A chat with actor, director David Paymer

Things worked out for me, and somehow I think that Oceanside had a lot to do with it.”

David Paymer, actor

David Paymer, a renowned character actor, recently reminisced about his formative years at Oceanside High School. In an interview with the Herald, Paymer, 68, a 1972 OHS graduate, credited his early experiences in his hometown for shaping his successful acting career, and shared his gratitude and acknowledged the impact that the hamlet had on his life.

Paymer’s parents, Marvin and Sylvia, played the first significant role in nurturing his artistic inclination. His father, a pianist and composer, and his mother, a playwright, collaborated on community shows that often raised money for the Oceanside Library in the early 1960s.

Growing up, David watched his father play piano in productions, while his mother acted and produced alongside Artie Iger, who lived two doors down and whose son, Robert, is now chief executive of the Walt Disney Company. Together they put on a show called, “Oceanside USA,” which was modeled after the Broadway hit “Oklahoma.”

At School No. 8, Paymer’s musical and acting journey began under the guidance of music teacher Herb Rothgarber. Encouraged by Rothgarber, Paymer explored the piano, bells and glockenspiel, developing a multifaceted musical skill set.

“He was an inspiration,” Paymer said of Rothgarber. “He was just the best teacher I ever had. He inspired his students.” Paymer performed in musicals including “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Oklahoma.” On opening night, he recalled, Rothgarber would gather the cast and say, “Tonight’s your night — go out there and make magic.” That, Paymer said, was the first time “that I was sort of recognized for actually being good at anything.”

At the high school, Paymer’s passion for acting bloomed under the mentorship of drama teacher Barry Kaplan, now a well-known actor and director. Describing Kaplan as his greatest inspiration, Paymer recalled his ability to motivate and inspire his students.

Years later, when Paymer revisited his role as Stan Young in the Broadway production of “Mr. Saturday Night” — alongside the show’s star Long Beach native Billy Crystal — Paymer was both excited and nervous. That was because Kaplan was in the audience.

Reflecting on his career, Paymer said he considers himself a character actor in the best sense of the word. “That is,” he explained, because “I can be chameleon-like, and I don’t just play one type. Sometimes I’m the lawyer, sometimes I’m the doctor, sometimes I’m the heroin addict, sometimes I’m some crazy person. I get to play good guys, bad guys, in-between guys. … I was never an ingénue. (Barry) allowed me to try on different parts, and I had a pretty good range.”

While Paymer’s parents initially envisioned him pursuing a medical career, he was captivated by acting when he found consistent work in his early 20s. At the University of Michigan, he double majored in theater and psychology, with the latter as a backup plan.

After his graduation in 1976, Paymer would frequently take the Long Island Rail Road into the city for open-call auditions. At just 22, he earned the role of Sonny in both the national tour and Broadway production of “Grease.” A year later performing as Sonny still, but now on the Broadway stage, it truly sank in to him that he was a real actor.

Another pivotal moment in Paymer’s career came when he landed a part in the 1991 film “City Slickers,” starring Crystal. During the shoot, they bonded over having grown up on the South Shore, and developed a friendship. At the time, Crystal was writing “Mr. Saturday Night,” and without Paymer knowing, he was Crystal’s first choice for the role of the brotherly Young in the movie, for which Paymer was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor in 1992.

“Things worked out for me,” he told the Herald, “and somehow, I think that Oceanside had a lot to do with it. … I don’t think things would have turned out the same if I had grown up somewhere else. I needed to meet Rothgarber and Barry Kaplan and do those shows, learn about acting that way, at least initially. Then, somehow, it all put me in the right place at the right time.”

Paymer’s advice for aspiring actors is that it’s good to have a backup plan for the future, but you must pursue your passion, too.

He spoke of bringing truth to a performance, and emphasized the importance of actors’ drawing from personal experiences and emotions while bringing honesty to their performances. The most challenging role he has had to play, Paymer said, is himself.