took his first lead role when he made Uncle Max, a series of 13 dialogue-free shorts for CITV. They focus on slapstick humour, with Schneider saying he wanted to be "a human cartoon".[4]

In April 2008, he featured in an episode of Hotel Babylon as a magician, a character not dissimilar to Tony le Mesmer whom he played in an episode of Knowing Me, Knowing You... with Alan Partridge. Schneider provides the voice of Blink for the CBBC series One Minute Wonders. In 2008, he took part in BBC Three's Most Annoying People of 2008, relaying his views about celebrities including Prince William, Mark Ronson and Peaches Geldof. In 2009, Schneider explored his Yiddish heritage with a 30-minute documentary for BBC Radio 4, My Yiddisher Mother Tongue, with contributors including family members, academics, Colin Powell and Michael Grade.[5]

He has written a play, called Making Stalin Laugh, based on the slaughter of the Moscow State Jewish Theatre on the orders of Joseph Stalin.[6] He also directed a sitcom pilot in 2007 called Up Close and Personal, set in the offices of a celebrity magazine and starring Raquel Cassidy. The pilot was subsequently rejected by ITV2.[7][8] In 2011, he played Soggy Sid in Horrid Henry: The Movie, and in 2012, appeared in ITV drama Whitechapel, series 3, as murder suspect and taxi driver Marcus Salter. His radio sitcom Births, Deaths and Marriages, set in a register office and starring himself, premiered on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

In 2014 he co-founded That Lot, a social media agency alongside writer David Levin and David Beresford. In 2018 they sold the company to the PR firm Weber Shandwick.[9]

Schneider appeared in the fifth episode of the second season in the TV show Plebs in 2014, portraying a slave auctioneer called Agorix. In 2017, Schneider wrote the screenplay of The Death of Stalin with Armando Iannucci.[10]

Filmography

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Film

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1993 The Trial Kullich
1996 Mission: Impossible Train Driver
1997 The Saint Bar Waiter
1998 Comic Act
1999 You're Dead Ian
2000 If Looks Could Kill: The Power of Behaviour Mr. Tanner Video short
2001 A Knight's Tale Relic Seller
2002 28 Days Later... Scientist
2003 Blackball Young Buck Reporter
Cheeky Todd
2004 Fat Slags Tanner
Churchill: The Hollywood Years Goebels
2006 The Battersea Ripper
Scoop Joe's Co-Passengers
2009 Crazy Hands Spencer Short film
2010 The Infidel Monty
2011 Horrid Henry: The Movie Soggy Sid
Arthur Christmas General Voice
2012 The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! Scarlett Morgan Voice
Also known as The Pirates! Band of Misfits
2013 This Is Intercourse Henry's Dad Short film
Underdogs Chester Original title: Metegol
Voice, English version
2017 The Death of Stalin — Writer
2022 Fork Demon
TBA The Brilliant World of Tom Gates Gluestick Ant Voice
Filming

Television

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Television
1990 Up to Something! Various Writer
1991 Screen Two Stamford Hill Cowboy Series 7, episode 1: "Heading Home"
1992 Fireworks Safety Ed Banger TV short
1994 Mr. Bean Judo Instructor Episode 11: "Back to School Mr. Bean"
Act 3: The Judo Class and the Toilet
Paris Butler Episode 5: "La solitude"
The Day Today Sylvester Stewart / Alex - The Bureau / Brant / Adam Neils /
Anthony Parr - Managing Director / Anton Sampson / Various 		7 episodes
Credited as Dave Schneider - 1 episode
Writer - 7 episodes
1994–1995 Knowing Me Knowing You with Alan Partridge Tony Hayers / Adrian Finch / Clown Leader /
Clive Sealey / Tony Le Mesmer 		7 episodes
Writer - 2 episodes
1995 The Glam Metal Detectives Constable / The Beefeater /
Lucifer / Old Peg Legs 		4 episodes
Lloyds Bank Channel 4 Film Challenge Martin Series 2, episode 6: "Life's a Bitch"
The Friday Night Armistice — Writer
1995–2000 The Peter Principle Bradley Wilson Also known as The Boss
Main role; 13 episodes
1996 Kavanagh QC Martin Haslam Series 2, episode 5: "A Stranger in the Family"
1997 I'm Alan Partridge Tony Hayers 4 episodes
1998 The Tribe Man in Waiting Room TV film
2000 Gimme Gimme Gimme Neville Series 2, episode 5: "Glad to be Gay?"
The Canterbury Tales Voice
Series 2, episode 1: "The Journey Back"
2001 The Armando Iannucci Shows Tooth Fairy Episode 7: "Morality" - Uncredited
Writer and program consultant - Episode 1: "Twats"
Director - Episode 3: "Communication"
Producer
2002 Look Around You Man Outside Toilet Ucredited
Series 1, episode 4: "Germs"
2004 Shane Bazza
Animate Tales of the World Voice
Series 3, episode 1: "The Shoemaker's Son"
2005 Nathan Barley Man in porn film Episode #1.3
2006 The Ten Commandments Tobia Miniseries
2006–2008 Uncle Max Uncle Max 26 episodes
2008 Clive Hole Clive Hole TV movie
2009 One Minute Wonders Blink Voice
Main role; 13 episodes
2010 Little Howard's Big Question Alan Monster Series 2, episode 2: "How Can I Make a Monster?"
How Not to Live Your Life Derek Series 3, episode 2: "Don's Angry Girlfriend"
2011 My Family Solicitor Series 11, episode 6: "A Decent Proposal"
Doctor Who: The Monthly Adventures Ernst Bratfisch Voice
Episode: "The Silver Turk"
2012 Whitechapel Marcus Salter 2 episodes
2013 Fit — Writer - Episode #1.2
2016–2017 Josh — Writer - 12 episodes
Director - 18 episodes
2014 BBC Comedy Feeds — Director - Series 3, episode 1: "Josh"
Plebs Agorix Series 2, episode 5: "The New Slave"
2020 Avenue 5 — Director - Series 1, episode 8: "This Is Physically Hurting Me"

References

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  1. ^ Schneider, David (9 May 2019). "Here's how to talk about Israel without sliding into antisemitism". The Independent. Retrieved 10 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Exeter welcomes David Schneider (1981, Modern Languages)". Exeter College, Oxford. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  3. ^ Lawrenson, Mark (10 November 2013). "Premier League predictions: Lawro v comedian David Schneider". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Shut up and make us laugh". The Times. London. 11 February 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
  5. ^ "My Yiddisher Mother Tongue". Radio 4 programmes. BBC. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
    Mahoney, Elisabeth (16 October 2009). "My Yiddisher Mother Tongue". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
  6. ^ Making Stalin Laugh Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  7. ^ Hemley, Matthew (5 September 2007). "Comedian Schneider directs new magazine-based sitcom". The Stage. Retrieved 5 September 2007.
  8. ^ Up Close And Personal - Pilot The British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  9. ^ Harrington, John (16 July 2018). "Weber Shandwick buys London agency co-founded by comedian and social star David Schneider". Campaign. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  10. ^ Calvario, Liz (11 February 2017). "'The Death of Stalin': IFC Films Buys Armando Iannucci's Upcoming Drama". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
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