David Koechner

David Michael Koechner (born August 24, 1962) is an American actor and comedian.

He is best known for playing roles such as Champ Kind in the Anchorman films and Todd Packer on The Office series.

Koechner first became involved in performing when he began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at ImprovOlympic, before joining the Second City Northwest.

Koechner was born on August 24, 1962, in Tipton, Missouri, to Margaret Ann (née Downey) and Cecil Stephen Koechner.

He has two brothers, Mark and Joe, and three sisters, Mary-Rose, Cecilia and Joan.

His father ran a business that manufactured turkey coops (Koechner has stated that "If you see a turkey going down the road in a big truck, most likely its coop is from Tipton...").

He was raised Catholic, and is of German, English, and Irish descent.

Koechner studied Political Science at Benedictine College and the University of Missouri, before he eventually decided to pursue a career in improvisational comedy and moved to Chicago.

After studying at Chicago's ImprovOlympic, under famed improvisation instructor Del Close, Koechner joined The Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, graduating in 1994.

Koechner relocated to New York City in 1995, doing year long stints of sketch comedy as a cast member on Saturday Night Live (1995–1996) and as a sketch regular on Late Night with Conan O'Brien in the mid-1990s.

In 1995, Koechner landed a year-long stint on Saturday Night Live, joining the show with Second City friends Nancy Walls and Adam McKay.

During his time at SNL, he befriended guest-writer David 'Gruber' Allen, and castmate Will Ferrell.

Some of Koechner's recurring skits included Bill Brasky, the British Fops (playing Fagan, opposite Mark McKinney), Gary MacDonald (the fictional younger brother of Weekend Update anchor/SNL castmember Norm Macdonald, based on "Jokey", a character he originated at Second City), Will Ferrell's "Get Off the Shed" sketches (playing his neighbor, Tom Taylor), and Gerald "T-Bones" Tibbons.

Koechner impersonated several celebrities, including Christian Elliott, Mike Ditka, Charlie Sheen, Robert Shapiro, Willard Scott, Oliver Stone, Phil Gramm, David Kaczynski, and Pat Buchanan.

Gerald Tibbons dates back to 1995, when he filmed a short television pilot based on the character's misadventures.

The "Gerald" character, based on a real drifter named Four-Way George, became so popular that Koechner would go to auditions, only to find that directors were always demanding his stage persona.

The stage act, a mix of stand-up comedy and off-color country songs, became a hit on the Hollywood improv circuit, ultimately landing television performances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Real Time with Bill Maher.

The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show toured with fellow comedic musical duo, Tenacious D.

After his one season on SNL, Koechner joined the 1996–97 sketch cast of Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

In 1997, Koechner moved to Los Angeles and started working regularly in various film and television comedies, making his first film appearances with small roles in the films such as Wag the Dog, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Man on the Moon.

While filming the country mockumentary film Dill Scallion in 1998, Koechner befriended actor/comedian Dave 'Gruber' Allen, and eventually began performing as the comedy duo, The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show, a live musical comedy act.

The act became a hit at Hollywood clubs such as Largo, and Allen and Koechner were invited to open for Tenacious D.

On the set of the 1999 country music mockumentary, Dill Scallion, Koechner struck a partnership with SNL colleague David "Gruber" Allen, joining Allen's improvisational comedy act, The Naked Trucker Show.

Koechner joined the act as Gerald "T-Bones" Tibbons, a character he had been playing on comedy stages for a few years, including a recurring character bit on SNL.

After his breakout role as Champ Kind in the 2004 comedy Anchorman, Koechner began appearing frequently with larger supporting roles in many high-profile comedic films including Talladega Nights, Thank You for Smoking, Waiting..., Semi-Pro, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, and Extract.

In 2004, Koechner landed his largest film role up to that point, as sports reporter Champ Kind in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.

As part of the Anchorman ensemble, Koechner shared two MTV Movie Award nominations for Best On-Screen Team and Best Musical Performance.

MTV's initial press release accidentally listed Fred Armisen instead of David Koechner, but eventually corrected the error on their website, crediting Koechner during the broadcast.

Following this role, he landed small and supporting roles in such films such The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, The Dukes of Hazzard and Snakes on a Plane.

In 2006, he made his voice acting debut in Barnyard as "Dag".

That same year, he had a supporting role as a gun lobbyist in the critically acclaimed satire, Thank You for Smoking.

Thank You for Smoking was one of the best-reviewed films of Koechner's career, and he was included in Fox Searchlight's Oscar campaign, among the film's listings for Best Supporting Actor.

After co-starring in Anchorman and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, fellow Second City alum Steve Carell personally recommended Koechner for a recurring role on NBC's The Office, playing Todd Packer.

Koechner's role is the American version of Chris Finch from the original.

Packer is an obnoxious, alcoholic best friend of Carell's character.

In 2007, Koechner and Allen created and starred together in a Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show sketch comedy series that ran for one season on Comedy Central.

His first leading film role, as Coach Lambeau Fields in sports comedy, The Comebacks opened on October 19, 2007.

More recently, Koechner reprised his role of Champ Kind for Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, co-starred in the horror-comedy Krampus, and received praise from critics for his dark turn in the 2014 black comedy Cheap Thrills.

He co-starred in the sitcoms Bless This Mess and Superior Donuts and recurred on Another Period and on the reboot of Twin Peaks.

He makes regular appearances on the sitcom The Goldbergs and provides the voices of Dick Reynolds on American Dad!.