{{short description|American mime, actor and singer}} {{Infobox person | name = David Zed | image = David Kirk Traylor or David Zed as Mister Zed.jpg | caption = Traylor as Mr. Zed | other_names = Mr. Zed | birth_name = David Kirk Traylor | birth_place = Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|10|28|mf=yes}} | occupation = Mime, actor, singer, comedian | website = {{URL|http://www.mrzed.com/}} }}
'''David Kirk Traylor''', best known by his stage names '''David Zed''' and '''Mr. Zed''', is an American mime, actor and singer, and comedian mainly active in Italy and the United States. His mime work involves portraying "Mr. Zed", a fictional human-like robot.
== Career == Born in Indianapolis, David Traylor found success in the late 1970s performing "Zed", a humanoid robot. His performance of Mr. Zed included mime work, such as shuffling his feet, moving his forearms rhythmically, and mechanically rotating his head.<ref>{{cite news|last=Francesco Rosso|title=Nasce l'" uomo-robot" che sostituisce il robot|newspaper=La Stampa|date=27 December 1979|page=4}}</ref> In 1980, he was a guest at the Sanremo Music Festival with the song "R.O.B.O.T.", which became his biggest hit as a singer.<ref name=hit>{{cite book|last=Dario Salvatori|title=Storia dell'Hit Parade|publisher=Gramese, 1989}}</ref> In the mid-1990s, he was the author and host of the television show ''Mr. Zed Show'', which was broadcast throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Northern Europe through the Orbit Satellite television network. The Mister Zed Show was the first program of its kind to be shot entirely on digital video.<ref name=tgcom>{{cite news|title=Zed, un robot per amico|url=http://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/televisione/articoli/articolo461138.shtml|accessdate=7 March 2012|newspaper=TGCOM|date=24 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180315070655/http://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/televisione/articoli/articolo461138.shtml|archive-date=15 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> The series featured a revised version of his Mister Zed character as a comedic figure, portrayed as the first-ever robotic stand-up comedian; in this context, he made numerous appearances on US and Canadian television programs and comedy festivals.
He has also starred in a number of films and television series. As "Mister Zed", he competed in 2019 in the American reality television comedy competition series ''Bring the Funny'', making it to the first round (the "Open Mic"). He returned as a special guest in the season finale and appeared on the ''Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon'' to promote the show.
Besides his work on comedy, Traylor also worked as a voice actor for animated films and video games, most notably ''Day of the Tentacle''.<ref name="dottcredits">{{Cite web |title=Day of the Tentacle Remastered Cast & Credits |url=https://www.doublefine.com/ |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Double Fine Productions |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Yarwood">{{Cite web |last=Yarwood |first=Jack |date=June 14, 2023 |title=Mark Your Calendars! A New 'Day Of The Tentacle' Doc Is Dropping Later This Month |url=https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/06/mark-your-calendars-a-new-day-of-the-tentacle-doc-is-dropping-later-this-month |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260219035442/https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/06/mark-your-calendars-a-new-day-of-the-tentacle-doc-is-dropping-later-this-month |archive-date=February 19, 2026 |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=Time Extension |language=en-GB}}</ref>
== Discography == === Singles === * 1980 – "I'm a Robot/I'm a Robot (Instrumental Version)" (Banana Records, 7") * 1980 – "R.O.B.O.T. (erreobioti)/R.O.B.O.T. (Versione Strumentale)" (EMI, 7") * 1980 – "Balla robot/Balla Robot (Versione Strumentale)" (Banana Records, 7") * 1983 – "Ballarobot/I am a Robot" (Banana Records, 7") * 1986 – "Witch Doctor/U-I-U-A-A" (G & G Records, 7", 12")
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website}} * {{IMDb name|0954141}}
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{{Bring the Funny}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zed, David}} Category:Living people Category:American male singers Category:American male film actors Category:American male video game actors Category:American male voice actors Category:American mimes Category:Male actors from Indianapolis Category:American Italo disco musicians Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Bring the Funny contestants Category:Comedians from Indianapolis