David Alexander Newell (born November 24, 1938) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

television actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

known primarily for his portrayal of Mr. McFeely, the delivery man on ''

Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' (sometimes shortened to ''Mister Rogers'') is an American half-hour educational children's television series that ran from 1968 to 2001, and was created and hosted by Fred Rogers. The series ''Misterogers'' deb ...

''. He also worked in the

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. ...

department of Fred Rogers Productions. His character's most famous catchphrase was "Speedy Delivery!" He toured the country until he retired in 2015, promoting ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'' as Mr. McFeely.

Life

Newell was born in O'Hara Township,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, a suburb of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. A graduate of the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

, he was the director of public relations for Fred Rogers Productions. Newell still resides in O'Hara Township with his wife Nan. They have a daughter, Catherine; two sons, Taylor and Alex; and four grandchildren.

Career

Newell began his acting career at a theatre school known as the

Pittsburgh Playhouse Pittsburgh Playhouse is Point Park University's performing arts center located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses three performance spaces and is home to The Rep, Point Park's resident professional theatre company, as well as three student co ...

. Through connections made there, he eventually met

Fred Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...

. Newell was originally hired onto the show as a public relations manager, but Rogers also cast him in the role of Mr. McFeely. (McFeely was Rogers' middle name, taken from his mother's maiden name.) As a result, he and Rogers became lifelong friends until Rogers' death in 2003. A documentary feature about Newell entitled '' Speedy Delivery'', which chronicles his travels around the world as Mr. McFeely, debuted on public television in 2008. An animated version of Mr. McFeely is a recurring character on the new PBS series ''

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood ''Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood'' (known as ''Daniel Tiger's Neighbourhood'' in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and often abbreviated to ''Daniel Tiger'') is a Flash-animated (photographs-influenced) musical television ser ...

''. Canadian actor

Derek McGrath Derek McGrath (born June 4, 1951) is a Canadian actor and writer. Life and career McGrath was born in Timmins, Ontario. His career began as Linus in '' You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. He is known for his roles in ''Cheers'' as Andy Schroed ...

performs the voice. In 2017, Newell appeared as a special guest on the live-action children's web series ''Danny Joe's Tree House''. Newell made a cameo in the Fred Rogers biopic ''

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood ''A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood'' is a 2019 American biographical drama film directed by Marielle Heller and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, inspired by the 1998 article "Can You Say... Hero?" by Tom Junod, published in ...

''.

Quotes

"Working with Fred Rogers was like receiving a master’s degree in child development. Fred taught by example, and he was subtle—but suddenly you’d realize that, after working side by side with him, your knowledge base had expanded almost beyond description." "What I like about ''Danny Joe's Tree House'' is that children can interact with a live person. Danny is a big kid at heart and I think that is very helpful. In today's world where everything is virtual and robotic, here's a person giving original thoughts and ideas."

References

External links

*
A downloadable audio interview with Mr. McFeely actor and Family Communications Inc. Public Relations Director David Newell. From Wisconsin Public Television.
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Newell, David Living people 1938 births American male television actors University of Pittsburgh alumni People from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Male actors from Pennsylvania People from Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania