David Wallace (The Office)
Encyclopedia
David Wallace is a character in the American television show The Office and was the chief financial officer
(CFO) of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, before being fired in late 2009 after the company was bought by Sabre. He is portrayed by Andy Buckley.
". Like Michael, he despises his office's HR representative, whose name is Kendall. But he seems to be quite affable and clearly likes the Scranton branch and has a good standing relationship with the employees, particularly Jim Halpert because of his professionalism and likability. Quite differently from the other corporate executives, he even seems to work well with Michael, understanding and perhaps even appreciating his untraditional management style. Being the CFO of the company he leads an opulent lifestyle. He told Dwight his home is 5,000 square feet.
When it is announced in "Branch Closing
" that the Scranton Branch would be closing, Michael and Dwight go the head Dunder-Mifflin executive to get him to change his mind. However, he is not home and the Scranton branch is later saved by reasons unrelated to their presence. In "Cocktails
", Wallace invites the company to his home for cocktails. However, he finds the event boring and plays basketball with Jim, whom he asks about what's going on between Michael and Jan.
In "Beach Games
", Wallace invites Michael to interview for a corporate position, which Jim and Karen apply for as well. During the interview in "The Job
", he reveals that the corporate position is actually Jan's job, whom the company will fire once they hire her replacement. Michael reveals this to Jan, who in turn angrily barges into Wallace's office. Wallace claims the firing was due to Jan's mental state, the numerous personal days she had been taking, and the lack of work she had been completing.
In "The Deposition
", his testimony reveals that while he thinks Michael is a nice guy, he never considered Michael a serious contender for Jan's old Corporate job (which ended up going to Ryan Howard
); Michael seems hurt by the truth but mollified by David's sincere-seeming "nice guy" comments, which lead to him siding with the company over Jan and dooming her lawsuit
. After the deposition concludes, David makes a sincere apology to Michael for his behavior.
" it is revealed that Wallace owns a vacation home in Martha's Vineyard
. In a deleted scene from "Weight Loss", David yells at Ryan for answering the phones at the Scranton branch, and calls him a worthless human being. Then, in the talking head, a visibly shaken Ryan says that Wallace "made the list" of people to get revenge on when he is successful again.
David is displeased when he learns that Michael is dating HR representative
Holly Flax and transfers her back to Nashua, New Hampshire. He sends Michael on a business trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba in an attempt to cheer him up. But just as the trip ends and Michael talks to David on his phone about the sale he closed, Michael expresses his anger at the transfer by scolding David, aware of his boss's ploy. Throughout these seasons David drives a 2008 BMW 7-Series (namely a 750li). Though the car likely has Bluetooth
technology, David chooses not to use it, as he gets pulled over in New York
for talking on his cell phone with Michael.
In "New Boss
", Wallace hires Charles Miner (Idris Elba
) who replaces Ryan as Vice-President of North East Sales and oversees the branches, including Scranton. Initially, Michael and Charles seem to hit it off when meeting for the first time at the corporate headquarters, which changes when Charles visits the branch. Miner, who seems to possess no sense of humor, has a no-nonsense management style that clashes with Michael's laid back managerial style. In the first of many calls to David, Michael is told to try to get along with his new boss which proves unsuccessful. Tensions rise in the office as Miner often usurps Michael's authority because of his ideas. When Michael's plans with the Party Planning Committee involve his 15th Work Anniversary party during work hours, Charles cancels their planning and dissolves the committee. Infuriated, Michael drives to New York and confronts David to highlight his years of service and loyalty to the company, and Wallace cannot convincingly deny Michael's anguished claim that the new system will allow the CFO to avoid talking to Michael at all. David agrees to fund an anniversary party for Michael, and assures him that he will attend personally. This proves unsatisfactory to Michael, who resigns, leaving David stunned.
Michael leaves to form his own company, Michael Scott Paper Company, while Charles takes over as Regional Manager of Scranton. Michael, with his wit, begins to take clients from Dunder Mifflin, which drives Wallace and Miner to try to buy out the company in "Broke
". With Michael in the conference room, David offers him up to $60,000, before he heeds to Michael's demands. He gives Michael his own job back, reduces Miner's authority (he won't be fired, but he'll no longer have any purview over Scranton), gives them health care including dental, reluctantly rehires Ryan (who had previously been hired by Michael), and promotes Pam Halpert to saleswoman. Wallace notes that the deal amounts to a multi-million dollar buyout.
In "Company Picnic
", Michael and Holly reveal the closing of the Buffalo branch as part of their sketch comedy show at the company picnic. This quickly ends the show and throws the Buffalo branch employees into disarray. A clearly unhappy David chastises Michael and Holly over their revelation of that sensitive news that he disclosed to Michael in confidence.
In the episode "The Meeting
," Wallace has a private meeting with Jim. Michael thinks Jim is trying to get his job, and shows Wallace Jim's file with reports of him slacking off with Dwight and spending excessive time at Reception. Wallace reveals that Jim's idea involved a promotion for both Jim and Michael. Later, Wallace offers to Michael and Jim to make both of them co-managers of the branch. In "Murder
", Wallace lets Jim know that the company is almost out of cash, leaving Jim horrified. And in "Scott's Tots
", Wallace is angry at Jim for the first time on the show, after Dwight's sabotage and faked phone calls lead Wallace to believe Jim rigged the Employee of the Month process to benefit himself and Pam. After wondering if they need to talk about Jim's future, Wallace switches gears, apologizes to Jim for losing his cool in the wake of the company's catastrophic situation, and says their weekend dinner plans are intact (this produces a scream of outrage from Dwight, who is listening on his surveillance tape as his plan to take down Jim fails again).
In "Secret Santa
," David mentions to Michael that the company has a potential buyer, and that he (as well as other executives) may lose their jobs. David assures Michael that he and the other employees will still have their positions if this were to happen. In the episode The Banker, it is indirectly revealed that David Wallace is gone, since Michael "is now the highest ranking employee of Dunder Mifflin", as stated by Pam in an interview.
In "Sabre
", Michael visits David Wallace at his house to seek advice on dealing with the difficult merger. Michael discovers that, no longer a successful CFO, David has been reduced to a shambling, unfocused homebody following the collapse of Dunder Mifflin. He does, however, speak of his plans to spearhead the production of a device to pick up children's clutter called Suck It. He offers Michael a piece of the action, but Michael is noncommittal. In a talking head (located in David's bathroom), Michael says that "there are very few things that would make [him] not want to team up with David Wallace, and Suck It is one of them". As he drives away, he comments that whoever this wreck of a person is, it is not David Wallace.
In "Whistleblower
", David, one of the five whistleblowers in the story, reveals to the documentary crew that he helped spread the story of the Sabre printer fires after several old clients complained to him. He is shown wearing a "Suck It" hooded sweatshirt; when he tries to do his spiel for Suck It, the documentary crew abruptly cuts him off mid-sentence.
". However, he did not appear in the episode when it aired; B.J. Novak revealed in a post-airing interview that Andy Buckley did film a talking head interview for the episode, but that it was cut for time. It is possible the deleted scene shows up on the Season 7 DVD. While there has been some speculation that Wallace's comment about passing on the Goldenface role "because it wouldn't look good at Corporate" means he has found a new job, the timing of Michael's filming schedule makes it clear that David turned down the role during his CFO days, before the company collapsed and he was fired.
David did not appear in the televised version, but appears in a producer's cut of "Goodbye, Michael
", engaging in a webcam conversation with Michael. Judging from his attitude he is still bitter over the tragedy that has befallen upon him, and when he realizes that Michael chose to resign and did not get fired much like himself, he urges Michael to change his mind about moving to Colorado, claiming it a terrible decision. Just as David begins to speak badly of Colorado (according to David, women in Colorado do not shave their underarms), a frustrated Michael exits the webcam chat. This leaves Michael in a state of doubt, and he almost breaks down wondering if he should not leave Dunder Mifflin.
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
(CFO) of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, before being fired in late 2009 after the company was bought by Sabre. He is portrayed by Andy Buckley.
Character history
David Wallace was first introduced in "Valentine's Day". Wallace replaced Randall, the former CFO who resigned after sexual harassment charges were brought against him. Wallace's wife's name is Rachel, and they have a son as introduced in "CocktailsCocktails (The Office)
"Cocktails" is the seventeenth episode of the third season of the US version of The Office. It aired on February 22, 2007 on NBC. It is written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Alias and Lost creator J. J. Abrams....
". Like Michael, he despises his office's HR representative, whose name is Kendall. But he seems to be quite affable and clearly likes the Scranton branch and has a good standing relationship with the employees, particularly Jim Halpert because of his professionalism and likability. Quite differently from the other corporate executives, he even seems to work well with Michael, understanding and perhaps even appreciating his untraditional management style. Being the CFO of the company he leads an opulent lifestyle. He told Dwight his home is 5,000 square feet.
Seasons 2–4
David's debut is in "Valentine's Day", where he attends a meeting with Jan, Michael, and Josh along with two other regional managers: Craig from the Albany branch and Dan Gore from the Buffalo branch. After Craig reveals that Michael and Jan hooked up, Wallace does not punish the two after hearing Michael's explanation, and laughs when Michael refers to the incompetent, classless Craig as a "tool".When it is announced in "Branch Closing
Branch Closing
"Branch Closing" is the seventh episode of the third season of The Office . It was first aired on November 9, 2006 on NBC. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Tucker Gates. It is the first episode to have a "Producer's Cut" on NBC.com, with deleted scenes edited into the full episode...
" that the Scranton Branch would be closing, Michael and Dwight go the head Dunder-Mifflin executive to get him to change his mind. However, he is not home and the Scranton branch is later saved by reasons unrelated to their presence. In "Cocktails
Cocktails (The Office)
"Cocktails" is the seventeenth episode of the third season of the US version of The Office. It aired on February 22, 2007 on NBC. It is written by Paul Lieberstein and directed by Alias and Lost creator J. J. Abrams....
", Wallace invites the company to his home for cocktails. However, he finds the event boring and plays basketball with Jim, whom he asks about what's going on between Michael and Jan.
In "Beach Games
Beach Games
"Beach Games" is the twenty-third episode of the third season of the US version of The Office, and is the 51st episode aired of the show. It was written by Jennifer Celotta and Greg Daniels and directed by film director Harold Ramis, who previously directed the episodes "A Benihana Christmas" and...
", Wallace invites Michael to interview for a corporate position, which Jim and Karen apply for as well. During the interview in "The Job
The Job (The Office)
"The Job" is the third season finale of the U.S. version of The Office, and the show's 52nd and 53rd episode overall. It aired in the United States on April 19, 2007 on NBC. It is the season's second hour-long episode...
", he reveals that the corporate position is actually Jan's job, whom the company will fire once they hire her replacement. Michael reveals this to Jan, who in turn angrily barges into Wallace's office. Wallace claims the firing was due to Jan's mental state, the numerous personal days she had been taking, and the lack of work she had been completing.
In "The Deposition
The Deposition (The Office)
"The Deposition" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's sixty-fifth episode overall. Written by consulting producer Lester Lewis and directed by Julian Farino, the episode originally aired in the United States on November 15,...
", his testimony reveals that while he thinks Michael is a nice guy, he never considered Michael a serious contender for Jan's old Corporate job (which ended up going to Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard (The Office)
Ryan Bailey Howard , played by B. J. Novak, is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office. He is based upon Ricky Howard from the original version of The Office , but his role is significantly expanded and he is a main character.-Character profile:Little is known about Ryan's...
); Michael seems hurt by the truth but mollified by David's sincere-seeming "nice guy" comments, which lead to him siding with the company over Jan and dooming her lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
. After the deposition concludes, David makes a sincere apology to Michael for his behavior.
Seasons 5–6
In "Crime AidCrime Aid
"Crime Aid" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the show's seventy-seventh episode overall. The episode aired in the United States on October 23, 2008 on NBC....
" it is revealed that Wallace owns a vacation home in Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
. In a deleted scene from "Weight Loss", David yells at Ryan for answering the phones at the Scranton branch, and calls him a worthless human being. Then, in the talking head, a visibly shaken Ryan says that Wallace "made the list" of people to get revenge on when he is successful again.
David is displeased when he learns that Michael is dating HR representative
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
Holly Flax and transfers her back to Nashua, New Hampshire. He sends Michael on a business trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba in an attempt to cheer him up. But just as the trip ends and Michael talks to David on his phone about the sale he closed, Michael expresses his anger at the transfer by scolding David, aware of his boss's ploy. Throughout these seasons David drives a 2008 BMW 7-Series (namely a 750li). Though the car likely has Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
technology, David chooses not to use it, as he gets pulled over in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for talking on his cell phone with Michael.
In "New Boss
New Boss (The Office)
"New Boss" is the twentieth episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 92nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 19, 2009...
", Wallace hires Charles Miner (Idris Elba
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
) who replaces Ryan as Vice-President of North East Sales and oversees the branches, including Scranton. Initially, Michael and Charles seem to hit it off when meeting for the first time at the corporate headquarters, which changes when Charles visits the branch. Miner, who seems to possess no sense of humor, has a no-nonsense management style that clashes with Michael's laid back managerial style. In the first of many calls to David, Michael is told to try to get along with his new boss which proves unsuccessful. Tensions rise in the office as Miner often usurps Michael's authority because of his ideas. When Michael's plans with the Party Planning Committee involve his 15th Work Anniversary party during work hours, Charles cancels their planning and dissolves the committee. Infuriated, Michael drives to New York and confronts David to highlight his years of service and loyalty to the company, and Wallace cannot convincingly deny Michael's anguished claim that the new system will allow the CFO to avoid talking to Michael at all. David agrees to fund an anniversary party for Michael, and assures him that he will attend personally. This proves unsatisfactory to Michael, who resigns, leaving David stunned.
Michael leaves to form his own company, Michael Scott Paper Company, while Charles takes over as Regional Manager of Scranton. Michael, with his wit, begins to take clients from Dunder Mifflin, which drives Wallace and Miner to try to buy out the company in "Broke
Broke (The Office)
"Broke" is the 25th episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 97th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 23, 2009...
". With Michael in the conference room, David offers him up to $60,000, before he heeds to Michael's demands. He gives Michael his own job back, reduces Miner's authority (he won't be fired, but he'll no longer have any purview over Scranton), gives them health care including dental, reluctantly rehires Ryan (who had previously been hired by Michael), and promotes Pam Halpert to saleswoman. Wallace notes that the deal amounts to a multi-million dollar buyout.
In "Company Picnic
Company Picnic
"Company Picnic" is the fifth season finale of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 100th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009...
", Michael and Holly reveal the closing of the Buffalo branch as part of their sketch comedy show at the company picnic. This quickly ends the show and throws the Buffalo branch employees into disarray. A clearly unhappy David chastises Michael and Holly over their revelation of that sensitive news that he disclosed to Michael in confidence.
In the episode "The Meeting
The Meeting (The Office)
"The Meeting" is the second episode of the sixth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 102nd overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 24, 2009....
," Wallace has a private meeting with Jim. Michael thinks Jim is trying to get his job, and shows Wallace Jim's file with reports of him slacking off with Dwight and spending excessive time at Reception. Wallace reveals that Jim's idea involved a promotion for both Jim and Michael. Later, Wallace offers to Michael and Jim to make both of them co-managers of the branch. In "Murder
Murder (The Office)
"Murder" is the 10th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 110th episode overall. It was written by Daniel Chun and directed by Greg Daniels...
", Wallace lets Jim know that the company is almost out of cash, leaving Jim horrified. And in "Scott's Tots
Scott's Tots
"Scott's Tots" is the 12th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 112th episode overall. It was written by Gene Stupnitsky & Lee Eisenberg and directed by B. J. Novak, which marks his directorial debut on the network series...
", Wallace is angry at Jim for the first time on the show, after Dwight's sabotage and faked phone calls lead Wallace to believe Jim rigged the Employee of the Month process to benefit himself and Pam. After wondering if they need to talk about Jim's future, Wallace switches gears, apologizes to Jim for losing his cool in the wake of the company's catastrophic situation, and says their weekend dinner plans are intact (this produces a scream of outrage from Dwight, who is listening on his surveillance tape as his plan to take down Jim fails again).
In "Secret Santa
Secret Santa (The Office)
"Secret Santa" is the 13th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 113th episode overall. It was written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Randall Einhorn...
," David mentions to Michael that the company has a potential buyer, and that he (as well as other executives) may lose their jobs. David assures Michael that he and the other employees will still have their positions if this were to happen. In the episode The Banker, it is indirectly revealed that David Wallace is gone, since Michael "is now the highest ranking employee of Dunder Mifflin", as stated by Pam in an interview.
In "Sabre
Sabre (The Office)
"Sabre" is the 15th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 115th episode overall. It was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by John Krasinski, which marks his television directorial debut...
", Michael visits David Wallace at his house to seek advice on dealing with the difficult merger. Michael discovers that, no longer a successful CFO, David has been reduced to a shambling, unfocused homebody following the collapse of Dunder Mifflin. He does, however, speak of his plans to spearhead the production of a device to pick up children's clutter called Suck It. He offers Michael a piece of the action, but Michael is noncommittal. In a talking head (located in David's bathroom), Michael says that "there are very few things that would make [him] not want to team up with David Wallace, and Suck It is one of them". As he drives away, he comments that whoever this wreck of a person is, it is not David Wallace.
In "Whistleblower
Whistleblower (The Office)
"Whistleblower" is the 26th episode and season finale of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 126th episode overall...
", David, one of the five whistleblowers in the story, reveals to the documentary crew that he helped spread the story of the Sabre printer fires after several old clients complained to him. He is shown wearing a "Suck It" hooded sweatshirt; when he tries to do his spiel for Suck It, the documentary crew abruptly cuts him off mid-sentence.
Season 7
David (along with Karen, Roy, and Jan) was announced to appear in an upcoming episode by playing a role in Michael's screenplay, "Threat Level MidnightThreat Level Midnight
-Production:This episode was written by executive producer B. J. Novak, who also portrays Ryan Howard on the show. It was directed by Tucker Gates, his fourth directing credit of the series...
". However, he did not appear in the episode when it aired; B.J. Novak revealed in a post-airing interview that Andy Buckley did film a talking head interview for the episode, but that it was cut for time. It is possible the deleted scene shows up on the Season 7 DVD. While there has been some speculation that Wallace's comment about passing on the Goldenface role "because it wouldn't look good at Corporate" means he has found a new job, the timing of Michael's filming schedule makes it clear that David turned down the role during his CFO days, before the company collapsed and he was fired.
David did not appear in the televised version, but appears in a producer's cut of "Goodbye, Michael
Goodbye, Michael
"Goodbye, Michael" is the twenty-second episode of the seventh season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 148th episode overall. The episode was written by series developer and executive producer Greg Daniels and was directed by Paul Feig. The episode originally aired on April...
", engaging in a webcam conversation with Michael. Judging from his attitude he is still bitter over the tragedy that has befallen upon him, and when he realizes that Michael chose to resign and did not get fired much like himself, he urges Michael to change his mind about moving to Colorado, claiming it a terrible decision. Just as David begins to speak badly of Colorado (according to David, women in Colorado do not shave their underarms), a frustrated Michael exits the webcam chat. This leaves Michael in a state of doubt, and he almost breaks down wondering if he should not leave Dunder Mifflin.