Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before moving on to joining the Second City Northwest. After one-year stints on Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, he began taking small parts in films such as Man on the Moon and Wag the Dog. While filming the country mockumentary Dill Scallion, Koechner befriended Dave 'Gruber' Allen, forming The Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show. The act became a hit at Hollywood clubs such as Largo, and the duo were invited to open for Tenacious D.

His role as Champ Kind in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy brought him many other films, including Talladega Nights, Waiting..., Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny & Thank You for Smoking, in addition to recurring guest appearances on The 40 Year-Old Virgin co-star Steve Carell's The Office. On January 17, 2007, Koechner's Naked Trucker & T-Bones Show premiered on Comedy Central, giving him a starring role and full creative control. In August of that year, David Koechner will star in his first leading role as Coach Lambeau Fields in Fox Atomic's sports comedy, The Comebacks.

Koechner was born in Tipton, Missouri, to a family that ran a turkey coop manufacturing business. He is known for having an underbite, as well as an arched upper lip (which raises when he speaks). He studied Political Science at the University of Missouri, yet decided to pursue a career in sketch comedy and moved to Chicago. After studying at Chicago's ImprovOlympic, under famed improvisation instructor Del Close, Koechner joined The Second City comedy troupe in Chicago, graduating in 1994.

In 1995, Koechner landed a year-long stint on Saturday Night Live. During his time at SNL, he befriended guest-writer David 'Gruber' Allen, and series regular Will Ferrell. Some of Koechner's recurring skits included Bill Brasky, the British Fops (playing Fagan, opposite Mark McKinney), Gary MacDonald (the fictional younger brother of Weekend Update anchor/SNL castmember Norm MacDonald), Will Ferrell's "Get Off the Shed" sketches (playing his neighbor, Tom Taylor), and Gerald "T-Bones" Tibbons. On the show, Koechner also impersonated several celebrities, including Burt Reynolds, Mike Ditka, Charlie Sheen, Robert Shapiro, Willard Scott, Oliver Stone, Phil Gramm, David Kaczynski, and Pat Buchanan After his one season on SNL, Koechner joined the 1996-97 sketch cast of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. In the late 1990s, Koechner took several minor acting roles in films such as Wag the Dog, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Man on the Moon.

On the set of the 1999 country music mockumentary, Dill Scallion, Koechner struck a partnership with SNL friend David 'Gruber' Allen, joining Allen's improvisational comedy act, The Naked Trucker Show. The two bonded while filming on a tour bus, sharing similar political views and midwestern upbringings. Koechner joined the act as Gerald "T-Bones" Tibbons, a character he had been playing on comedy stages for a few years, including a recurring character bit on SNL. Gerald Tibbons dates back to 1995, when he filmed a short television pilot based on the character's misadventures. The "Gerald" character, based on a real drifter named Four-Way George, became so popular that Koechner would go to auditions, only to find that directors were always demanding his stage persona. The stage act, a mix of stand-up comedy and off-color country songs, became a hit on the Hollywood improv circuit, ultimately landing television performances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Real Time with Bill Maher. The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show would eventually tour with fellow comedic musical duo, Tenacious D. Their popularity also lead to several offers to bring their act to television, though many early deals never came to fruition.

In 2004, David Koechner landed his largest film role yet, as sports reporter Champ Kind in SNL-veteran Will Ferrell's Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. As part of the Anchorman ensemble, Koechner shared two MTV Movie Award nominations for Best On-Screen Team and Best Musical Performance. MTV's initial press release accidentally listed Fred Armisen instead of David Koechner, but eventually corrected the error on their website, crediting Koechner during the broadcast. Following this role, Koechner found himself landing small roles in high profile films such as The 40 Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, The Dukes of Hazzard and Snakes on a Plane. In 2006, Koechner had a supporting role as gun-lobbyist in the critically-acclaimed satire, Thank You for Smoking, sharing several scenes with Aaron Eckhart and Maria Bello. The three actors portrayed lobbyists for the tobacco, alcohol, & gun industries, dubbed The M.O.D. (Merchants of Death) Squad. Thank You for Smoking was one of the best-reviewed films of Koechner's career, and he was included in Fox Searchlight's Oscar campaign, among the film's listings for Best Supporting Actor.[10]

After co-starring together in Anchorman and The 40 Year-Old Virgin, fellow Second City alum Steve Carell personally recommended Koechner for a recurring role on NBC's The Office, playing Todd Packer.[11] Koechner's role is the American version of Chris Finch from the original. Packer is an obnoxious, alcoholic best friend of Carell's character. As of February 1, 2007, Koechner has guest-starred, both in person and by phone, on five episodes of the series. David Koechner's frequent work with actors Ferrell, Carell & Jack Black, have lead some critics and journalists to point out his association with the media-dubbed "Frat Pack".[12][13] Koechner has managed to become a very popular character actor, being hired for almost 20 supporting or cameo roles in movies since his role in Anchorman.

In 2007, Koechner will be seen in his first leading role in The Comebacks (opening August 24), the first comedy to be released under Fox Searchlight's Fox Atomic division[14] Koechner will play a college football coach with the worst record in the history of the sport vows to turn things around with his new team of ragtag recruits. He describes this career opportunity as the "first lead for the right hander." Veteran actor Carl Weathers plays Koechner's rival coach. Though Koechner, whom usually writes and improvises his material, had no involvement with the screenplay, he compliments director Tom Brady for taking "great care to make it as smart as he could," adding that it's a sports comedy rather than a spoof.

On January 17, 2007, Comedy Central premiered The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show, a sketch comedy series starring David Koechner (T-Bones) and longtime performing partner David 'Gruber' Allen (The Naked Trucker.) Koechner's T-Bones character is the wiley, scheming drifter to Allen's calm, straight man. The duo perform their unique brand of off-color songs and introduce pre-taped skits. Many of Koechner's past co-stars have filmed pre-taped cameos including Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Steve Carell, Andy Richter, Dax Shepard and Paul Rudd. The pre-taped skits give Koechner more screentime than Allen, often letting him showcase his comedic charisma alongside guest stars like Richter and Shepard. Currently, Comedy Central has ordered 8 episodes[15] In the eight years Koechner & Allen have been playing these characters, there's been several attempts to bring the act to television, but had trouble figuring how to translate it into a series. March 20, 2007 will mark the release of Koechner & Allen's first album, Naked Trucker and T-Bones Live at the Troubador.[16]

Following the release of Live at the Troubador, Koechner revealed that he has a T-Bones film in development.[17] Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Productions will produce the film through Paramount Vantage. Koechner is currently working on the film with screenwriter/producer Norman Hiscock, who was a writer for The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show, in addition to past work on Saturday Night Live, Kids in the Hall, and King of the Hill.

Koechner is married to actress Leigh Koechner and has four children, his 2 youngest are twins Sargent and Audrey, born June 2, 2006. He also performs regularly in Los Angeles at both the ImprovOlympic West theater (in a show entitled Beer Shark Mice), and at Largo, the nightclub where the Naked Trucker Show plays regularly. David Koechner supported the 2004 Presidential campaign of John Kerry, performing at a June 6, 2004 Hollywood fundraiser for the Senator, where The Naked Trucker & T-Bones opened up for Tenacious D.[18] Koechner cites Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Uncle Tupelo and its off-shoots (Wilco and Son Volt) as some of his musical favorites. He also strongly admires Creedence Clearwater Revival, whom he describes as, "the American Beatles."[19]

Year

Title

Role

Notes

Saturday Night Live (TV Series 2005)

Various roles

It's Now... or NEVER!

Jay

Wag the Dog

Director

Dirty Work

Anton Phillips

Man on the Moon

National Enquirer Reporter

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me

Co-pilot

Dill Scallion

Bubby Pearl

Whatever It Takes

Virgil Doolittle

Freaks and Geeks (TV Series 2000)

Waiter

(Uncredited cameo appearance)

Dropping Out

Henry

Out Cold

Stumpy

Life Without Dick

Uncle Hurley

Waking Up in Reno

Bell Hop

American Girl

Guy In Fun Fun Land TV Commercial

The Third Wheel

Carl

Late World with Zach (TV Series 2002)

Various roles

Run Ronnie Run

Clay

Comedy Central Laughs for Life Telethon 2003 (TV Special 2003)

Jerry Prastis/Gerald Tibbons/Various

My Boss's Daughter

Speed

A Guy Thing

Buck Morse

Soul Mates

Steve

Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie (V)

Champ Kind

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Champ Kind

The Office (TV Series)

Todd Packer

4 episodes

Earth to America (TV Special 2005)

Blame Czar

Yours, Mine and Ours

Darrell

Daltry Calhoun

Doyle Earl

Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie

Elroy/Wind

(voice only)

The 40 Year Old Virgin

Dad at Health Clinic

(cameo)

The Dukes of Hazzard

Cooter

Waiting...

Dan

Unaccompanied Minors

Ernie Wellington

Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny

Surplus store clerk

(cameo, scene deleted) DVD Bonus Feature

Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law

Unknown

(voice only)

Let's Go to Prison

Shanahan

Snakes on a Plane

Rick "Arch" Archibald

Barnyard

Dagger the Coyote

(voice only)

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Herschell

Thank You for Smoking

Bobby J. Bliss

Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector

Donnie

The Comebacks

Lambeau Fields

(Lead role)

The Naked Trucker and T-Bones Show (TV Series 2007)

Gerald "T-Bones" Tibbons

Star, writer, producer

The Brothers Solomon

Unknown

Reno 911!: Miami

Sheriff of Aspen

Careless

Lizard

Balls of Fury

Rick the Birdmaster

Walk Hard

Get Smart

Agent Larabee

Semi-Pro

The Commish