“Oh my gosh, you look just like Bill Clinton…”Â
Back in 1992, a relatively unknown governor of Arkansas stepped onto the national stage seeking the highest office in the land. And one night Bob David, a born and raised southerner who had recently moved from Atlanta to Los Angeles, got a phone call from his folks in Georgia. They had just seen Bill Clinton on T.V. and said “You’ve got to see this guy running for President, oh my gosh, you look just like him!” This was followed over the next days and weeks by phones calls and remarks from family and friends alike saying the same thing. Yes, Bob indeed had a truly uncanny resemblance to the soon to be President Bill Clinton.Â
Same height, facial features, hands, body frame, mannerisms, southern accent… heck they both even played the saxophone…Â
Though Bob was younger and missing the gray hair, they were both the same height and fair complected. Bob’s natural facial features, bone structure, hands, body frame and mannerisms were strikingly similar too. They both grew up in the south with that distinctive Southern drawl. Heck, they both even played the saxophone! And to top it off, when Bob was a kid he had fantasized about being President one day. Yep, it was a strange coincidence all right – the kind of stuff that only happens in Hollywood.Â
Bill Goes to the White house, Bob Goes To Hollywood…Â
As we all know, Bill Clinton became our 42nd President, but what about Bob? Well, he had a promising career with the investment firm of Merrill Lynch in southern California at the time, so he never seriously considered becoming a professional impersonator. Then one day he was joking around with a buddy who was egging him on to do something about his “dead ringer” status and Bob’s playful side emerged. He suddenly declared: “I bet you I can get on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”. He wasn’t sure where that wild notion came from but this turned out to be the beginning of Bob as Bill.Â
Notable AppearancesÂ
Did you know that Bob David was the original Bill Clinton impersonator on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno? Bob sprayed his hair gray and had some photos done. Then he “cold called” NBC studios and talked his way into a face to face meeting with Jay Leno who hired him right on the spot. Bob as Bill appeared in multiple commercial promos side by side with Jay while playing the saxophone. He also performed in numerous comedy skits.
