Biographie
David Koff was born, raised and schooled in Philadelphia. His father, Allan, was a successful doctor and his mother Lois was a talented nurse and devoted volunteer and leader in Hadassah. David has two siblings: a younger sister Jamie and a younger brother, Matthew.
David attended Cheltenham High School and The University of Pennsylvania. In college, he received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. While an undergrad, he studied comedy performance, writing, & direction with the famed "Mask & Wig Club". While at Penn, he was also fortunate enough to study creative fiction & playwriting with noted American playwright Romulus Linney, father of Laura Linney.
David's played the piano since the age of six. Rather than receiving classical training, he studied with a commercial piano player and instead learned music theory, chart reading, and various styles of play. His favorite composers and pianists are Billy Joel and George Gershwin, one of whom he's seen in concert a half dozen times. David's gone on to compose music for various stage performances, both comedy and theatrical.
As an actor, David has appeared on a host of television shows but his first love is the stage, and comedy in particular. He grew up listening to Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, and his multi-talented hero: Steve Martin. He's also trained as a lifelong improviser, having studied at The Groundlings, The Empty Stage under Stan Wells, Bang Comedy Theatre under Peter Murrieta, and with Emmy-Award winning Comedy producer and director Bill Steinkellner in his on-going master class. In 2010, David's Improv Troupe at Bang! "Emerging Global Superpower" won best long-form improv/Harold group at the LA Improv festival for. In 2014, David moved to Portland, Oregon where he began teaching improv and performing the art form, first at Curious Comedy, then at The Brody Theater and now at his own studio.
As a writer, David sold his first screenplay to Fox in 1991, co-written with fellow Penn Alum, Stuart Gibbs. His comedy sketches continue to be performed on stage with the Fake Radio theater troupe. His first book, a comedy how-to guide on technology is called "Screw the Cable Company" and was published in 2016. He writes extensively about technology and cybersecurity for Medium and his short stories have appeared in magazines and websites around the world.
For nearly twenty years, David has both directed and produced the critically acclaimed theater troupe "Fake Radio". The troupe specializes in re-creating radio scripts from the 1940s in front of a live audience. As the director of Fake Radio, David's been fortunate to work on stage with some of his heroes, including Emmy-Award winners Ray Romano, John Larroquette, & Marcia Wallace; comedy legends Fred Willard, The Kids in the Hall (1988), & Phil Proctor from The Firesign Theatre; noted alternative comedians Tom Kenny & Maria Bamford and well-established TV actors such as Jeff Garlin, Jon Lovitz, & Mindy Sterling; and even one of the original cast members from Saturday Night Live: Laraine Newman.
David's been improvising professionally for over 30 years. A longtime SAG-AFTRA member who still acts on TV, film, and in commercials, he's directed and performed alongside Emmy Award winning actors John Larroquette and Ray Romano. He founded Change Through Play Improv & Training Studio to bring those same skills to teams, leaders, and everyday people.
