Kevin Hamilton McDonald (born May 16, 1961) is a Canadian actor, voice
actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in
the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television
and film productions, most notably the 1988â€"1995 TV series The Kids
in the Hall. He played Pastor Dave in That '70s Show, and also starred
as a co-pilot in the 2011 web comedy series Papillon. He also has an
established voice acting career, notably providing the voices of Agent
Wendy Pleakley in the Lilo & Stitch franchise, Waffle in Catscratch,
and the Almighty Tallest Purple in Invader Zim.McDonald was born in
Montréal, Québec, the son of Sheila and Hamilton "Hammy" McDonald,
who was a dental equipment salesman. He moved to Los Angeles,
California at the age of seven, after his father was transferred
there. His family subsequently lived in Toronto, Ontario as well.
McDonald has a younger sister, Sandra.During an interview on WTF with
Marc Maron, McDonald discussed his father's severe alcoholism, which
inspired the Kids In The Hall sketches "Daddy Drank" and "Girl Drink
Drunk". Although he calls his mother "a wonderful woman," she was
nevertheless reluctant to leave his father until Kevin turned 19, when
his father's drinking had escalated to two bottles of vodka daily.
McDonald, his mother and sister rented an apartment, where they
quietly moved their belongings "every night [after his father would]
collapse on the stairs." Once they had completely moved, his parents
divorced, his father lost his job, went bankrupt and lived in a
homeless shelter for a year, during which he abstained from drinking
(although he alleged "his roommates were drinking Drano");
coincidentally, Kevin McDonald would use the same building to rehearse
with The Kids In The Hall as they were starting out on stage. His
father was able to find employment at a flower shop, then an apartment
and, over time, resume his career in dental equipment sales.
Eventually, he did drink again, but not to the extent he had earlier
in his life. He died of an aneurysm in 2004. Kevin McDonald would use
his relationship with his father as the basis for a one-man show,
Hammy And The Kids, in which he said he had no happy ending to the
story of his father. However, during his interview with Marc Maron, he
said after one performance of his one-man show, he was approached by a
stranger who said that he had served his father as a bartender, and
that his father mentioned how proud he was of his son, the famous
comedian, which moved McDonald to tears "like the ending to a bad
movie."McDonald briefly studied acting at a community college, where
he was kicked out for being "a one-legged actor" (i.e. he could
perform comedy, but not drama) by a dean who had a leg amputated, and
was therefore a literal one-legged actor. However, one of his
professors, William B. Davis (who would later find fame in his
portrayal of Cigarette Smoking Man on The X-Files), saw McDonald's
potential and encouraged him to pursue improv comedy by giving him the
number to The Second City in Toronto.
actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in
the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television
and film productions, most notably the 1988â€"1995 TV series The Kids
in the Hall. He played Pastor Dave in That '70s Show, and also starred
as a co-pilot in the 2011 web comedy series Papillon. He also has an
established voice acting career, notably providing the voices of Agent
Wendy Pleakley in the Lilo & Stitch franchise, Waffle in Catscratch,
and the Almighty Tallest Purple in Invader Zim.McDonald was born in
Montréal, Québec, the son of Sheila and Hamilton "Hammy" McDonald,
who was a dental equipment salesman. He moved to Los Angeles,
California at the age of seven, after his father was transferred
there. His family subsequently lived in Toronto, Ontario as well.
McDonald has a younger sister, Sandra.During an interview on WTF with
Marc Maron, McDonald discussed his father's severe alcoholism, which
inspired the Kids In The Hall sketches "Daddy Drank" and "Girl Drink
Drunk". Although he calls his mother "a wonderful woman," she was
nevertheless reluctant to leave his father until Kevin turned 19, when
his father's drinking had escalated to two bottles of vodka daily.
McDonald, his mother and sister rented an apartment, where they
quietly moved their belongings "every night [after his father would]
collapse on the stairs." Once they had completely moved, his parents
divorced, his father lost his job, went bankrupt and lived in a
homeless shelter for a year, during which he abstained from drinking
(although he alleged "his roommates were drinking Drano");
coincidentally, Kevin McDonald would use the same building to rehearse
with The Kids In The Hall as they were starting out on stage. His
father was able to find employment at a flower shop, then an apartment
and, over time, resume his career in dental equipment sales.
Eventually, he did drink again, but not to the extent he had earlier
in his life. He died of an aneurysm in 2004. Kevin McDonald would use
his relationship with his father as the basis for a one-man show,
Hammy And The Kids, in which he said he had no happy ending to the
story of his father. However, during his interview with Marc Maron, he
said after one performance of his one-man show, he was approached by a
stranger who said that he had served his father as a bartender, and
that his father mentioned how proud he was of his son, the famous
comedian, which moved McDonald to tears "like the ending to a bad
movie."McDonald briefly studied acting at a community college, where
he was kicked out for being "a one-legged actor" (i.e. he could
perform comedy, but not drama) by a dean who had a leg amputated, and
was therefore a literal one-legged actor. However, one of his
professors, William B. Davis (who would later find fame in his
portrayal of Cigarette Smoking Man on The X-Files), saw McDonald's
potential and encouraged him to pursue improv comedy by giving him the
number to The Second City in Toronto.
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