David Burtka

About

David Michael Burtka (born May 29, 1975) is an American actor and chef.

David Burtka was born in Dearborn, Michigan, the son of Deborah A. Zajas (died 2008) and Daniel Burtka. He is of Polish descent. He grew up in Canton, Michigan, and graduated from Salem High School in 1993. He trained in acting at Interlochen Center for the Arts, obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan and had further training at the William Esper Studios.

Burtka made his television debut in 2002 with a guest role on The West Wing. This was followed by a guest appearance on Crossing Jordan.
Burtka made his Broadway debut as Tulsa in the 2003 revival of Gypsy, which starred Bernadette Peters. He played The Boy in the American premiere of Edward Albee’s The Play About the Baby, for which he won the 2001 Clarence Derwent Award for most promising male performer.
In 2004, Burtka originated the role of Matt Mateo in the musical The Opposite of Sex and reprised the role in the work’s East Coast premiere in the summer of 2006.
Burtka appeared in seven episodes of How I Met Your Mother, playing Scooter, the former high school boyfriend of Lily Aldrin (Alyson…