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David Ury

David Ury

Born: 1973-01-01

David Brian Ury (born September 30, 1973) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, YouTuber, and Japanese translation specialist.

Ury was born and raised in Sonoma, California. He graduated from Sonoma Valley High School, where he acted in theatre productions. He earned a bachelor's degree in linguistics at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington and studied abroad in Japan, where he became fluent in Japanese. Ury is a descendant of German Jewish impressionist painter Lesser Ury.

Since studying abroad in Tokyo, Ury and has worked as a translator in film, television, and manga and currently (As of May 2011) translates and writes English adaptations for manga. Ury moved to Los Angeles in August 2001 where he began performing stand-up comedy. Cartoonist Keith Knight, a neighbor of his, described Ury's acting career as "Spooge man" and "a cavalcade of reprobates, sleazeballs, derelicts, & weirdos."

Ury has made several film and television appearances, including an episode of Tim Kring's Crossing Jordan and in Shoot 'Em Up. He also appeared in Heroes, Malcolm in the Middle, Life, Without a Trace, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Zeke and Luther, and The Librarians. In March 2015, Ury was cast for Rob Zombie's slasher film 31 as Schizo-Head. A character actor, Ury has died on screen in almost every role he has portrayed.

Ury also has several YouTube channels/accounts/personalities and alter-egos, which include Karaoke Steve and Ken Tanaka, the fictional adopted twin brother of David Ury. Tanaka is described as an Ashkenazi Jewish man adopted as an infant by Japanese parents Hideo and Mari Tanaka, and raised in Shimane Prefecture of Japan; he returns to Los Angeles to find his birth parents Jonathan and Linda Smith.

Filmography
Violent Ends poster
Violent Ends
2025 • Lou Byers
A Blind Bargain poster
A Blind Bargain
2025 • Reggie
Little Death poster
Little Death
2024 • Petey
Do Not Watch poster
Do Not Watch
2023
Babylon poster
Babylon
2022 • Fan (Autograph)
1-800-Hot-Nite poster
1-800-Hot-Nite
2022 • Bill
Faith Based poster
Faith Based
2020 • Gerry
Kajillionaire poster
Kajillionaire
2020 • Minimart Cashier
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) poster
Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
2020 • Sleazy Breeder
3 from Hell poster
3 from Hell
2019 • Travis O'Rourke
To Hell and Back: The Making of 3 From Hell poster
To Hell and Back: The Making of 3 From Hell
2019 • Self
Loners poster
Loners
2019 • Larry Bressert
31 poster
31
2016 • Schizo-Head
A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits poster
A Cinderella Story: If the Shoe Fits
2016 • Freddie Marks
Little Boy poster
Little Boy
2015 • Sir Pent
Lake Los Angeles poster
Lake Los Angeles
2014 • Dan Dan
Coffee Town poster
Coffee Town
2013 • Homeless Guy
Pearblossom Hwy poster
Pearblossom Hwy
2012 • Garr Booth
The 41–Year–Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It poster
The 41–Year–Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It
2010 • Yes Man
The Revenant poster
The Revenant
2009 • ATM Robber
Black Widow poster
Black Widow
2008 • Bixler
National Treasure: Book of Secrets poster
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
2007 • Barkeeper
Shoot 'Em Up poster
Shoot 'Em Up
2007 • Diner Holdup Leader
Dark Ride poster
Dark Ride
2006 • Attendant #1
Paparazzi poster
Paparazzi
2004 • Fan
Able Edwards poster
Able Edwards
2004 • Franklin Wallace