This is an article I found on the internet about David Shramm talks about his years on Wings.



Roy Biggins recently graces Pitt with his presence

Pittsburgh residents got a little taste of Hollywood this week at the David L. Lawrence building in Oakland. That little taste was none other than the renowned actor David Shramm, popularly known as the character Roy Biggins from the hit TV sitcom "Wings." Shramm spoke in front of a capacity classroom crowd on the effects of fame and success and his vital role in the sitcom community.

University of Pittsburgh students were elated to hear of the huge star's presentation on their campus. Many enthusiastic responses included "Heyyy, it's THAT guy!" "Wow it's the guy from 'Cheers,'" and "Amazing, I thought he died." Shramm was more than happy to be here, and wasted no time in discussing his role as the sarcastic, bitter fat man that captured the hearts of millions of Americans each and every week.... and every weekday in syndication during the solid hour block of "Wings" at Noon on USA.

"I think when you look back on the major roles in the history of sitcom, Roy Biggins is in the top two or three," claimed Shramm during his presentation. "This character forever changed the way that sitcoms are written and set the stage for the primetime hits of today. I was very proud to be a part of that, and I think that a little bit of Roy Biggins will stay with me forever."

It wasn't all glitz and glamour according to Shramm. Fame has its downside and he claimed that it was during the peak of "Wings" success that he began to hit rock bottom.

"The media and paparazzi were all over me, I couldn't leave my house," explained Shramm emotionally. "It was during this time that I began to use drugs heavily. I was snorting coke 3 times a day and began fantasizing about Becky Schnull (the woman who played Faye on the show). I even began to lose weight. It was horrible."

Shramm went on to admit that he never actually lost weight, but he claimed it was "really really bad." Although Shramm enjoyed success predating "Wings," with roles in episodes of "Jake and the Fatman" (not as the fatman, surprisingly) and even "Miami Vice," it wasn't until after the end of the epic sitcom that Shramm fully tasted success.

"I really turned it around well. I landed a huge role as "Herb" in the blockbuster hit "Big Packages," explained Shramm, after most people left realizing that he wasn't,in fact, the guy from "Cheers." "My big break, however, was the role of Bellerophone in the Disney movie "Hercules." Now that's a role nobody will ever forget."

And this was a presentation that people won't ever forget. Whether he's ridiculing Helen's cooking, mocking Joey and Brian, or starring in some obscure role in movies that nobody has ever seen before, David Shramm will be a part of television history forever. Or until USA stops running the hour block of "Wings" every day.

GO PITT

--Scotka

I was sad for him when I read this article. I didn't realize that he had hit a really low point in his life when he was doing Wings. I couldn't tell from watching the series because he consistantly threw those funny punchlines on the show. I'm glad for him that he overcame his addiction and turned his life around. I guess fame can do that to you.

Those two articles were interesting. I never knew about David's drug addiction. I'm glad he overcame it. Drugs have destroyed way too many lives, both famous and and regular folk.

Is this satire? Biggins, errrr, Schramm really fantasized about Rebecca Schull???

Is this satire? Biggins, errrr, Schramm really fantasized about Rebecca Schull???

I'm having a hard time believing this myself. Maybe David was joking. It just seems so unrealistic. And he mentioned losing weight, yet Roy only got fatter as the show went on. The thought of him fantasizing about Fay makes me laugh. Of course, if this is real, then I'm glad he came through it.

I love Roy Biggins, but he's not one of the top three major sitcom roles in the history of sitcoms. If anything, the role David played goes back to Louie DePalma (Danny DeVito) of "Taxi."

And the paparazzi being all of David Schramm? That also seems unbelievable.

Hello!!!!!! Am I the only one around here with a sense of humour!?!? Obviously Mr. Schram was joking around. Very Funny stuff too!!! :wave:

I hope he Mr. Schramm was only kidding. I'd hate to think that he had such a hard time during his time on Wings. Come to think of it, you really never heard anything bad about the gang from Wings. They stayed out of trouble and never really made any tabloid news. They seemed to enjoy working with each other and this chemistry was obvious on the show. Crystal Bernard even said in an interview that both Tim and Steven were really nice and compasionate men. Maybe this contributed why Wings was never that much talked about. They didn't do anything outragous to make headlines. I guess what they say is true, bad publicity is still publicity.

David has a very dry sense of humor... It was a pleasure working with him on wings on season 5-8.

on the last episode of every season, he'd shave his mustache off. Right there after the show.

Whether he's ridiculing Helen's cooking, mocking Joey and Brian, or starring in some obscure role in movies that nobody has ever seen before--Scotka

"Joey"? That's weird.

With the exception of Gail and Sandy (mere blips in eight seasons), who ever called him "Joey"?

Ha: "C'mon, for me... for Joe... for Joey..."

I thought Brian called Joe "Joey" a few times.

I know Roy very rarely refered to any of the characters by their first names.

I thought Brian called Joe "Joey" a few times.

Oh sure, he did. But rarely -- usually when he wanted something, ha.

It just read weirdly to me. For instance, that character would never introduce himself by saying, "Hi, I'm Joey Hackett." And when friends ask me (which they do often) which character Tim Daly played, they don't ask, "Did he play Joey or Brian?" Like that.