Michael McKean Michael John McKean is the American actor , comedian , composer , musician , and director who played The Clown in the episode . He is perhaps best known for playing Leonard " Lenny " Kosnowski opposite David L . Lander ' s Andrew " Squiggy " Squiggman on the popular situation comedy series from 1976 through 1982 . McKean is also known for playing David St . Hubbins , the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the parodic heavy metal band , as popularized in the 1984 " mockumentary " film " This Is Spinal Tap " . McKean has since become recognized for his roles in comedies and " mockumentaries " written and directed by fellow Spinal Tap member , Christopher Guest . McKean is also known for his brief time as a cast member on NBC ' s " Saturday Night Live " and for performances on such television shows as " The X - Files " and " Primetime Glick " . More recently , McKean is a member of the main cast as Chuck McGill in " Better Call Saul " , AMC ' s " Breaking Bad " spin - off . Work with David L . Lander . Before they paired up on " Laverne & Shirley " , McKean and guest star David L . Lander attended acting classes together at Carnegie Mellon University ( CMU ) in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , where they first developed the characters of Lenny and Squiggy . After graduating from CMU in the 1960s , McKean and Lander joined the Los Angeles - based comedy group called The Credibility Gap . They remained with the group until it disbanded in 1976 , after which they joined the cast of " Laverne & Shirley " . On this series , their Lenny and Squiggy characters were best friends and roommates who lived in the apartment above the title characters , whom they would regularly pester . McKean and Lander also wrote two episodes of the show . McKean and Lander continued performing together outside of their weekly series , as well . In 1979 , the duo appeared in ' s World War II comedy " 1941 " , as did Elisha Cook , Jr . and Dick Miller . In 1980 , they released an album as Lenny and Squiggy entitled " Lenny and the Squigtones " . That same year , they had supporting roles in ' s comedy film , " Used Cars " , co - starring with Gerrit Graham . They also made appearances together on numerous television shows , including " The Merv Griffin Show " , " Hollywood Squares " , and " Fridays " . They even made cameo appearances as Lenny and Squiggy on " Happy Days " ( working with Don Most , Anson Williams , and Ed Peck ) and " Saturday Night Live " . They have more recently appeared on such series as " Getting by " and " The Weird Al Show " . On the latter , McKean , Lander , and DS9 guest star David Bowe were among those playing a group of miners . In addition , the duo have worked together on several animated television series , most notably Disney ' s " Jungle Cubs " ( 1996 - 98 ) , in which they voiced a pair of vultures , and " 101 Dalmatians " ( 1997 - 98 ) , where they voiced Cruella de Vil ' s henchmen , Jasper ( McKean ) and Horace ( Lander ) . They can also be heard as a pair of birds in the 2001 film " Dr . Dolittle 2 " . They later lent their voices to a 2007 episode of Cartoon Network ' s " The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy " , along with Henry Gibson and Armin Shimerman . In 2009 , they were seen in a segment of the sketch comedy film " Imps * " , which was actually filmed in the 1980s . Since Lander first announced he was suffering from multiple sclerosis ( MS ) , McKean and Lander have appeared on numerous daytime talk shows to raise awareness of the disease . They also made an MS - related public service announcement together in 2003 . Spinal Tap and Christopher Guest films . The " mock rock " band known as Spinal Tap was formed in 1979 and is comprised of actors McKean ( as David St . Hubbins ) , Christopher Guest ( as lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel ) , and Harry Shearer ( as bassist Derek Smalls ) . The band actually had their beginnings on McKean and Lander ' s " Lenny and the Squigtones " album , as it featured McKean on vocals and Christopher Guest , brother of Nicholas Guest , ( credited as Nigel Tufnel ) on guitar . Spinal Tap made their official debut on a failed 1979 sketch comedy pilot called " The T . V . Show " , and five years later , they were the fictional subject of the mockumentary film . This film , which McKean wrote and composed with Guest , Shearer , and director , has since become a cult classic . In the years since the film was made , McKean , Guest , and Shearer have played concerts and released music and videos under the Spinal Tap name . In 1989 , McKean appeared in Christopher Guest ' s first film , " The Big Picture " . In 1996 , McKean reunited with Guest and Shearer to write the music and lyrics for Guest ' s musical mockumentary film , " Waiting for Guffman " . McKean later appeared in and wrote songs for McKean ' s subsequent mockumentaries , 2000 ' s " Best in Show " and 2003 ' s " A Mighty Wind " . McKean and his wife , actress Annette O ' Toole , received an Academy Award nomination for the song " A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow , " which they wrote for " A Mighty Wind " ( they wrote two other songs for the movie ) . In addition , McKean , Guest , and actor won a Grammy Award for writing the title song , " A Mighty Wind . " More recently , McKean had a role in Guest ' s 2006 comedy film , " For Your Consideration " . McKean was not the only " Star Trek " veteran to appear in " This Is Spinal Tap " and Christopher Guest ' s films . McKean ' s fellow " Voyager " guest star Ed Begley , Jr . also had roles in " This Is Spinal Tap " , " Best in Show " , " A Mighty Wind " , and " For Your Consideration " , while guest star Paul Dooley was seen in " Waiting for Guffman " , " A Mighty Wind " , and " For Your Consideration " . " A Mighty Wind " also featured Bill Cobbs , Rachael Harris , and Freda Foh Shen . Other film and TV credits . Film . Following his roles in " 1941 " and " Used Cars " , McKean starred in the 1982 comedy " Young Doctors in Love " . This film also featured fellow " Star Trek " guest actors Ed Begley , Jr . , Charlie Brill , Hamilton Camp , Deborah Lacey , and Saul Rubinek . In 1985 , McKean , Jane Wiedlin and actor Christopher Lloyd were part of the ensemble cast of the comedy mystery " Clue " , based on the popular board game . McKean and Lloyd later worked together on the 1994 film " Radioland Murders " ( along with Corbin Bernsen ) and the 2003 short 4 - D film " Haunted Lighthouse " . McKean also starred in the 1985 science fiction comedy " D . A . R . Y . L . " and made an uncredited appearance in the 1986 comedy " Jumpin ' Jack Flash " , which starred Whoopi Goldberg and Stephen Collins . McKean next had roles in the hit 1987 John Hughes comedy " Planes , Trains & Automobiles " ( with Bill Erwin , Larry Hankin , Richard Herd , and William Windom ) , the science fiction comedy " Short Circuit 2 " , and the cult sci - fi musical comedy " Earth Girls Are Easy " ( with Charles Rocket ) . Throughout the 1990s , McKean appeared in such films as " Flashback " ( with Paul Dooley and Cliff DeYoung ) , " True Identity " ( with Andreas Katsulas and Frank Langella ) , John Carpenter ' s " Memoirs of an Invisible Man " ( with Sam Anderson , Rosalind Chao , Ellen Albertini Dow , Shay Duffin , Chip Heller , Barry Kivel , Aaron Lustig , and Jim Norton ) , " Man Trouble " ( with David Clennon and Saul Rubinek ) , " Coneheads " ( with Jason Alexander ) , " Airheads " ( with Reg E . Cathey ) , " The Brady Bunch Movie " ( with James Avery , David Graf , and Olivia Hack ) , " Edie & Pen " ( with Louise Fletcher and Chris Sarandon ) , " Jack " ( with Robin Williams and Keone Young ) , " Nothing to Lose " ( with Randy Oglesby ) , " True Crime " ( with William Windom and Anthony Zerbe ) , and " Mystery , Alaska " ( with Colm Meaney ) . In 1998 , McKean worked with " Voyager " regular Robert Picardo as well as Ann Gillespie , Mel Johnson , Jr . , Andrew Robinson , and Spice Williams in the independent drama " Archibald the Rainbow Painter " . This film was directed and produced by " Star Trek " veteran Les Landau and photographed by Marvin V . Rush , who directed McKean in " The Thaw " . That same year , McKean and his Spinal Tap band mates , Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer , were heard as the voices of the Gorgonites in the film . The Gorgonites are led by " Archer " , voiced by aforementioned " Deep Space Nine " guest actor Frank Langella . Like " Archibald the Rainbow Painter " , " " also featured Robert Picardo , in addition to Kirsten Dunst , Gregory Itzin , Dick Miller , and Wendy Schaal . In the 1999 romantic comedy " Kill the Man " , McKean and guest star Teri Garr played a married couple . McKean ' s subsequent films have included 2000 ' s " Little Nicky " ( with Tommy " Tiny " Lister , Jr . and Clint Howard ) , the 2002 comedy " Teddy Bears ' Picnic " ( with Henry Gibson , Kenneth Mars , Kurtwood Smith , and Brenda Strong ) , Mel Brooks ' 2005 version of " The Producers " ( with David Huddleston and Andrea Martin ) , the 2007 horror thriller " Joshua " ( starring Jacob Kogan in the title role ) , and the 2007 improvisational comedy " The Grand " ( with Jason Alexander ) . In addition , McKean continued appearing in films with Ed Begley , Jr . , namely the 2002 biographical drama " Auto Focus " , the 2006 comedy " Relative Strangers " , and Woody Allen ' s 2009 comedy " Whatever Works " . Television . McKean ' s first television work outside of sketch comedy and his role on " Laverne & Shirley " was the 1978 TV movie " More Than Friends " with actor Phillip Richard Allen . After " Laverne & Shirley " ended in 1983 , McKean starred in an unsold pilot for CBS called " The Bounder " , which co - starred Jeannetta Arnette . McKean and Arnette again acted together two years later on the TV movie " The History of White People in America : Volume II " , directed by Harry Shearer . McKean then starred in the 1987 Disney movie " Double Agent " , which was directed by Michael Vejar . This was followed by " A Father ' s Homecoming " in 1988 , with McKean acting alongside Brenda Bakke and DS9 regular Nana Visitor . McKean was a regular on the NBC sitcom " Grand " during its first season in early 1990 . His fellow " Trek " alumni Mark Moses and John Neville were also cast members on this series . McKean then became a regular on the short - lived HBO series " Sessions " , on which TNG guest star John P . Connolly portrayed McKean ' s character ' s father . McKean was nominated for a CableACE Award for his work on " Sessions " , and he received two more nominations for his recurring role as Gibby Fiske on the HBO series " Dream On " . He was also a frequent guest voice - over actor on the popular Jim Henson series " Dinosaurs " . In addition , between 1990 and 1994 , he made guest appearances on such programs as " Murder , She Wrote " ( in an episode with George Coe ) and " Lois & Clark : The New Adventures of Superman " ( with K Callan , Teri Hatcher , and Tracy Scoggins ) . In 1994 , McKean joined the cast of the long - running sketch comedy / variety program " Saturday Night Live " ; having appeared twice in 1984 - as part of Spinal Tap in May and as host in November - he is one of only two people ( along with ) to have hosted the show " before " joining the cast , and the only cast member to have appeared as a musical guest . His fellow " Voyager " guest performer , Sarah Silverman , was also a regular performer when he first arrived . He remained with the show for one season , leaving in May 1995 . One of his sketches for the show had him playing TNG star Patrick Stewart filling in for William Shatner as host of " Rescue 911 " . Following his work on " Saturday Night Live " , McKean made recurring appearances as Barrington ' Barry ' LeTissier on the HBO series " Tracey Takes On . . . " , in addition to directed several episodes of that show . He was a guest star on several other shows during the late 1990s , including " The Nanny " ( starring Daniel Davis ) , " Friends " , " LateLine " ( starring Miguel Ferrer and Robert Foxworth ) , " Murphy Brown " , " Veronica ' s Closet " ( starring Kirstie Alley and Wallace Langham ) , " Providence " ( starring Concetta Tomei ) , and " Boy Meets World " ( with Lindsay Ridgeway ) , playing a character that was later played by Mark Harelik . He has also lent his voice to such popular animated shows as " Animaniacs " , " Pinky and the Brain " , " Hey , Arnold ! " , " Recess " , and " The Simpsons " . Between 1998 and 2002 , McKean made four appearances as government agent on the hit science fiction series , . His first episode , " Dreamland , " was directed by Kim Manners , while his last one , " Jump the Shark , " was directed by Cliff Bole . Actors he worked with on the show included Michael Buchman Silver and Charles Rocket . McKean also played Fletcher on a 2001 episode of " The X - Files " s spin - off series , . Another of McKean ' s well - known roles is that of announcer and bandleader Adrien Van Voorhees on Martin Short ' s Comedy Central series , " Primetime Glick " ( 2001 - 2003 ) . Following his work on this show , McKean landed a supporting role in the acclaimed HBO movie " And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself " marking his third time working with TNG guest actor Saul Rubinek ( after the feature films " Young Doctors in Love " and " Man Trouble " ) . Since 2000 , McKean has appeared on such popular shows as " Smallville " ( as " Daily Planet " editor , Perry White , a character later played by Frank Langella in the film " Superman Returns " ) , " MADtv " ( with Debra Wilson ) , J . J . Abrams ' " Alias " ( with Victor Garber and Greg Grunberg ) , " Boston Legal " ( starring William Shatner and Rene Auberjonois , in an episode with Henry Gibson ) , " The Unit " ( with Abby Brammell ) , and " Law & Order " ( including an episode with Brad Dourif ) . In addition , he has had voice - over roles in such animated shows as " Batman Beyond " , " Justice League " , " Harvey Birdman : Attorney at Law " , " SpongeBob SquarePants " , " Grim & Evil " , and Seth MacFarlane ' s " Family Guy " . Personal . McKean sustained a broken leg in a hit & run collision in New York City . McKean made a full recovery . The collision forced McKean ' s first absence from the play " Gore Vidal ' s The Best Man " on the New York Broadway stage . Co - starring with McKean in the play is Trek movie performer John Larroquette . McKean ' s injuries turned out to be worse than expected with McKean needing to be transferred to a rehab facility . As a result , McKean was forced to quit the production .