American actor
Squire Fridell | |
|---|---|
Fridell in | |
| Born | () February 9, (age&#;81) Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Education | University of the Pacific |
| Occupations | |
| Years&#;active | – |
| Spouse | Suzanne McDermaid &#; (m.&#;)&#; |
| Children | 1 |
Squire Fridell (born February 9, ) is an American retired actor, author, and winemaker who appeared in over three thousand television commercials; he also appeared as Ronald McDonald in McDonald's commercials from to [1]
Fridell was born in Oakland, California. He attended the University of the Pacific where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.[2]
Fridell began his acting career on stage in Southern California in [1] In he was an acting teacher at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California.
From to , he was a spokesman in the American TV ads for the Toyota Motor Corporation.[1] Fridell became the official Ronald McDonald clown character in , after King Moody retired from the role.[1] He portrayed the character in the McDonald's Corporation television commercials and for the chain fast-food restaurants for six years until Besides the commercials, he also portrayed the character in the film Mac and Me and provided the voice of the character in the DiC animated film The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island.[1][3] From the s until the mids, Fridell also had supporting character roles in a number of popular TV series, such as M*A*S*H, Newhart, Ironside and Adam.
In , Harmony Books published Fridell's book, Acting in Television Commercials for Fun and Profit,[4] subsequently re-released by Random House in
Fridell returned as himself in several Toyota commercials in , responding to the image damage the company suffered due to a slow response to safety issues in
He is also the co-owner and operator of GlenLyon Vineyards.[1]
Fridell, Squire. Acting in Television Commercials for Fun and Profit, 4th Edition (). Penguin Random House.[5]
Squire and Suzanne McDermaid (a professional dancer and dance teacher for many years) were married in [6] They have one daughter, Lexy,[7] who is pursuing an acting career in New York City.[7] The family currently resides in Glen Ellen (in the Sonoma Valley region of California) where they have operated the GlenLyon Vineyards and Winery since
His sister Barbara is married to former NFL player and coach Tom Flores.[8]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Dr. Jessup | Episode: "This Day's Child" | |
| Ironside | 1st Attendant | Episode: "Little Dog, Gone" | |
| The Young Lawyers | George Nudavik | Episode: "Where's Aaron" | |
| – | Adam | Palmer, Goldstone, Floyd Bannister | 3 episodes |
| The Strangers in 7A | Pete | Television film | |
| The Heist | Martin Galvin | ||
| Police Story | Mod I.A. Man | Episode: "Man on a Rock" | |
| The Missing Are Deadly | Reporter #2 | Television film | |
| Holmes and Yoyo | Albert | Episode: "Funny Money" | |
| Rosetti and Ryan | Frank Ryan | 7 episodes | |
| Operation Petticoat | Lt. Meadows | Episode: "Tostin Times Two" | |
| Human Feelings | Phil Sawyer | Television film | |
| Vega$ | Paul Baker | Episode: "The Eleventh Event" | |
| The Ropers | Bill | Episode: "Days of Beer and Rosie" | |
| Eight is Enough | Pete Burkus | Episode: "Mary, He's Married" | |
| M*A*S*H | Cpl. Alvin Rice | Episode: "Identity Crisis" | |
| Mama's Family | Frank Palmer | Episode: "Supermarket" | |
| Newhart | Uniform Officer | Episode: "Go, Grandma, Go" | |
| For Love or Money | Howard | Television film | |
| – | McDonald Land | Ronald McDonald | 45 episodes |
| Midnight Caller | Bryon Walsh | Episode: "A Cry in the Night" | |
| Bay City Story | Douglas Turner | Television film |