"Time to make the doughnuts."

Factual Questions
1

What is this guy’s real name? Did the character have a name? Is the actor still alive? What else has he done?

thanks,

jb

2

http://www.tvacres.com/admascots_dunkin.htm

3

He’s Fred the Baker in the commercials. By the by, I worked at Dunkin’ Donuts during his era, and he also acted in some training videos, in one of which he was referred to as Fred the Manager.

4

Before that, I’m pretty sure he played Sam Breakstone in those sourcream commercials. IMDB says he was in Godfather III and doesn’t say he’s dead.

5

However, the guy who actually made the donuts (OK, sold them) died this past Friday at age 86.

6

yeah, manhattan. I was listening to All Things Considered, and they said “The man who said ‘Time to make the doughnuts has died’” or words to that effect, and i was all like “Damn! I liked that guy”, and then realized I knew nothing about him.

thanks everybody!

jb

7

I remember an SNL sketch where Jon Lovitz was playing Fred, in a fake commercial, and saying, “I made the doughnuts…Now I’m giong to go home and shoot myself!” and the director of the commercial was flipping out.

8

They’re still making Sam Breakstone commercials, and I’m pretty sure Sam is still the same actor.

9

The actor’s name is Michael Vale, and I actually saw him in a Broadway play before I ever saw him in one of his famous commercials.

Back when I was 14 or 15, he was Jack Weston’s understudy in Neil Simon’s “California Suite,” and I saw him opposite Tammy Grimes and Barbara (Barney Miller’s wife) Barrie.