Editing David Naughton

{{short description|American actor and singer (born 1951)}}
{{Infobox person
| image         = David Naughton Photo Op Nightmare Weekend Richmond 2023.jpg
| name          = David Naughton
| caption       = Naughton at Nightmare Weekend Richmond in 2023
| birth_name    = David Walsh Naughton
| birth_place   = [[West Hartford, Connecticut]], U.S.
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1951|2|13}}
| death_date    = 
| death_place   = 
| alma_mater    ={{ubl|[[London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art]]|[[University of Pennsylvania]]}}
| occupation    = {{csv|Actor|singer}}
| years_active  = 1974–present
| relatives     = [[James Naughton]] (brother)
| spouse        ={{ubl|{{marriage|Denise Stephens|1976|1983|reason=div.}}|{{marriage|Deborah Dutton|1985|2005|reason=div.}}|{{marriage|Seann Sara Sella|2007|2009|reason=div.}}|{{marriage|Cheryl L Naughton|2019}}}}
| children      = 2}}

'''David Walsh Naughton''' (born February 13, 1951)<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book| title=The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music| editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)| editor-first=Colin| editor-last=Larkin| url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessencyclop04lark/page/2992/mode/2up?q=naughton| publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]| date=December 1995| edition=Second| isbn=978-1-5615-9176-3| page=2993}}</ref> is an American actor and singer. He is known for his starring roles in the horror film ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' (1981) and the [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]] comedy ''[[Midnight Madness (1980 film)|Midnight Madness]]'' (1980), as well as for a long-running "Be a Pepper" ad campaign for beverage maker [[Dr Pepper]]. He also starred in the short-lived sitcom ''[[Makin' It (TV series)|Makin' It]]'' and sang its hit theme song "[[Makin' It (song)|Makin' It]]", giving him a Top 5 hit on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' charts.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.cylist.com/List/400300169/billboard-top-40-hits-1979| title=Billboard Top 40 Hits (1979)| website=cyList }}</ref>

==Early life==
Naughton was born on February 13, 1951, in [[West Hartford, Connecticut]],<ref name="LarkinGE"/> the son of Rosemary (née Walsh) and Joseph Naughton, both of whom were teachers. He is the younger of two boys; his older brother is theater and film actor [[James Naughton]]. His family is [[Irish Americans|Irish-American]].<ref name=herald>{{cite news| url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB340BA996DEE9F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM| title=Actor's angels heaven-sent James Naughton has waited a lifetime for this 'breakout' role| date=3 June 1990| newspaper=[[Miami Herald]]| access-date=2014-10-14}}</ref>

Naughton attended the [[University of Pennsylvania]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800017335/bio |title=David Naughton Biography |website=Yahoo! Movies |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100824084423/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800017335/bio |archive-date=August 24, 2010 }}</ref> and the [[London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art]].<ref name="Reilly">{{cite journal| title=David Naughton Trades Dr Pepper for London Moonshine| url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20080329,00.html| journal=[[People (magazine)|People]]| last=Reilly| first=Sue| date=28 September 1981| access-date=2014-10-14}}</ref> He earned a soccer scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania where he studied drama and graduated in 1973.<ref name="David Naughton">{{Cite web |title=David Naughton |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/139208%7C0/David-Naughton#biography |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Turner Classic Movies |language=en}}</ref> He then moved to London to further his acting training.<ref name="David Naughton"/> After two years in [[London]], he moved to New York where he worked as a waiter and pursued his acting career.<ref name="David Naughton"/>

==Career==
Naughton's professional acting debut was in the [[Shakespeare in the Park (New York City)|New York Shakespeare Festival]]'s production of ''[[Hamlet]]'' starring [[Sam Waterston]].<ref name="David Naughton"/><ref name="yahoo.com">{{Cite web |date=2022-02-08 |title=David Naughton revisits his classic Dr Pepper ads that featured Mickey Rooney and Jimmie Walker: 'You never know who's a Pepper out there' |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/david-naughton-dr-pepper-be-a-pepper-commercials-192301618.html |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Yahoo Entertainment |language=en-US}}</ref> Naughton subsequently found steady work in various other local theater productions.<ref name="David Naughton"/> He was an Assistant Stage Manager and Understudy for the Broadway production of [[Hugh Leonard]]'s ''Da''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Da – Broadway Play – Original |url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/da-4057 |access-date=October 29, 2022 |website=[[Internet Broadway Database]]}}</ref>

Naughton first became widely known as a result of his four-year stint (1977–1981) singing and dancing in television commercials and personal appearances to promote [[Dr Pepper]].<ref name="Auden">{{cite web| url=http://www.sfsite.com/10a/dn233.htm| title=Getting Naked: An American Werewolf in London Revealed -- An Interview with David Naughton| last=Auden| first=Sandy| year=2006| publisher=The SF Site}}</ref> The commercials were considered creative and wildly popular.<ref name="David Naughton"/> They involved Naughton dancing and singing in a [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical style while handing out bottles of the beverage to people who then followed his lead [[Pied Piper of Hamelin|Pied Piper]] style.<ref name="David Naughton"/> The commercials won numerous [[Clio Awards|Clio]] awards, and involved a multitude of celebrities from [[Mickey Rooney]] and [[Jimmie Walker]] to [[Fred Flintstone]] and [[Popeye]].<ref name="yahoo.com"/>

By 1981, Naughton was at the height of his success as a soft drink spokesperson, but he wanted to try other ventures and decided to end his role in the commercials.<ref name="yahoo.com"/> Though the main commercial stint ended in 1981, Naughton occasionally returned to the pitchman role for the soft drink. In 1988, he did a commercial for Diet Dr. Pepper that was reminiscent of the earlier commercials.<ref name="yahoo.com"/> In 2010, Naughton joined a [[flash mob]] singing the iconic jingle at the [[New York Stock Exchange]].<ref name="yahoo.com"/>

His popularity from the commercials led to him being cast as the star of the sitcom ''[[Makin' It (TV series)|Makin' It]].''<ref name="David Naughton"/> In 1979, he also recorded the show's theme song, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'', which was also titled "[[Makin' It (song)|Makin' It]]."<ref name="LarkinGE" /><ref name="yahoo.com"/> A US million selling disc, the track also peaked at No. 44 in the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="Roberts">{{cite book| first=David| last=Roberts| title=British Hit Singles & Albums| url=https://archive.org/details/britishhitsingle0000unse/page/388/mode/2up?q=naughton| year=2004| edition=17th Revised| publisher=Guinness World Records Limited| location=London| isbn=978-0-8511-2199-4| page=389| access-date=October 29, 2022}}</ref> The sitcom itself was less successful and lasted only 9 episodes, but his career continued to blossom. The next year, he starred in his first film, the Disney comedy ''[[Midnight Madness (1980 film)|Midnight Madness]]'' (1980).

That lead role then led to a starring role in a higher profile film: ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' (1981). The firm was directed by [[John Landis]], who had already made a name for himself with [[Animal House|National Lampoon's Animal House]] (1978) and the [[The Blues Brothers (film)|Blues Brothers]] (1980). ''An American Werewolf in London'' was a comedy-horror film whose special effects and make-up (used to show the werewolf metamorphosis) were particularly innovative for their time.<ref name="An American Werewolf in London">{{Cite web |title=An American Werewolf in London |url=https://www.criterionchannel.com/an-american-werewolf-in-london |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=The Criterion Channel |language=en}}</ref> [[Rick Baker]]'s make-up work won the inaugural [[Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling|Academy Award for Best Make-up]].<ref name="An American Werewolf in London"/> The film was a critical and box office hit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dwyer |first=Larry |date=2016-03-05 |title=Why We Love...An American Werewolf in London! |url=https://www.horrornewsnetwork.net/why-we-love-an-american-werewolf-in-london/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Horror News Network |language=en-US}}</ref>

After the success of  ''An American Werewolf in London'', Naughton continued to work steadily, but never regained the same level of success. He appeared  in various lesser known movies, as well as smaller roles in numerous episodes of television shows including ''[[MacGyver (1985 TV series)|MacGyver]]'', ''[[Melrose Place]]'', ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'', ''[[JAG (TV series)|JAG]]'', and ''[[Seinfeld]].''

From 1986-1988, Naughton had a reoccurring role on ''[[My Sister Sam]]'' as the goofy ex-boyfriend of the series' main character, which was played by [[Pam Dawber]]. Naughton appeared in 19 episodes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=My Sister Sam |url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/my-sister-sam/cast/1030246423/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=TVGuide.com |language=en}}</ref> The series had a strong first season, but was cancelled due to low ratings in its second season.<ref name="abcnews.go.com">{{Cite web |title=Rebecca Schaeffer's co-star on 'My Sister Sam' says she was 'devastated' by her murder |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/rebecca-schaeffers-star-sister-sam-devastated-murder/story?id=62284160 |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref> The following year, the series co-star, [[Rebecca Schaeffer|Rebecca Schaefer]], was murdered at her apartment by a [[Stalking|stalker]] who had pursued her for three years.<ref name="abcnews.go.com"/> In the wake of the tragedy, several actors from the sitcom including Naughton did a PSA to raise awareness of handgun violence.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzA9Ca-zsOw |title=Pam Dawber - Good Morning America Interview on My Sister Sam PSA (August 1989, partial) |date=2023-09-15 |last=Rebecca Schaeffer Archives |access-date=2024-10-25 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Naughton has been married four times and divorced three times. In 2008, he was arrested for domestic violence in [[Henderson, Nevada|Henderson]], [[Nevada]].<ref name="David Naughton"/><ref name="people.com">{{Cite web |title=Actor David Naughton Arrested for Domestic Violence |url=https://people.com/celebrity/actor-david-naughton-arrested-for-domestic-violence/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1980 || ''[[Midnight Madness (1980 film)|Midnight Madness]]'' || Adam Larson ||
|-
| rowspan="2"|1981 || ''Separate Ways'' || Jerry Lansing ||
|-
| ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' || David Kessler ||
|-
| rowspan="3"|1984 || ''[[Hot Dog…The Movie]]'' || Dan ||
|-
| ''[[Not for Publication (1984 film)|Not for Publication]]'' || Barry Denver ||
|-
| ''[[Terror in the Aisles]]'' || David Kessler || Archival footage
|-
| rowspan="2"|1986 || ''[[The Boy in Blue (1986 film)|The Boy in Blue]]'' || Bill ||
|-
| ''[[Separate Vacations]]'' || Richard Moore ||
|-
| 1987 || ''[[Kidnapped (1987 film)|Kidnapped]]'' || Vince McCarthy || Director Howard Avedis
|-
| 1988 || ''[[Private Affairs (1987 film)|Private Affairs]]'' || Mauro ||
|-
| rowspan="2"|1990 || ''The Sleeping Car'' || Jason McCree || 
|-
| ''Overexposed'' || Phillip ||
|-
| 1991 || ''[[Steel and Lace]]'' || Dunn ||
|-Body Bags 1993 Pete 
| rowspan="2"|1993 || ''[[Wild Cactus]]'' || Philip Marcus ||
|-
| ''[[Amityville: A New Generation]]'' || Dick Cutler || Direct-to-video
|-
| rowspan="3"|1994 || ''Desert Steel'' || Zach Gardener ||
|-
| ''Beanstalk'' || Mr. Ladd ||
|-
| ''Caribbean Kill'' || N/A || 
|-
| rowspan="3"|1995 || ''[[Ice Cream Man (1995 film)|Ice Cream Man]]'' || Martin Cassera || Direct-to-video
|-
| ''The Adventures of Black Feather'' || Professeur Byrd ||
|-
| ''[[Mirror, Mirror III: The Voyeur]]'' || Detective Kobeck ||
|-
| 1996 || ''[[Urban Safari]]'' || Joe ||
|-
| 2000 || ''Little Insect'' || Buzz || Voice
|-
| rowspan="2"|2001 || ''[[A Crack in the Floor]]'' || EMT Driver ||
|-
| ''Flying Virus'' || Dr. Stephen North ||
|-
| 2003 || ''[[Sky Blue (film)|Sky Blue]]''|| Commander Locke<br>Dr. Noah || Voice, English dub<ref name="btva">{{cite web |title=David Naughton (visual voices guide) |url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/David-Naughton/ |access-date=October 4, 2023 |publisher=Behind The Voice Actors}} A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.</ref>
|-
| 2006 || ''[[Big Bad Wolf (2006 film)|Big Bad Wolf]]'' || Sheriff Ruben ||
|-
| rowspan="2"|2007 || ''Brutal Massacre: A Comedy'' || Harry Penderecki ||
|-
| ''Hallows Point'' || Shopkeeper ||
|-
| 2009 || ''Little Hercules in 3-D'' || Dwayne Harr ||
|-
| 2012 || ''[[A Thousand Cuts (2012 film)|A Thousand Cuts]]'' || Alan ||
|-
| 2013 || ''Cool as Hell'' || Clark ||
|-
| rowspan="2"|2017 || ''Do It or Die'' || Herb Clough ||
|-
| ''The Hatred'' || Walter ||
|-
|2023 || ''Waking Nightmare'' || Dr. Doolin ||
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 1974 || ''[[Planet of the Apes (TV series)|Planet of the Apes]]'' || Dr. Stole || Episode: "The Surgeon"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1976 || ''[[Muggsy (TV series)|Muggsy]]'' || Danny Atwater || Episode: "Hit and Run"
|-
| ''The Other Side of Victory'' || N/A || Television film
|-
| 1979 || ''[[Makin' It (TV series)|Makin' It]]'' || Billy Manucci || 9 episodes
|-
| 1982 || ''I, Desire'' || David Balsiger || Television film
|-
| rowspan="2"|1983 || ''[[The Love Boat]]'' || Edwin Winnaker || Episode: "Fountain of Youth/Bad Luck Cabin/Uncle Daddy"
|-
| ''[[At Ease (TV series)|At Ease]]'' || Pfc. Tony Baker || 14 episodes
|-
| 1984 || ''Getting Physical'' || Mickey Ritter || Television film
|-
| 1986–1988 || ''[[My Sister Sam]]'' || Jack Kincaid || 44 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|1988 || ''[[Goddess of Love (film)|Goddess of Love]]'' || Ted Beckman || Television film
|-
| ''[[Murder, She Wrote]]'' || Ken Parrish || Episode: "Wearing of the Green"
|-
| 1989 || ''[[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]'' || John Sellig || Episode: "Special Service"
|-
| rowspan="3"|1991 || ''The Belles of Bleeker Street'' || Chris || Episode: "Pilot"
|-
| ''[[MacGyver (1985 TV series)|MacGyver]]'' || LaManna || Episode: "Honest Abe"
|-
| ''[[Seinfeld]]'' || Dick || Episode: "[[The Red Dot]]"
|-
| rowspan="2"|1993 || ''[[Body Bags (film)|Body Bags]]'' || Pete || Television film ("The Gas Station" segment)
|-
| ''Basic Values: Sex, Shock & Censorship in the 90's'' || Brad || Television film
|-
| 1994 || ''[[Diagnosis: Murder]]'' || Harry Gelson || Episode: "My Four Husbands"
|-
| 1994–1995 || ''[[Works based on Thunderbirds|Turbocharged Thunderbirds]]'' || Scott Tracy, Virgil Tracy, additional voices || Voice
|-
| rowspan="3"|1996 || ''[[Melrose Place]]'' || Lou Chandler || Episode: "Run, Billy, Run"
|-
| ''[[Touched by an Angel]]'' || Michael Russell || Episode: "Birthmarks"
|-
| ''[[Bailey Kipper's P.O.V.]]'' || Norm Kipper || 2 episodes
|-
| 1997 || ''[[Cybill]]'' || Andy || 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="2"|1998 || ''Chance of a Lifetime'' || Art Haber || Television film
|-
| ''[[Silk Stalkings]]'' || Max Behring || Episode: "Ramone, P.I."
|-
| rowspan="2"|1999 || ''[[V.I.P. (American TV series)|V.I.P.]]'' || Roy || Episode: "K-Val"
|-
| ''[[Chicken Soup for the Soul]]'' || Paul Dinsman || Episode: "It's Never Too Late"
|-
| 2000, 2001 || ''[[JAG (TV series)|JAG]]'' || Det. Grady || 2 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4"|2001 || ''[[ER (TV series)|ER]]'' || Ben Stevens || Episode: "Thy Will Be Done"
|-
| ''[[Kate Brasher]]'' || Ames || Episode: "Tracy"
|-
| ''[[Out of the Wilderness]]'' || Professor Byrd || Television film
|-
| ''[[The Nightmare Room]]'' || Mr. Ryan || Episode: "Tangled Web"
|-
| 2002 || ''[[Justice League (TV series)|Justice League]]'' || The Streak || Voice, episode: "Legends"
|-
| rowspan="2"|2005 || ''[[Higglytown Heroes]]'' || Orchestra Conductor Hero || Voice, episode: "Higgly Harmonies"<ref name="btva" />
|-
| ''[[Mystery Woman|Mystery Woman: Sing Me a Murder]]'' || Steven || Television film
|-
| 2009 || ''[[Psych]]'' || Dr. Ken Tucker || Episode: "Let's Get Hairy"
|-
| 2010 || ''[[Big Love]]'' || Mr. Usher || Episode: "Next Ticket Out"
|-
| 2011 || ''[[The Mentalist]]'' || Neurologist || Episode: "Fugue in Red"
|-
| 2012 || ''[[Major Crimes (TV series)|Major Crimes]]'' || State Senator McAustin || Episode: "The Shame Game"
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'' || Nick Parker || Episode: "Transplant Wasteland"
|-
| 2013–2015 || ''[[Granite Flats]]'' || Dr. Millard Whittison || 23 episodes
|-
| 2013 || ''[[Holliston (TV series)|Holliston]]'' || Mark Ward || Episode: "Joe's Soda"
|-
| 2015 || ''[[American Horror Story]]'' || Mr. Samuels || Episode: "[[Mommy (American Horror Story)|Mommy]]"
|-
| 2017 || ''[[Sharknado 5: Global Swarming]]'' || Ambassador Kessler || Television film
|-
| 2018 || ''[[SuperMansion]]'' || Himself || Voice, episode: "Comicarnage"
|}

===Video games===
{| class="wikitable
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
| 2005 || ''[[Marc Eckō's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure]]'' || Manfred ||<ref name="btva" />
|-
| 2006 || ''[[Marvel Ultimate Alliance]]'' || [[Mister Fantastic]]||<ref name="btva" />
|- 
| 2016 || ''[[Fallout 4]]: WRVR'' || Traveler || 
|-
| 2017 || ''Saga of the Nine Worlds'' || Guard Captain || The Four Stags Collector's Edition
|-
| 2018 || ''Project Pro Skater'' || God ||
|}

==Theatre==
{| class="wikitable
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Location !! Other work/notes
|-
| 1975–1976 || ''[[Hamlet]]'' || Francisco<br>Player Queen<br>Ensemble || [[Vivian Beaumont Theater]] || Understudy for Osric 
|-
| 1978–1980 || ''[[Da (play)|Da]]'' || || [[Morosco Theatre]] || Assistant Stage Manager<br>Understudy for Young Charlie
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|622544}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{iobdb name|2555}}
* {{Tcmdb name|139208{{!}}0}}
* [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p190432|pure_url=yes}} David Naughton] at [[AllMusic]]
* {{cite web|archive-date=May 13, 2001|date=2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010513073806/http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/pages/bios/dnaugh.html|url=http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/pages/bios/dnaugh.html|title=David Naughton at The Official John Carpenter website}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naughton, David}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:Alumni of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:American dance musicians]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:Male actors from Connecticut]]
[[Category:Entertainers from West Hartford, Connecticut]]
[[Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni]]