Squire Fridell


Squire Fridell is a retired American actor, author and winemaker, known for his work in over three thousand television commercials.

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.
From 1978 to 2012, he was a spokesman for the American TV ads for The Toyota Motor Corporation. He is best known for his portrayal as the official Ronald McDonald clown character in American television commercials for the McDonald's Corporation chain of fast-food restaurants from 1984 to 1991, and even played the character in Mac and Me and the voice talent of a character in the 1989 DiC animated film The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island. From the 1970s until the mid-1990s, Fridell also had supporting character roles in a number of popular TV series, such as Rosetti and Ryan, 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, 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.

Author

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

Personal life

Squire and Suzy were married in 1977. They have one daughter, Lexy, who is pursuing an acting career in New York City. The family currently resides in Glen Ellen where they have operated the GlenLyon Vineyards and Winery since 1989.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games