Squire & Suzy Fridell
Proprietors
GLENLYON VINEYARDS & WINERY
Squire Fridell
Squire may look like a Vintner, Winemaker and Vineyard Manager, but he also holds the possible distinction of being the only actor in history to have never drawn unemployment benefits. He graduated from University of Pacific and holds a Master’s Degree in Acting/Directing from Occidental College.
If Squire’s face looks vaguely familiar, it’s because he was one of the most successful actors ever in television commercials. Since 1970, he performed as principal on-camera talent in over 3,400 television commercials and about twice that many television and radio voice-overs. No matter where you might be living in the USofA, he was most likely in your living room more than once trying to sell you something. He was the on-camera spokesman for Toyota (1978-2012) and from 1984 until 1991 you might have spotted him on TV wearing a funny yellow and red outfit chasing “The Hamburglar” around McDonaldland!
Squire began his professional acting career on stage in Southern California with South Coast Repertory in 1968 and was one of the last “Contract Players” at Universal Studios. He has starred in twelve television pilots (mostly short lived), five big screen features (mostly unmemorable films), and starred/guest-starred in a whole bunch of TV shows over the years. He has been on the cover of TV GUIDE, was once “#1 Across” in the crossword puzzle of Daily Variety, and was photo-featured in NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE.
Squire is also the author of four published plays, a screenplay (that was almost made into a movie) and wrote the definitive commercial acting text, ACTING IN TELEVISION COMMERCIALS FOR FUN AND PROFIT, now in its Fourth Edition, Harmony books. Go to Amazon and get a copy! If you’re a Clan Member, Squire would be glad to sign your copy next time you drop by to pick up your wine at GlenLyon!
Squire made the segue from actor/director to winemaker/vineyard manager gradually over the years, oft times wearing more than one hat, but it was a very smooth transition. “Same Greek God” as Squire is wont to say…
Suzy Fridell
Suzy McDermaid was born in Long Beach, California and grew up in Whittier. She holds a BA in Dance from UCLA where she taught, choreographed and performed with the UCLA Dance Company for three years.
In 1969 she moved to New York City to study dance with Alwin Nikolais and Murray Louis and three months later, packed her bags to leave for her first European tour with the Nikolais Dance Theatre Company. She stayed with Nik for nine years, performing in twelve foreign tours and over forty US tours.
Suzy married Squire Fridell in 1977 and the newlyweds settled on a bi-coastal life. After a couple of years of frequent flying from NYC to LA and LA to NYC, they decided to give up Suzy’s cherished (rent-controlled) loft in Manhattan and take up “permanent” residence in their new home in Sunset Beach, California. After Suzy “retired” from the world of professional modern dance, she and Squire became proud parents of their daughter, Alexandra McDermaid Fridell, in 1982.
In 1986, Suzy and Squire decided that Sonoma Valley might be a wonderful place to raise their three-year old daughter.
Since their move to Glen Ellen, Suzy spent a zillion hours campaigning for school bonds, fund raising for schools, and volunteered for the schools and a myriad of community events. She and Squire were responsible for the construction of both an outdoor and an indoor theatre for two public schools in our Valley and they produced, choreographed, and directed plays in each for years. Suzy and Squire were both recognized and awarded “Volunteers of the Year in Education” for all of Sonoma County and when Suzy’s not at GlenLyon, you could find her somewhere in the middle of a gaggle of fellow vintner gals, choreographing and performing “Magnum Force” at each year’s annual Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Wine Auction. Suzy and Squire were honored to be co-chairs of the Auction a few years back.
