# David Koechner
**David Koechner** (born 1962) is an American actor, writer, producer, and stand-up comedian best known for playing Todd Packer on the sitcom *The Office* and sportscaster Champ Kind in *Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy* (2004) and *Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues* (2013).[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) An alumnus of Chicago's Second City Theater, he got his first break as a cast member on *Saturday Night Live* and has since appeared in more than 200 films and television shows.[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962, Tipton, Missouri, a town of about 2,000 people[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) |
| Signature roles | Todd Packer on *The Office*; Champion "Champ" Kind in the *Anchorman* films[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) |
| Comedy training | ImprovOlympic and Second City Theatre, Chicago; studied under Del Close at Second City[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) • [3](https://www.secondcity.com/people/david-koechner) |
| *Saturday Night Live* | Cast member in 1995, one season; did not survive the end-of-season cast overhaul[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) |
| Film count | More than 200 films and television shows[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) |
| Other TV work | Bill Lewis on *The Goldbergs*; co-host of A&E's *America's Top Dog*; voice roles on *American Dad!*, *F is for Family*, and *The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants*[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) |
| Charity | Co-host of Big Slick Celebrity Weekend, benefiting Children's Mercy Hospital of Kansas City, with Rob Riggle, Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, and Eric Stonestreet[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) |
## Early life and training
Koechner was born in 1962 in Tipton, Missouri.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) He studied political science at Benedictine College and the [University of Missouri](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-missouri), then abandoned those practical goals to pursue improvisational comedy.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) Before comedy, he worked for his father making turkey coops, material he later mined in his stand-up routines.[4](https://www.timeout.com/chicago/comedy/david-koechner)
He moved to Chicago, where he studied at the ImprovOlympic and Second City Theatre.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) At Second City he performed in two revues at the Northwest location in suburban Rolling Meadows, Illinois, after starting his improv career studying under [Del Close](https://www.edgepedia.org/del-close).[3](https://www.secondcity.com/people/david-koechner)
## Saturday Night Live and Late Night
In 1995 Koechner joined the cast of *Saturday Night Live* as part of a brand-new class of performers brought in by [Lorne Michaels](https://www.edgepedia.org/lorne-michaels) that included [Will Ferrell](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-ferrell), Cheri Oteri, Jim Breuer, Darrell Hammond, and Nancy Walls; only five performers from the previous season remained.[5](https://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/the-david-koechner-guide-to-achieving-modest-lasting-success) He did not survive the show's cast overhaul at the end of the season, but he quickly joined the sketch cast of *Late Night with Conan O'Brien* the following year.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) His best-known sketch there was "NBC Gargoyles," in which he played one of two bickering stone gargoyles perched outside Conan's desk window.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/)
The SNL stint proved consequential later: Koechner had befriended Will Ferrell and writer [Adam McKay](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-mckay) during his lone season, which led to his casting in the *Anchorman* films.[6](https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/david-koechner-interview-superior-donuts/)
## The Naked Trucker and T-Bones
In 1999 Koechner joined *The Naked Trucker Show*, an improvisational comedy act created by writer David "Gruber" Allen, whom Koechner had met during his SNL stay and reunited with on the set of the mockumentary *Dill Scallion* (1999).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) Koechner played Gerald "T-Bones" Tibbons, a backwards-minded redneck character he had first introduced on SNL and performed at practically every acting audition during that period.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) The duo combined stand-up with humorous country music and crass lyrics, establishing the dopey cowboy style Koechner carried into many 2000s roles, and the act led to live performances on *Late Night with Conan O'Brien* and *Real Time with Bill Maher*.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) A television version, *The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show*, aired on [Comedy Central](https://www.edgepedia.org/comedy-central) in 2007, received mixed reviews, and lasted one season.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/)
## Film career
Koechner's first feature film role was a very small part in the 1997 political satire *Wag the Dog*, followed in the late 1990s by small roles in *Man in the Moon* (1999) and *Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me* (1999).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) In 2004 he appeared in *Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy* as Champion "Champ" Kind, sportscaster for the fictional KVWN network; the film's popularity earned a pair of MTV Movie Award nominations he shared with the cast for Best On-Screen Team and Best Musical Performance.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) The film, a middling box-office performer that exploded in popularity on home video, helped vault his career to a new plane.[5](https://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/the-david-koechner-guide-to-achieving-modest-lasting-success)
He followed with a cameo in *The 40-Year-Old Virgin* (2005), a quick-witted guns lobbyist in *Thank You for Smoking* (2006), and back-to-back summer 2006 appearances in *Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby* and *Snakes on a Plane*.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) In 2007 he took his first leading role as coach Lambeau Fields in the sports parody *[The Comebacks](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-comebacks)*, which fell flat with audiences and critics.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) Other notable credits include *Waiting*, *Out Cold*, *Get Smart*, *Extract*, *[A Haunted House](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-haunted-house)*, *[Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse](https://www.edgepedia.org/scouts-guide-to-the-zombie-apocalypse)*, *Priceless*, Legendary's *Krampus*, and the film-festival award-winning thriller *Cheap Thrills*.[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) He reprised Champ Kind in *Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues* (2013).[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/)
## Television and voice work
On *[The Office](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-office-american-tv-series)*, Koechner played Todd Packer, the crass, vulgar, mean-spirited "best friend" of Michael Scott; he met [Steve Carell](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-carell) on the set of *The 40-Year-Old Virgin*, and Carell recommended him for the role.[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/) His other television work includes Bill Lewis on ABC's *The Goldbergs*, Carl "Tush" Tushinski on CBS's *Superior Donuts*, co-hosting A&E's *America's Top Dog*, and appearances on *Bless This Mess*, *Twin Peaks*, *Another Period*, and *Stan Against Evil*.[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) He voices recurring characters on Fox's *American Dad!*, Netflix's *F is for Family*, and *[The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-epic-tales-of-captain-underpants)*.[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) Metacritic lists 88 television credits and 70 movie credits for him, with his highest-scored television appearance being *Freaks and Geeks*.[7](https://www.metacritic.com/person/david-koechner/)
## Stand-up and personal life
Between film shoots, Koechner tours the nation doing stand-up and produces original videos for his YouTube channel, "Full On Koechner."[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about) His stand-up, though as bold as his onscreen personas, features more self-reflection, drawing on his Missouri upbringing and his life as a father of five.[4](https://www.timeout.com/chicago/comedy/david-koechner) He has lived in Los Angeles for more than 25 years but identifies as a Kansas City native and a passionate Chiefs fan.[8](https://www.inkansascity.com/innovators-influencers/people/in-conversation-with-david-koechner/) He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.[1](https://www.david-koechner.com/about)
## References
1. [About, DavidKoechner.com](https://www.david-koechner.com/about)
2. [David Koechner - Actor, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/david-koechner/)
3. [David Koechner, The Second City](https://www.secondcity.com/people/david-koechner)
4. [David Koechner, Time Out Chicago](https://www.timeout.com/chicago/comedy/david-koechner)
5. [The David Koechner Guide To Achieving Modest, Lasting Success As A Working Comedic Actor, Eventually, BuzzFeed](https://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/the-david-koechner-guide-to-achieving-modest-lasting-success)
6. [David Koechner interview, Hollywood in Toto](https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/david-koechner-interview-superior-donuts/)
7. [David Koechner, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/david-koechner/)
8. [IN Conversation with David Koechner, IN Kansas City Magazine](https://www.inkansascity.com/innovators-influencers/people/in-conversation-with-david-koechner/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Kn to La*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license