David Ury

David Ury
Born	David Brian Ury (1973-09-30) September 30, 1973 Sonoma, California, U.S.
Other names	D.B.U.
Occupation	Actor, stand-up comedian, english<->Japanese translation specialist
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)

David Brian Ury (born September 30, 1973) is an American film and television actor, stand-up comedian and Japanese film, anime and manga translation specialist. He is a descendant of Ashkenazi Jewish impressionist painter Lesser Ury.

Career

Ury learned to speak Japanese while at college in Tokyo and has worked as a translator in film, television, and manga and currently (As of May 2011) translates and writes English adaptations for Japanese comics (manga) (some notable manga include Rave Master vol.33,34,35, Basilisk, Genshiken, Gacha Gacha and The Wallflower). Ury moved to Los Angeles in August 2001 where he began performing stand-up comedy. In the spring of 2003, Ury became the "Ugly Guy" in Fox's Mr. Personality promo commercials. More recently he has appeared as the "Guy who says Yes" or the "Yes Guy" on the Internet viral Verizon parody short. Ury also plays a fictionalized version of himself as a news reporter in William Hung's She Bangs video.

Cartoonist Keith Knight, a neighbor of his, described Ury's acting career as "Spooge man" and "a cavalcade of reprobates, sleazeballs, derelicts, & weirdos...."

Appearances

TV Series and Movies

David 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, Zeke and Luther, and The Librarians. In March 2015, Ury was cast for Rob Zombie's slasher film 31 as Schizo-Head.

YouTube

David Ury also has YouTube channels/accounts/personalities or alter-egos, which include Karaoke Steve and Ken Tanaka, the so-called adopted twin brother of David Ury. Tanaka is described as a 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. Ken Tanaka bears a resemblance to lonelygirl15 with Ken Tanaka's first appearance on YouTube.

Ken Tanaka speaks Japanese and English with a heavy Japanese accent and makes videos about Ken's search for his birth parents, culture and life in Japan and Los Angeles. Many viewers are convinced that Tanaka's story is true, while others believe that he is merely a character played by David Ury. After some viewers began to comment that Tanaka looked a lot like actor David Ury, Tanaka made a video where Tanaka goes to meet Ury. The video shows David Ury and Ken Tanaka meeting and discovering that they are identical twin brothers.

As of 22 August 2011 Ken Tanaka has over 200 YouTube videos in both his two YouTube channels (helpmefindparents and kentanakajapan). Tanaka's videos also document his visual art career and the making of his book "Everybody Dies- A Children's Book for Grown Ups" ISBN 0-615-46493-9 . Tanaka's work is sought after by collectors of the work of German impressionist painter Lesser Ury presumably by those who believe that Tanaka is actually David Ury.

David Ury's Ken Tanaka is also famous by YouTube series of "How to speak fluent Japanese (without saying a word #1 – #2; hardly saying a word; with Remi, Takeo, and Ken Tanaka; by Speaking English #1 – #2 – #3)" (with appearances of Remi February (Artist), David "Takeo" Neptune (Short film director) and Masataka "Polo" Yazaki (Musician of former band Nirf)) and "I AM ROBOT" (which won "YouTube Video Awards Japan 2009" award).

Ken Tanaka has also made appearances in YouTube with MissHannahMinx and Gimmeabreakman (aka Victor from Japan).

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2016	Fear, Inc.
2015	31	Schizo-Head
	Powers	Dr. Death
2014	Grimm	Hofmann
	The Haunted Hathaways	Green Ghoul	Crossover episode: " The Haunted Thundermans"
	The Thundermans
2009–2011	Zeke and Luther	Donut "Don" Donaldson	Recurring Role
2011	Bones	Larry Wolfram	Episode: "The Feet on the Beach"
	The Young and the Restless	Burt	Episode: "Daniel Finally Regains Consciousness"
2010	Lie to Me	Witness	Episode: "Headlock"
	Rizzoli & Isles	Sandy Grotty	Episodes: "Boston Strangler Redux"
	The 41-Year-Old Virgin Who Knocked Up Sarah Marshall and Felt Superbad About It	Yes Man
2009	Breaking Bad	Spooge	Episode: "Peekaboo" "Breakage"
	The Revenant	ATM robber
2006–2009	Heroes	Landlord	Episodes: "Chapter Nine 'Turn and Face the Strange'" "Chapter One 'Genesis'" "Unaired Premiere Episode"
2008–2009	Life	Hard Case #1	Episodes: "Re-Entry" "Trapdoor"
2008	Without a Trace	Gil	Episode: "Better Angels"
	Parasomnia	Record Store Owner
	Black Widow	Bixler
2007	National Treasure: Book of Secrets	Barkeep
	Shoot 'Em Up	Diner Holdup Leader
	Close to Home	Rooster	Episode: "Internet Bride"
2006	Crossing Jordan	Arthur Hay	Episode: "Blame Game"
	Dark Ride	Attendant #1
2005	Blue Collar TV	Sketch performer	Episode: "Fashion"
2004	Charmed	Shapeshifter	Episode: "Witchness Protection"
	Paparazzi	Fan
	Able Edwards	Franklin Wallace
2002	Malcolm in the Middle	Mechanic	Episode: "Zoo"

References

• http://articles.latimes.com/2009/apr/10/entertainment/et-tanaka10
• http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090528f2.html
• http://ikimashou.net/2006/05/18/interview-with-a-translator-david-ury

External links

• David Ury at the Internet Movie Database
• David Ury at the ISBN Database
• Ken Tanaka at the ISBN Database