David Leisure 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Actor Info

David Leisure

Birth Date:

November 16, 1950

Birth Name:

David Russell Leisure

Birth Place:

San Diego, California, USA

Nick Name:

Joe Isuzu

Film Debut:

Airplane 1980

Breakthrough Film:

Empty Nest 1988

Biography

David Leisure is an American actor best known for television comedy and advertising. Born on November 16, 1950, in San Diego, California, Leisure developed an interest in acting while attending college and studied at San Diego State University. After graduating, he worked in theatre before moving to Los Angeles to pursue film and television. His first screen appearance came in Airplane! (1980), where he played a Hare Krishna devotee. Although acting opportunities were initially limited, Leisure continued working and eventually found a breakthrough in television commercials, becoming widely recognized as the dishonest and exaggerated car salesman Joe Isuzu. The character became one of the most memorable advertising figures of the 1980s, helping establish Leisure as a recognizable comic performer.

Leisure’s success as Joe Isuzu opened the door to more acting opportunities. His most famous television role was Charley Dietz on the NBC sitcom Empty Nest, which ran from 1988 to 1995. Charley was an eccentric, intrusive, and often irresponsible neighbor whose comic personality made him a memorable part of the series. Leisure had also appeared in the original backdoor pilot for Empty Nest, presented as an episode of The Golden Girls, as the sitcom was developed. Throughout his career, he made guest appearances on numerous television programs, including ALF, Married… with Children, The Golden Girls, T. J. Hooker, 227, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and The Young and the Restless.

Beyond these major roles, David Leisure has maintained a varied career across television, film, commercials, and voice acting. His later credits include appearances in The Goldbergs and My Wife and Kids, as well as voice work in Bionicle: The Legend Reborn. Leisure’s career is notable for his comic timing and exaggerated characters over several decades. While Joe Isuzu made him famous to advertising audiences, his role as Charley Dietz gave him a lasting place in television sitcom history. His career illustrates how commercial success can lead to opportunities in scripted entertainment.

Movie Portfolio