David Walsh Naughton (born February 13, 1951)[1] is an American actor and singer known for his starring roles in the horror film An American Werewolf in London (1981) and the Disney comedy 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 and sang its hit theme song "Makin' It", giving him a Top 5 hit on the Billboard charts.[2]
Naughton was born in West Hartford, Connecticut,[1] 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-American.[3]
Naughton attended the University of Pennsylvania[4] and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[5] He earned a soccer scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania where he studied drama and graduated in 1973.[6] He then moved to London to further his acting training.[7] After two years in London, he moved to New York where he worked as a waiter and pursued his acting career.[8]
Naughton's professional acting debut was in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Hamlet starring Sam Waterston.[9][10] Naughton subsequently found steady work in various other local theater productions.[11] He was an Assistant Stage Manager and Understudy for the Broadway production of Hugh Leonard's Da.[12]
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.[13] The commercials were considered creative and wildly popular.[14] They involved Naughton dancing and singing in a Broadway musical style while handing out bottles of the beverage to people who then followed his lead Pied Piper style.[15] The commercials won numerous Clio awards, and involved a multitude of celebrities from Mickey Rooney and Jimmie Walker to Fred Flintstone and Popeye.[16]
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.[17] 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.[18] In 2010, Naughton joined a flash mob singing the iconic jingle at the New York Stock Exchange.[19]
His popularity from the commercials led to him being cast as the star of the sitcom Makin' It.[20] In 1979, he also recorded the show's theme song, Billboard, which was also titled "Makin' It."[1][21] A US million selling disc, the track also peaked at No. 44 in the UK Singles Chart.[22] 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).
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 National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) and the 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.[23] Rick Baker's make-up work won the inaugural Academy Award for Best Make-up.[24] The film was a critical and box office hit.[25]
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, Melrose Place, Murder, She Wrote, 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.[26] The series had a strong first season, but was cancelled due to low ratings in its second season.[27] The following year, the series co-star, Rebecca Schaefer, was murdered at her apartment by a stalker who had pursued her for three years.[28] In the wake of the tragedy, several actors from the sitcom including Naughton did a PSA to raise awareness of handgun violence.[29]
Naughton has been married four times and divorced three times. In 2008, he was arrested for domestic violence in Henderson, Nevada.[30] According to police reports, five months into their marriage, Naughton and his third wife, Seann Sara Sella, were arguing when he "grabbed her arm and threw her around."[31] When his wife threatened to call police, Naughton “grabbed the phone out of her hand.”[32] He then left the scene before police arrived, but was later arrested for investigation of domestic battery.[33] His wife suffered minor injuries.[34] He was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail, but 28 of those days were suspended after he pled no contest in court.[35]
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