Photo: Montecruz Foto from Berlin, Alemania / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

David Johansen

デイヴィッド・ジョハンセン　/　でいゔぃっど・じょはんせん

American actor

January 9, 1950 (age 76)　・　Staten Island, New York, United States

New York
actor
musician
songwriter

My Take

David Johansen is one of those rare figures whose influence outweighs his fame. Fronting the New York Dolls, he essentially wrote the blueprint for punk before punk had a name, then reinvented himself as the lounge-lizard Buster Poindexter with a wink few rockers could pull off. I love that he never seemed precious about his own legend; playing the Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged showed a man happy to be in on the joke. His passing in 2025 felt like the closing of a chapter of downtown New York history. Trace almost any strand of glam or punk backward and you end up at his feet.

Overview

David Roger Johansen (January 9, 1950 – February 28, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor best known as lead singer of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter and for playing the Ghost of Christmas Past in Scrooged (1988).

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): David Johansen
Name (Japanese): デイヴィッド・ジョハンセン
Reading: でいゔぃっど・じょはんせん
Born: January 9, 1950 (age 76)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Capricorn / Tiger
Origin: Staten Island, New York, United States
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: actor / musician / songwriter / singer / television actor

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Port Richmond High School
University: Private

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

Wikipedia (Japanese)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David%20Johansen

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