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“Stay Classy, Lee’s Summit!”

Life as Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby and Buddy the Elf pays off for local Will Ferrell impersonator

David Babcock received perhaps the highest compliment anyone can give a celebrity impersonator last year.

“I probably had five people tell me, ‘Oh, man, you look more like Will Ferrell than Will Ferrell does,’” he says. “That’s because he has aged, and I somehow resemble how he looked when he was younger and making those iconic movies.”

Babcock’s resemblance to the actor and meticulous attention to detail have given him a successful side business portraying Ron Burgundy from “Anchorman” (“Ron Burgundy is the money”), Ricky Bobby from “Talladega Nights” and Buddy from “Elf.” He has had millions of social media views and performed in venues from San Diego to New York City to London.

When his son and daughter first said their friends thought he looked like Will Ferrell, he wasn’t impressed—until he discovered that resembling someone famous had its rewards.

“A local radio station was giving away a trip to New York City at a costume contest during a concert at the Uptown Theater,” Babcock says. “I went to a thrift store, bought an old jacket and literally went next door to a hardware store, bought red spray paint and painted it red. I smelled like pure gasoline. I did my Ron Burgundy routine with nearly everyone in the theater, and by the end of the night, it earned me enough applause to win the trip.”

Six years ago, he had his first professional gig when Llywelyn’s Pub in Overland Park hired him as its emcee on New Year’s Eve. He soon began receiving invitations to appear at other events, primarily because of his social media presence. He upgraded his costumes, studied Ferrell’s movies and took his act on the road.

“It’s an acting thing for sure, and I’m not the greatest actor,” Babcock says. “But I look kind of like him, I can act like him and I can sound pretty close to him in those characters. But my costumes, makeup, hair, and other details are spot-on. I match the iconic view of each character. It’s close enough that people do a double-take and think, ‘Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy just walked into the room.’” 

He credits his wife, Linda, for the authenticity of his characters. “My wife is my stylist and partner,” he says. “She makes sure all the details are right.”

Ron Burgundy, Ricky Bobby and Buddy the Elf have given him an opportunity to travel the world and meet fascinating people. During the 2018 Christmas season, a travel agency invited him to Manchester, England, to help introduce a new airliner. Warner Brothers found out he would be coming and invited him to London to make a video celebrating the 15th anniversary of “Elf.” San Diego, the home of “Anchorman’s” fictional Channel 4 News, has become almost a second home.

“Last year at San Diego Comic Con, I bumped into Thomas Patrick Lennon, who is one of the stars of ‘Reno 911,’” Babcock says. “He looked at me, screamed and said, ‘It’s the greatest day of my life!’ then gave me a hug and took a selfie.”

Corporate events are his bread and butter. Ron Burgundy and Ricky Bobby never fail to drive traffic to trade-show booths.

“I consistently get rated five stars for all of my appearance types,” he says. “But the best part is that everyone laughs and has a great time. For corporate events such as trade-show appearances, the return on investment from booking me is sky high.”

One of the most frequent questions Babcock gets asked is whether he has ever met the real Will Ferrell. Last winter, he learned that the actor planned to appear in character at a Los Angeles Kings hockey game the next evening. Babcock purchased a ticket to the game, booked a flight and showed up at the Staples Center as Ron Burgundy. The two men met in passing outside the broadcast booth. 

“Will came along with five or six guys around him, with a boom mike and a couple of cameras rolling,” Babcock says. “He came around the corner, did a double-take, planted his finger in my face and said, ‘Get outta here!’

“I wondered if he was upset—but I think he was just surprised!”

Visit www.LinkTr.ee/impersonate for photos, videos and more information. 

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