Squire Fridell

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Squire Fridell
Fridell in 1977
Born	(1943-02-09) February 9, 1943 (age 78) Oakland, California, U.S.
Education	University of the Pacific
Occupation	Actor, author, winemaker
Years active	1968–1996
Spouse(s)	Suzy McDermaid ​ (m. 1977)​
Children	1

Squire Fridell (born February 9, 1943) is a retired American actor, author and winemaker, known for his work in over three thousand television commercials, he is also known for his portrayal as Ronald McDonald in the McDonald's commercials from 1985 to 1991.^[1]

Early life[]

Fridell was born in Oakland, California. He attended the University of the Pacific where he was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Career[]

Fridell began his acting career on stage in South Carolina in 1968.^[1]

From 1978 to 2012, he was a spokesman for the American TV ads for The Toyota Motor Corporation.^[1] Fridell became the official Ronald McDonald clown character in 1985, 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 1991, he reprised the role in the 1988 film Mac and Me and did the voice talent of the character in the 1989 DiC animated film The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island.^[1] From the 1970s until the mid-1990s, Fridell also had supporting character roles in a number of popular TV series, such as M*A*S*H, Newhart, Ironside and Adam-12.

In 1980, Harmony Books published Fridell's book, Acting in Television Commercials for Fun and Profit,^[2] subsequently re-released by Random House in 2005.

Fridell returned as himself in several Toyota commercials in 2010, responding to the image damage the company suffered due to a slow response to safety issues in 2009.

He is also the co-owner and operator of GlenLyon Vineyards.^[1]

Author[]

Fridell, Squire. Acting in Television Commercials for Fun and Profit, 4th Edition (2009). Penguin Random House.

Personal life[]

Squire and Suzy (a professional dancer and dance teacher for many years) were married in 1977.^[3] They have one daughter, Lexy,^[3] who is pursuing an acting career in New York City.^[4] The family currently resides in Glen Ellen (in the Sonoma Valley region of that state) where they have operated the GlenLyon Vineyards and Winery since 1989.

Filmography[]

Film[]

Television[]

Video games[]

References[]

External links[]

• GlenLyon Winery site
• Squire Fridell at IMDb

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