Steve Paymer

As Leonard, the amusingly depressed neighbor on the popular college town sitcom "Boston Common" (NBC 1996-97), droopy-faced Steve Paymer has proven a formidable sad sack. He took a somewhat circuitous route to success as a supporting player. The older brother of respected character actor David Paymer, the Manhattan-born Long Islander majored in mass communications before finding work in broadcast journalism, directing radio newscasts and editing film for three years at NBC News in NYC. Dreaming of a showbiz career, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting. There, he also wrote and performed stand-up comedy with younger brother David. The pair subsequently wrote and produced "Best Man," an Equity waiver play, in 1984. The brother act segued to TV as staff writers for "The New Leave It to Beaver" (TBS, 1986-89), the second made-for-cable sequel series to the family classic of the late 1950s-early 60s. By 1988, David had gone on to focus on acting while Steve enrolled in an improvisational comedy workshop where he honed his writing and performing skills. Soon after, he sold two teleplays to ABC's hit sitcom, "Roseanne."

After a brief stint as a staff writer during the tumultuous 1989-90 season of "Roseanne," Paymer served as a story editor on ABC's "Davis Rules," an amiable family sitcom vehicle for Randy Quaid and Jonathan Winters. This led to a two-year tenure as co-producer and writer on NBC's well-regarded "Mad About You," where he made his first guest shots as Dutch, a fast-talking video store clerk. Paymer went on to co-produce the unsuccessful Dabney Coleman vehicle "Madman of the People" (NBC, 1994-95) and part of the first season of the "The Single Guy" on the same network before leaving to pursue an acting career as a regular on "Boston Common."