# Squire Fridell

Squire Fridell (born February 9, 1943) is an American retired actor, author, and winemaker who is widely known for his prolific work in the field of commercials; in the 1980s alone, Fridell served concurrently as spokesman for Toyota cars and McDonald's, portraying Ronald McDonald.

## 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 Southern California in 1968. In 1974 he was an acting teacher at El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera, California.
From 1978 to 2012, he was a spokesman in the American TV ads for the Toyota Motor Corporation. Fridell became the official Ronald McDonald clown character in 1985, after King Moody retired from the role. He portrayed the character in the McDonald's Corporation television commercials and for the chain fast-food restaurants for six years until 1991. Besides the commercials, he also portrayed the character in the 1988 film Mac and Me and provided the voice of the 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 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 (2009). Penguin Random House.

## Personal life

Squire and Suzanne McDermaid (a professional dancer and dance teacher for many years) 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 (in the Sonoma Valley region of California) where they have operated the GlenLyon Vineyards and Winery since 1989.
His sister Barbara is married to former NFL player and coach Tom Flores.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | Pink Motel | George | |
| 1983 | Imps* | Newscaster | |
| 1986 | Miracles | Yates | |
| 1988 | Mac and Me | Ronald McDonald | |
| 1990 | The Adventures of Ronald McDonald: McTreasure Island | Ronald McDonald (voice) | Direct-to-video |
| 1995 | Village of the Damned | The Sheriff | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1970 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors | Dr. Jessup | Episode: "This Day's Child" |
| 1970 | Ironside | 1st Attendant | Episode: "Little Dog, Gone" |
| 1970 | The Young Lawyers | George Nudavik | Episode: "Where's Aaron" |
| 1970–1972 | Adam-12 | Palmer, Goldstone, Floyd Bannister | 3 episodes |
| 1972 | The Strangers in 7A | Pete | Television film |
| 1972 | The Heist | Martin Galvin | Television film |
| 1973 | Police Story | Mod I.A. Man | Episode: "Man on a Rock" |
| 1975 | The Missing Are Deadly | Reporter #2 | Television film |
| 1976 | Holmes and Yoyo | Albert | Episode: "Funny Money" |
| 1977 | Rosetti and Ryan | Frank Ryan | 7 episodes |
| 1978 | Operation Petticoat | Lt. Meadows | Episode: "Tostin Times Two" |
| 1978 | Human Feelings | Phil Sawyer | Television film |
| 1979 | Vega$ | Paul Baker | Episode: "The Eleventh Event" |
| 1979 | The Ropers | Bill | Episode: "Days of Beer and Rosie" |
| 1979 | Eight is Enough | Pete Burkus | Episode: "Mary, He's Married" |
| 1981 | M*A*S*H | Cpl. Alvin Rice | Episode: "Identity Crisis" |
| 1984 | Mama's Family | Frank Palmer | Episode: "Supermarket" |
| 1984 | Newhart | Uniform Officer | Episode: "Go, Grandma, Go" |
| 1984 | For Love or Money | Howard | Television film |
| 1985–1991 | McDonald Land | Ronald McDonald | 45 episodes |
| 1991 | Midnight Caller | Bryon Walsh | Episode: "A Cry in the Night" |
| 1992 | Bay City Story | Douglas Turner | Television film |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1996 | Top Gun: Fire at Will | Air Boss | |