David Russell Leisure (born November 16, 1950) is an American actor. He played Charley Dietz in the

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

'' Empty Nest'' from 1988 to 1995 and fictional automotive "pitch man"

Joe Isuzu Joe Isuzu was a fictional spokesman who starred in a series of 1980s television advertisements for Isuzu cars and trucks. Created by the ad agency Della Femina, Travisano, and Partners, and directed by Hollywood director Graham Baker, the seg ...

in a series of North American television commercials for Isuzu from 1986 to 1990, and again from 1999 to 2001.

Early life

Leisure was born in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

and attended San Diego State University.

Career

Leisure moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

after graduating. 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. 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. Della Femina Travisano & Partners cast him as

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. The character's popularity led to a costarring role as Charley Dietz on the television series '' Empty Nest''. His Joe Isuzu character was brought back in 1999 and continued through 2001. Other roles include Roger Wilkes on the CBS daytime drama ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

'' and, as of July 2010, a recurring role as Salem District Attorney Charles Woods on ''

Days of Our Lives ''Days of Our Lives'' (also stylized as ''Days of our Lives''; simply referred to as ''Days'' or ''DOOL'') is an American television soap opera that streams on the streaming service Peacock. The soap, which aired on the American television net ...

''.

Roles

Additional credits include ''

Sabrina the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional character, fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo ...

'', '' One on One'', ''

V.I.P. A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples incl ...

'', '' Diagnosis: Murder'', '' The Parent 'Hood'', '' Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show'', ''

For Your Love "For Your Love" is a rock song written by Graham Gouldman and recorded by English group the Yardbirds. Released in March 1965, it was their first top ten hit in both the UK and the US. The song was a departure from the group's blues roots in ...

'', '' Caroline in the City'', ''

The Wayans Bros. ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans. The series also starred John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Hors ...

'', '' Touched by an Angel'', '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman'', ''

Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *'' Comman ...

'', ''

The Golden Girls ''The Golden Girls'' is an American sitcom created by Susan Harris that aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, to May 9, 1992, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning seven seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Bea Arthur, Betty White ...

'', '' Married... with Children'', '' ALF'', ''

227 Year 227 ( CCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Senecio and Fulvius (or, less frequently, year 980 ''Ab urbe condi ...

'', ''

T. J. Hooker ''T. J. Hooker'' is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network un ...

'', ''

The Equalizer ''The Equalizer'' is an American spy thriller multimedia franchise initially co-created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, and originating with a CBS television series from 1985 to 1989, starring Edward Woodward. The concept was thereafte ...

'', ''

Falcon Crest ''Falcon Crest'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired for nine seasons on CBS from December 4, 1981, to May 17, 1990. The series revolves around the feuding factions of the wealthy Gioberti/Channing family in the California ...

'', '' Sledge Hammer!'', '' Nurses'', '' The Brady Bunch Movie'', and '' Power Rangers Wild Force.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leisure, David 1950 births American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors American male voice actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Living people Male actors from San Diego San Diego State University alumni People from El Cajon, California