David Michael Schramm (August 14, 1946 – March 28, 2020) was an American
actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
. He was best known for playing the role of Roy Biggins, the curmudgeonly rival airline owner in the
TV series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
. His father was a bookie.
Schramm revealed in a 2008 interview that at the age of 17, "(my parents) always came to see me in school, where I won trophies for speaking, and then in those big outdoor dramas we have in
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
, and then as an apprentice actor at the playhouse that eventually became the Actors Theater of Louisville." Schramm also earned $25 a week for cleaning toilets and for being in a play.
"I had been acting non-stop since I was a teenager," Schramm said in a 2012 interview. "But really I got started in acting because others helped me push into it. When I was a kid, it was other actors getting me to do it. Then I had a series of teachers who told me I was going to do it. John Houseman got me under his wing, and I went along with it happily."
Schramm took acting classes at Western Kentucky University, where he got a full scholarship to the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...
from Mildred Howard. Schramm attended Juilliard from 1968 to 1972 and took classes that were taught by Michael Kahn. Schramm graduated from Juilliard afterwards. He is also a founding member of The Acting Company.
Early career
Early theatre work
Houseman offered Schramm to play
King Lear
''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...
in an
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
production of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American businessman and government official who served as the eighth United States secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson ...
.
Schramm also made appearances in '' Another World'' and '' Wiseguy''. In 1990, he appeared opposite Sandra Bullock in the short-lived series '' Working Girl'', based on the 1988 film of the same name.
He also had a major part in '' Miami Vice'' season 5 episode 7 (Asian Cut) where he played a serial killer Professor Eric G. Halliwell.
Schramm gained national recognition for portraying the blustery, cantankerous airline owner Roy Biggins, in the sitcom ''Wings'', which aired from 1990 to 1997. He appeared in all 172 episodes of the show.
When asked what he remembered most from ''Wings'': "I knew when we started it was going to be a success. Not just because the writers had been involved with ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American television sitcom, created by Glen and Les Charles, Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows, that aired on NBC for eleven seasons from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/C ...
'', '' Taxi'' and '' Mary Tyler Moore''. But when we sat around the table reading the first script, and I saw this buffoon they created for me, this pompous guy who said garish things to women, and all the other rich characters, I turned to
Rebecca
Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...
(Schull, who played Fay) and said, 'I think we've landed in a tub of butter.' And we did. If only I put the money I made under my mattress instead of in the
stock market
A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks (also called shares), which represent ownership claims on businesses; these may include ''securities'' listed on a public stock exchange a ...
."
Later theatre work
After ''Wings'', Schramm returned to acting on stage both in theaters across the country and on Broadway.
From October 31 to December 21, 2003, Schramm appeared in the New York Theatre Workshop's production of '' The Beard of Avon''. He played the role of John Heminge.
In June 2008, Schramm was part of the cast of the Berkshire Theatre Festival's production of
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...
's '' Candida'', in which he played Candida's father, Mr. Burgess. On August of that same year he played Pozzo in
Samuel Beckett
Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, portraying the role of Senator Rawkins.
In February 2012, it was announced that Schramm would appear in a stage production of Reginald Rose's '' Twelve Angry Men'' at the George Street Playhouse. The show had its premiere on March 13, 2012.
In June–July 2012, Schramm portrayed Falstaff in
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's '' The Merry Wives of Windsor'' at The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. "This is my first time doing ''Merry Wives''. I'm having a great time. The director (Stephen Rayne) is absolutely stellar. He's intelligent and experienced and really knows the era. We've set the play at the end of the
first World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, sort of in the ''
Downton Abbey
''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...
'' era. It works very well as a time period for the play. And it looks great. We're meticulously putting it together. This play really demands a lot from everybody. There's so much to try and do. But we're all pulling together," said Schramm in a 2012 interview. Schramm also revealed that it was his first time at the Shakespeare Theatre.
In October 2014, Schramm played the role of Tony in the George Street Playhouse's production of John Patrick Shanley's '' Outside Mullingar''.
In June 2015, it was reported that Schramm was suffering from vocal problems and under doctor's orders, he had to withdraw from performing in the Barrington Stage Company's production of Richard Strand's ''Butler''. Director Joseph Discher cast understudy Wally Dunn as Schramm's replacement for the title role.
Schramm's final stage performance was in the York Theatre Company's revival of '' Enter Laughing: The Musical'' in 2019.
Personal life
Schramm resided in New York and had homes in Chatham and Riverdale. He has been credited for getting David Adkins into a career in acting when he took him to see Juilliard.
Schramm stated in a 2008 interview, "I'm not a drinker, though I come from an area where drinking is like breathing. My father was a bookie, so consequently we went to the track a lot, where there was plenty of booze. My entire family drank; on weekends, there were always plenty of cases of beer in the house. Don't ask me why, but I just didn't get that gene."
Schramm died in New York on March 28, 2020, at the age of 73 from a heart attack.