David Leisure

David Russell Leisure (born November 16, 1950)[1] is an American actor. He played Charley Dietz in the sitcom Empty Nest from 1988 to 1995 and fictional automotive "pitch man" Joe Isuzu in a series of North American television commercials for Isuzu from 1986 to 1990, and again from 1999 to 2001.[2][3]

David Leisure
Born
David Russell Leisure

(1950-11-16) November 16, 1950
San Diego, California, US
OccupationActor
Years active1980–present
Spouse(s)Patricia Bunch (1997–?)(divorced)
Kelly Hutchinson (1989–1994) (divorced) 1 child
Flora Kleinfeld (1975–1983) (divorced) 1 child

Early life

Leisure was born in San Diego[4] and attended San Diego State University.[5]

Career

Leisure moved to Los Angeles after graduating.[5] His first acting job was a minor role in Airplane! (1980) as a Hare Krishna. He had been roommates with the star, Robert Hays, in college but attributed his casting to his willingness to shave his head.[6] After a period of hardship, in which he lived in his car, he found work as a commercial pitchman, including a series of commercials for Bell Atlantic.[5] Della Femina Travisano & Partners cast him as Joe Isuzu because they believe he could "lie like a pro". The character made over-the-top claims and obvious lies about Isuzu cars in a series of commercials throughout the 1980s.[5] The character's popularity led to a costarring role as Charley Dietz on the television series Empty Nest.[4] His Joe Isuzu character was brought back in 1999, and continued through 2001.[7] Other roles include Roger Wilkes on the CBS daytime drama The Young and the Restless[7] and, as of July 2010, a recurring role as Salem District Attorney Charles Woods on Days of Our Lives.[8]

Roles

Additional credits include Sabrina the Teenage Witch, One on One, V.I.P., Diagnosis: Murder, The Parent 'Hood, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, For Your Love, Caroline in the City, The Wayans Bros., Touched by an Angel, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Renegade, The Golden Girls, Married... with Children, ALF, 227, T. J. Hooker, The Equalizer, Falcon Crest, Sledge Hammer!, Nurses, The Brady Bunch Movie, and Power Rangers Wild Force.

Film roles

References
  1. "David Leisure". AllMovie. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  2. "David Leisure—a.k.a. Joe Isuzu—Finds That the Road to Success Is Paved with Lies, Lies, Lies!". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  3. "American Isuzu Fires Ad Agency That Created Joe Isuzu Character". AP NEWS. Retrieved 2020-09-19.
  4. Elias, Thomas D. (1994-08-13). "WITH 'EMPTY NEST,' DAVID LEISURE STARTS TO LEAVE JOE ISUZU BEHIND". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  5. Wolmuth, Roger (1986-11-10). "David Leisure—a.k.a. Joe Isuzu—Finds That the Road to Success Is Paved with Lies, Lies, Lies!". People. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  6. Harris, Will (2015-04-07). "Surely you can't be serious: An oral history of Airplane!". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  7. "David Leisure". USA Today. 2009-02-10. Retrieved 2020-02-03 – via PressReader.
  8. Abraham, Zennie (2010-03-11). "Days of Our Lives David Leisure talks about fame – after The Oscars". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
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