David Ossman

David Ossman (born December 6, 1936 in Santa Monica, California) is an American writer and comedian, best known as a member of The Firesign Theatre.

Career

Ossman's roles during his Firesign years include George Leroy ("Peorgie") Tirebiter on Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers and Catherwood in the "Nick Danger" series.

In 1973, he recorded the solo album How Time Flys. During the 1980s, he left the Firesign Theatre, primarily to produce programs for National Public Radio.

During the 1990s Ossman and his wife Judith Walcutt formed Otherworld Media, through which they produced audio theatre for children, as well as a series of major star-studded audio theatre broadcasts for NPR, including We Hold These Truths (1991), Empire Of The Air, War Of The Worlds 50th Anniversary Production, ^[1] Raymond Chandler's Goldfish, and the 100th Anniversary audio theatre adaptation of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

His latest Otherworld Media Productions include A Thousand Clowns, Through the Looking Glass, and A Taffetas Christmas. These performances are held at Whidbey Children's Theater on Whidbey Island, a local theatre where children can come to do plays and workshops.

Otherworld Media has also taken on the task of adapting and producing half a dozen screenplays in live radio play format in 2007 and 2008 at the International Mystery Writers Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky. Ossman personally wrote the adaptation and directed the 2007 Angie Award winner Albatross (original screenplay written by Lance Rucker and Timothy Perrin).

Ossman has written a mystery novel, The Ronald Reagan Murder Case: A George Tirebiter Mystery (published by BearManor Media, 2007). In 2008, Bear Manor Media published his memoir, Dr. Firesign's Follies: Radio, Comedy, Mystery, History.

Personal life

On March 19, 2008, Mount Rainier National Park rangers found the body of Ossman's oldest son, Devin, less than two miles from the trailhead where he had parked his car two days earlier for a day hike. His wife had reported him missing the day before.

Ossman currently resides on Whidbey Island with his wife and their surviving sons, Orson and Preston.

Filmography

Actor

• Firesign Theatre: Weirdly Cool (2001) (TV)
• Nowheresville (2000)
• A Bug's Life (1998) (voice)
• The Tick: "Sidekicks Don't Kiss" (1996) TV Episode (voice)
• Below the Belt (1980) (voice)
• Everything You Know Is Wrong (1975) Sheriff Luger Axehandle/NURGI Clockwork Film narrator/Prof. Archer/Art Wholeflaffer/Gen.
• Martian Space Party (1972)

Writer

• Firesign Theatre: Weirdly Cool (2001) (TV)
• Everything You Know Is Wrong (1975)
• Martian Space Party (1972)
• Zachariah (1971)

Producer

• Everything You Know Is Wrong (1975)
• Martian Space Party (1972)

Director

• Everything You Know Is Wrong (1975)
• Through the Looking Glass (2006)
• Seven Keys to Baldpate (2007)

Editor

• Martian Space Party (1972)

Footnotes