David Brian Ury (born September 30, 1973) is an American actor, stand-up comedian,
YouTuber, and Japanese translation specialist.
Early life and education
Ury was born and raised in
Sonoma, California. He graduated from
Sonoma Valley High School, where he acted in theatre productions. He earned a bachelor's degree in linguistics at
Evergreen State College in
Olympia, Washington and studied abroad in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, where he became fluent in
Japanese.
Ury is a descendant of
German Jewish impressionist painter
Lesser Ury.
Career
Since studying abroad in
Tokyo, Ury and has worked as a translator in film, television, and manga and currently () translates and writes English adaptations for
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
. Ury moved to Los Angeles in August 2001 where he began performing stand-up comedy.
Cartoonist
Keith Knight, a neighbor of his, described Ury's acting career as "Spooge man" and "a cavalcade of
reprobates, sleazeballs,
derelicts, & weirdos."
Appearances
TV Series and Movies
Ury has made several film and television appearances, including an episode of
Tim Kring's ''
Crossing Jordan'' and in ''
Shoot 'Em Up''. He also appeared in ''
Heroes'', ''
Malcolm in the Middle
''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes.
The series follows a dysfunctional ...
'', ''
Life'', ''
Without a Trace'', ''
Breaking Bad
''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White (Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited hig ...
'', ''
Better Call Saul
''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, '' Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...
'', ''
Zeke and Luther'', and ''
The Librarians''. In March 2015, Ury was cast for
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie (born Robert Bartleh Cummings; January 12, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and voice actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live shows have be ...
's slasher film
31 as Schizo-Head.
A character actor, Ury has died on screen in almost every role he has portrayed.
YouTube
Ury also has several YouTube channels/accounts/personalities and alter-egos, which include ''Karaoke Steve'' and ''Ken Tanaka,'' the fictional adopted twin brother of David Ury. Tanaka is described as an
Ashkenazi Jewish
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
man adopted as an infant by Japanese parents Hideo and Mari Tanaka, and raised in
Shimane Prefecture of Japan; he returns to Los Angeles to find his birth parents Jonathan and Linda Smith.
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
References
External links
*
David Uryat the
ISBN Database
Ken Tanakaat the
ISBN Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ury, David
1973 births
Living people
Jewish American male actors
Male actors from California
American male film actors
American male television actors
People from Sonoma, California
21st-century American Jews
Male YouTubers
Japanese translators
American expatriates in Japan