David Zed
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.
David Zed

Capt.Trailz · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Name
- David Zed
- Birth Name
- David Kirk Traylor
- Birthplace
- Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
- Born
- 28 October 1956
- Occupation
- Mime, actor, singer, comedian
- Nationality
- United States
- Languages
- English
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Documentary summary
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.
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wikidata · Q3703384 · wikipedia · David Zed
In this article
Biography
Biography
Zed", a fictional human-like robot.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — David Zed • Other Names — Mr. Zed • Birth Name — David Kirk Traylor • Birthplace — Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. • Born — 28 October 1956 • Occupation — Mime, actor, singer, comedian • Website — http: www.mrzed.com/
Career
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. 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. 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. 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.
Singles
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")
Identity
Identity
David Zed is recorded with the occupation mime artist. Recorded with the occupation singer. Recorded with the occupation actor. Recorded as actor, singer and mime artist.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 1 entries
1960
David Zed was born on 28 October 1960.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “David Zed”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3703384: David Zed
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Francesco Rosso. Nasce l'" uomo-robot" che sostituisce il robot. La Stampa. 4. 27 December 1979.
- 2.Dario Salvatori. Storia dell'Hit Parade. Gramese, 1989.
- 3.Zed, un robot per amico. TGCOM. 24 September 2009.
- 4.Day of the Tentacle Remastered Cast & Credits. Double Fine Productions.
- 5.Yarwood, Jack. Mark Your Calendars! A New 'Day Of The Tentacle' Doc Is Dropping Later This Month. Time Extension. June 14, 2023.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
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