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David Herman
SXSW-2024-alih-OB7A0785-Office Space David Herman.jpg
Herman at SXSW 2024
Born (1967-02-20) February 20, 1967 (age 57)
Education State University of New York, Purchase (BFA)
Occupation
  • Actor
  • comedian
Years active 1989–present
Spouse(s) Christi Campbell (divorced)
Children 2

David Herman (born February 20, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. He was an original cast member on MADtv from 1995 to 1997, and played Michael Bolton in Office Space.

He has done voice-over work in hundreds of episodes of Bob's Burgers, Brickleberry, Futurama, King of the Hill, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Disenchantment, and Father of the Pride.

Early life

Herman was born into a Jewish family in New York City and raised in Washington Heights, Manhattan. He graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in 1987, then attended the acting program at SUNY Purchase.

Career

MADtv

David Herman 2018
Herman in 2018

Herman was part of the cast of John Leguizamo's short-lived series House of Buggin' in 1995. When Fox cancelled House of Buggin' and decided to replace it with a sketch comedy show, Herman was signed on as one of nine original cast members of MADtv when the series began in 1995.

Unlike most of the other featured players, Herman came to the show with an established acting career (as did fellow cast member Phil LaMarr); he had appeared in the films Born on the Fourth of July, Lost Angels, and Let It Be Me. Herman's MADtv characters included Mike Lawson (Incredible Findings), Generation X anchorman Marsh (X News), and concerned father Joel Linder.

Herman lampooned celebrities and famous figures such as Don Adams (as Maxwell Smart from Get Smart), Tim Allen (as Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor from Home Improvement), Woody Allen, Nicolas Cage, Bill Clinton, Bob Dole, David Duchovny (as Fox Mulder from The X-Files), Larry Flynt, Tom Hanks (as Forrest Gump and as Jim Lovell from Apollo 13), Larry King, Kenny Kingston, Regis Philbin, Charles Nelson Reilly, John Ritter (as himself and as Jack Tripper from Three's Company), Joel Schumacher, Robert Shapiro, Pauly Shore, Brent Spiner, Patrick Stewart (as Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek: The Next Generation), and Alex Trebek.

Herman stayed with the show until exiting six episodes into the third season. He said in 2019 that he wanted to leave the show to do other projects, but Fox would not let him out of his contract, as they considered him too valuable to the show, so Herman got himself fired by screaming all his lines during read-through. While continuing his voice work on King of the Hill, he came across the script for Office Space, for which Hill creator Mike Judge had specifically written the Michael Bolton part with Herman in mind.

Other television projects

Herman's television credits include guest-starring on the WB's Angel and Fox's action drama 24.

Film projects

Although he is primarily a television actor, Herman has appeared in several films including Dude, Where's My Car? and Fun with Dick and Jane. Herman had a prominent role in the 1999 comedy Office Space, where he played a gangsta rap-loving nerd unfortunately named Michael Bolton who must endure questions about his relationship to the famous singer. In 2006, he appeared in another Mike Judge film, Idiocracy.

Voice acting

Herman is also known for his work as a voice actor in cartoons and video games, notably in Futurama, where he provides the voices of many recurring characters (including Scruffy, Planet Express's Sling Blade-esque janitor; Roberto, the mentally-deranged criminal robot obsessed with stabbing people; New New York City mayor, Mayor Poopenmeyer, and Professor Farnsworth's former student and current rival, Ogden Wernstrom), and King of the Hill, for which he voiced Luanne's ill-fated boyfriend, Buckley, as well as several one-shot and incidental characters. Herman's other voice work includes parts on Family Guy, American Dad!, the short-lived CGI-animated sitcom Father of the Pride (in which he voices Roy Horn), and the Jak and Daxter video game series. Herman also starred as Ubuntu Goode (and other supporting voices) on Mike Judge's short-lived companion series to King of the Hill, The Goode Family. He also provides the voice for Mr. Frond (and other supporting voices) in Fox's Bob's Burgers, Mr. Gar, Brandon, and others on Cartoon Network's OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, The Herald and various characters on Matt Groening's Netflix series Disenchantment, self-absorbed and dangerously incompetent park ranger Steve Williams on Comedy Central's Brickleberry, and Kevin Crawford on Paradise PD.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1989 Lost Angels Carlo
1989 Born on the Fourth of July VA in Hospital
1997 Kirk and Kerry Dave Short film
1998 Gunshy Dan
1999 Olive, the Other Reindeer Guard Shack Elf (voice)
1999 Office Space Michael Bolton
2000 Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth Mr. Lowelle Buchanan Direct-to-video
2000 Dude, Where's My Car? Nelson
2000 Table One Norman
2000 Monsignor Martinez John Smith
2005 The Lather Effect Corey
2005 Kicking & Screaming Referee
2005 Fun with Dick and Jane Angry Caller (voice)
2006 Idiocracy Secretary of State
2007 Bee Movie Buzz, Bob Bumble, Pilot (voices)
2007 Futurama: Bender's Big Score Nudar
Scruffy
Turanga Morris
Terry
... Bartender
Additional Voices
Direct-to-video
2008 Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs Dr. Ogden Wernstrom
Mayor Poopenmeyer
Pazuzu
Chu
Fatbot
Warden Vogel
Three-Eyed Zebra
Additional Voices
Direct-to-video
2008 Futurama: Bender's Game Larry / Larius
Turanga Morris
Scruffy
Dr. Ogden Wernstrom
Roberto / King Roberto
Additional Voices
Direct-to-video
2009 Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder Number 9 Man
Scruffy
Michael
Additional Voices
Direct-to-video
2013 Bad Milo Ralph (voice)
2013 I Know That Voice Himself Documentary
2016 Storks Additional Voices
2017 Best Fiends: Boot Camp Roger (voice) Short film
2017 Best Fiends: Visit Minutia Roger (voice) Short film
2018 Best Fiends: Fort of Hard Knocks Gordon (voice) Short film
2018 Best Fiends: Baby Slug's Big Day Out Gordon (voice) Short film
2019 Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost Sheriff (voice) Direct-to-video
2019 Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island Sheriff, Jack (voices) Direct-to-video
2020 Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! Sheriff/Cutler Toe (voice) Direct-to-video
2022 The Bob's Burgers Movie Mr. Frond (voice)
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe Gage, German Tourist, Jail Warden (voices)
2023 Strays Underbite Pound Dog (voice)

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1995 House of Buggin' Various Main cast
1995–1997 MADtv Various roles Main cast (seasons 1–3)
1997–2010 King of the Hill Buckley, Jimmy Wichard, Eustace, various characters (voices) 147 episodes
1999–2003;
2008–2013;
2023–present
Futurama Scruffy, Larry, Roberto, Dr. Ogden Wernstrom, Mayor Poopenmeyer, Turanga Morris, various characters (voices) Recurring guest star (Season 1–5)
Main cast (Season 6–present)
2000 Angel David Nabbit 3 episodes
2001 Primetime Glick Various 2 episodes
2001–2003 Invader Zim Additional voices 7 episodes
2003 Life on Parole Dave Television film
2004 24 Dalton Furrelle 2 episodes
2004 Grounded for Life Dave "J.J. Bodybuddy", Lomax 2 episodes
2004 Father of the Pride Roy Horn (voice) Main cast
2006–2023 American Dad! Additional voices 18 episodes
2008 Moral Orel Principal Fakey, additional voices Season 3 only
2008–2009 The Drinky Crow Show Uncle Gabby, Captain Maak (voices) Main cast
2009 The Goode Family Ubuntu Goode (voice) Main cast
2011–present Bob's Burgers Mr. Phillip Frond, various characters (voices) Recurring role
2011 Beavis and Butt-Head Additional voices 4 episodes
2012 Family Guy David Strathairn (voice) Episode: "Tom Tucker: The Man and His Dream"
2012–2015 Brickleberry Steve Williams, additional voices Main cast
2013 Lakewood Plaza Turbo Mr. Gar (voice) Pilot for OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
2014–2016 TripTank Various characters (voices) 12 episodes
2014 The Simpsons Scruffy (voice) Episode: "Simpsorama"
2015 Ridin' with Burgess Duzenthal, Narrator (voices) Pilot
2015 The Awesomes Additional voices 9 episodes
2016 Better Things Richard Episode: "Sam/Pilot"
2017–2019 OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes Mr. Gar, additional voices Main cast
2017 Adventure Time Randy, additional voices Episode: "Ring of Fire"
2018–2023 Disenchantment Jerry, The Herald, Chazzzzz, Guysbert, additional voices Main cast
2018–2022 Paradise PD Kevin Crawford (voice) Main cast
2019–2021 Bless the Harts Peter, additional voices Recurring role
2020–2022 Central Park Dmitry, additional voices
2021–present The Great North Santiago Carpaccio, Gill Beavers, additional voices Recurring role
2022 Farzar Principal Carter, additional voices Episode: "Robot Revolution"
2022 Slippin' Jimmy Additional voices

Video games

Year Title Role
2001 Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy Sculptor, Boggy Billy
2003 Futurama Larry, Adoy, Ra-Ra the Sun King
2003 Jak II Errol, Agent #2, Krimzon Guards
2004 Jak 3 Errol
2005 Jak X: Combat Racing Razer, Ximon, Thugs
2006 Daxter Ximon, Tik, Errol, Krimzon Guard, Miner
2018 OK K.O.! Let's Play Heroes Mr. Gar, Brandon
2022 High on Life Gene Zaroothian

Other

Year Title Role Notes
2000 Zombie College Scott Bardo (voice) Web series

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: David Herman para niños Kids robot.svg In Spanish: David Herman para niños

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