Seinfeld

Characters

Main Characters

Jerry Seinfeld

Jerry Seinfeld (played by Jerry Seinfeld)—A standup comedian who seeks out relationships with attractive women which rarely last more than one episode. A number of episodes involve some obsession of Jerry's that results in offending the romantic interest and ruining the relationship. Among his strongest obsessions are his impulsive need for neatness, his love of Superman and for cereal. There is a reference to Superman, either visually, conversationally, or thematically, in over 70% of the episodes in the series.

Related Topics:
Jerry Seinfeld - Jerry Seinfeld - Standup comedian - Women - Superman - Cereal

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George Costanza

George Louis Costanza (played by Jason Alexander)—A self-described "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man", the neurotic George is a self-loathing, congenital liar domineered by his parents, Frank and Estelle. He has held many jobs, including that of a real estate agent and assistant to the traveling secretary for the New York Yankees. He also worked briefly at a sporting equipment company called Play Now and at Kruger Industrial Smoothing (and?very briefly?at Pendant Publishing) in addition to nearly acquiring a job as a bra salesman for Sid Farkus, a friend of his father's. His relationships with women were always unsuccessful, including his engagement to Susan Ross, played by Heidi Swedberg. The character of George was largely based on the show's co-creator and Seinfeld's real-life best friend, comedian Larry David. Episode plots would frequently feature George manufacturing elaborate deceptions at work or in his relationships, in order to gain or maintain some petty advantage. These schemes would invariably backfire. Many of George's predicaments were based on ones that Larry David had found himself in at one point or another in his own life.

Related Topics:
George Louis Costanza - Jason Alexander - Bald - Neurotic - Frank - Estelle - Real estate agent - Secretary - New York Yankees - Susan Ross - Heidi Swedberg - Larry David

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Cosmo Kramer

Cosmo Kramer (played by Michael Richards)—Tall, wild-haired, Kramer is the most eccentric Seinfeld character. He is usually called by his last name. For much of the series, his first name was unknown. Once his full name was revealed, most minor characters began calling him Cosmo, but the main group continued calling him Kramer. He is frequently involved in hare-brained schemes to get rich. One of the most popular characters on the show, he is often described as the "action character" that draws audiences with his wild and unusual antics and movements. In one show, Kramer is called a "hipster doofus." He is based on Larry David's neighbor, Kenny Kramer. Kramer adopts a different bizarre habit or money-making scheme almost every episode. He is friends with Newman, as well as a wide variety of (mostly off-screen) acquaintances and shady partners, including Lomez and Bob Sacamano.

Related Topics:
Cosmo Kramer - Michael Richards - Hipster - Doofus - Kenny Kramer - Bob Sacamano

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Elaine Benes

Elaine Marie Benes (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus)—Like Jerry, much of Elaine's life revolves around trying to arrange relationships with attractive individuals, although some of hers last longer than Jerry's. The most noticeable is her on-again, off-again relationship with David Puddy (played by Patrick Warburton). She has also held jobs for Pendant Publishing, The J. Peterman Catalog, and as a personal assistant to the wealthy Mr. Pitt. Elaine was a composite of two girlfriends of the creators, one being writer Carol Leifer, Seinfeld's real-life ex-girlfriend. In the show Elaine and Jerry dated, and "broke up", timeline-wise, just before the first episode, remaining friends over the course of the show. Elaine went to Tufts University (her "safety school") and is a writer, though sometimes not realizing it. Elaine is most often a victim of circumstance, with plots surrounding her usually coming into conflict with her inadequate boyfriends or the arbitrary demands of her eccentric employers.

Related Topics:
Elaine Marie Benes - Julia Louis-Dreyfus - David Puddy - Patrick Warburton - J. Peterman - Personal assistant - Carol Leifer - Tufts University

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Recurring Characters

This is quick list of recurring characters. For more see: Minor characters in Seinfeld

Related Topics:
Recurring character - Minor characters in Seinfeld

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• Newman (played by Wayne Knight) — Jerry and Kramer's neighbor; a portly, vengeful and spasmodic U.S. postal carrier
• Estelle Costanza (played by Estelle Harris) — George's Mother
• Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller) — George's Father
• Susan Ross (played by Heidi Swedberg) — Ex-fiancée of George, dies from toxic wedding invitations
• Helen Seinfeld (played by Liz Sheridan) — Jerry's Mother
• Morty Seinfeld (played by Barney Martin) — Jerry's Father
• J. Peterman (played by John O'Hurley) — the eccentric and loquacious boss of Elaine
• Mr. Steinbrenner (voice by Larry David) — George Costanza's boss while working for the Yankees
• Uncle Leo (played by Len Lesser) — the unavoidable and annoying Uncle of Jerry
• David Puddy (played by Patrick Warburton) — on-again, off-again, sometimes "religious", boyfriend of Elaine.
• Mr. Wilhelm (played by Richard Herd) — George's superior at the New York Yankees
• Mr. Lippman (played by Richard Fancy) — Elaine's boss at Pendant Publishing
• Mr. (Justin) Pitt (played by Ian Abercrombie) — hired Elaine to tend to his personal needs, such as buying socks.
• Mickey Abbott (played by Danny Woodburn) — a little person who took on various acting gigs with Kramer
• Jackie Chiles (played by Phil Morris) — Kramer's Lawyer, an obvious parody of Johnnie Cochran
• Kenny Bania (played by Steve Hytner) — an unfunny stand-up comedian who idolizes Jerry
• Ruthie (played by Ruth Cohen) — the (mostly) silent lady cashier at Monk's