David "Dave" Seville is a quick-tempered yet kind and somewhat insecure songwriter for the musical trio and Chipmunks' adoptive father and confidant. While Dave struggles to remain calm and objective, Alvin often irritates him, causing Dave to yell "Alvin!", to which Alvin (sometimes) responds with "Okay!" Dave plays piano and the guitar. He has short black hair and brown eyes. In the original incarnations of the group (including the original recordings and The Alvin Show) he is portrayed by Alvin and the Chipmunks creator Ross Bagdasarian Sr. In the 1983–1990 revival of the show, he is portrayed by Ross Bagdasarian Jr., the son of the original creator. For the series of films produced from 2007 to 2015, he is portrayed by Jason Lee.
In the 1983–1990 animated series, it is revealed that Dave first found the Chipmunks as infants abandoned on the doorstep of his old cottage. At first, he grows to like them but it's not all pain sailing as the Chipmunks do tend to play up. In addition he had important songs to write or else he'd lose his job. On top of that, Dave's landlord is a nasty man who even tries to kill the Chipmunks. However, Dave eventually hears their amazing singing voices and records them, making their song a hit and with the money they earn they manage to move into a large house, which Dave owns and live happily together as one big family. The mother of the Chipmunks has made a few guest appearances, to check on her boys to see how they are doing, and Dave had to acquaint her with urban ways.
In the 2007 film, the visuals and history established in the animated show, are totally rebooted. Dave first discovers the boys eating food in his cabinets and he panics and throws them out. He later changes his mind and allows them into his home upon them showing their singing talent. However, the Chipmunks find an old letter and mistakenly think Dave does not want them anymore so they go to live with Ian Hawke, their conniving music producer; he begins to miss the boys and frees them from Ian. He welcomes the Chipmunks into his home and eventually he starts to love them like his own children.
However, in the 2009 sequel Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, Dave plays a minor role in the film, mainly due to his being in the hospital in Paris. This happened due to Alvin accidentally causing a billboard to crash into him and he is sent flying across the room and is severely injured, so he is placed in intensive care. He is rarely seen in the film. His cousin Toby acts as both a main character and the Chipmunks' temporary guardian. Dave appears at the end of the film watching his boys and the Chipettes perform together.
Dave appears for a third time in Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, where he, the Chipmunks and Chipettes board a cruise ship heading to the International Music Awards. He gets upset with Alvin, Simon and the Chipettes for leaving their cabin room for their own reasons. Later, he teams up with his old enemy, Ian, to find the Chipmunks and Chipettes when the six get blown away while hang-gliding a kite. He and Ian find them and leave the island with them before its volcano erupts. with Ian getting his career back. He later watches his family perform at the International Music Awards; he is last seen on an airplane with them heading for home.
In the fourth film, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Dave now owns a music record company, and moves to a new home with the Chipmunks and Chipettes. Upset from Alvin throwing a surprise birthday bash, to his dismay, he decides to take his lover, Samantha, to Florida for one of his client's album release parties, instead of taking the Chipmunks. Both Samantha and Dave leave, leaving Samantha's son, Miles, to stay with the Chipmunks, being that the Chipettes have gone to judge in American Idol. Dave, for most of the movie, is at Florida, having dinners with Samantha. After being suspected of going to propose to her, Dave is unwittingly sabotaged by Miles and the Chipmunks. He also gets upset, as the Chipmunks presumed, ruining his coworker's proposal, and for causing much trouble on their trip to stop him. Alvin, Simon, Theodore, and Miles perform for Dave as an apology, during his client's album release, finally mending the ruined proposal of Dave's coworker. Back to Los Angeles, Dave adopts the boys, and is last seen yelling Alvin's name after he finds his home wrecked.
