Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.

Ross Bagdasarian Sr.
Bagdasarian circa 1958 or before, with the original signature
Born	Rostom Sipan Bagdasarian (1919-01-27)January 27, 1919 Fresno, California, U.S.
Died	January 16, 1972(1972-01-16) (aged 52) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart attack
Other names	David Seville
Occupation	Pianist, musician, actor, voice actor, film producer, record producer
Years active	1939–1972
Known for	Creator Of: Alvin and the Chipmunks Founder of: Bagdasarian Film Corporation
Television	The Alvin Show (1961–1962)
Spouse(s)	Armenuhi Kulhanjian (m. ?–1972; his death)
Children	Ross Bagdasarian, Jr.
Parent(s)	Dick and Virginia (née Saroyan) Bagdasarian
Relatives	William Saroyan (cousin)

Rostom Sipan "Ross" Bagdasarian (Armenian: Ռոս Բաղդասարյան, Western Armenian Ռոս Պաղտասարեան ; January 27, 1919 – January 16, 1972), otherwise known by his stage name David Seville, was an American pianist, musician, actor, voice actor, and record producer of Armenian descent. Bagdasarian was the creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks and the founder of Bagdasarian Productions (formerly Bagdasarian Film Corporation).

Bagdasarian was born in Fresno, California, the youngest child of Dick and Virginia (nėe Saroyan) Bagdasarian, Armenian immigrants from the Ottoman Empire. He enlisted in the United States Army one month after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and served until the end of World War II.

Bagdasarian performed in the Broadway cast of The Time of Your Life, written by his famous cousin William Saroyan.

Bagdasarian's first musical success was the song that he wrote with Saroyan "Come on-a My House", recorded by Rosemary Clooney in 1951. The lyrics are based on dialogue from Saroyan's novel The Human Comedy. They wrote the song on the post-Broadway tour bus of The Time of Your Life in 1939 and recorded it under their own names as a duet for Coral Records, Saroyan speaking the narrative and Bagdasarian delivering the lyrics in dialect.

Bagdasarian played minor roles in films, the best known of which is his appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 murder mystery Rear Window. Bagdasarian portrays a piano-playing songwriter who composes, plays, and sings the song "Lisa". His character lives in an apartment opposite the protagonist's. In keeping with the screenplay's theme of social voyeurism, his dialogue is never clearly heard and he appears only in long shots, sometimes seen through a window. He stands next to Hitchcock in his signature cameo appearance. Bagdasarian had small parts in The Greatest Show on Earth, Viva Zapata!, Destination Gobi, Stalag 17, Alaska Seas, The Proud and Profane, Three Violent People, Hot Blood, The Deep Six, and The Devil's Hairpin.