Jerry Seinfeld (character)
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- For the actor, see Jerry Seinfeld.
Jerry's main friends are George Costanza, Cosmo Kramer and his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes. Jerry (though with exceptions) typically represents the voice of reason amidst George, Elaine, and Kramer's antics, and can be seen as the focal point of the foursome's relationship. Jerry is somewhat of an eternal optimist, as he rarely runs into major personal problems. Jerry is the only main character on the show to maintain the same career throughout the series. Considering his job as a comedian, he is the most observational character, usually sarcastically commenting on his friends' quirky habits. He lives at 129 West 81st Street, New York City, Apartment 5A.
Character
Jerry is the "passive central player" in the show, a figure who is "able to observe the chaos around him but not always be a part of it."[BBC Comedy Guide: Seinfeld] Plotlines involving Jerry often concern his various relationships -- Jerry often finds "stupid reasons to break up" with women"The Engagement" which, according to Elaine, occurs "every week."Jerry is noted for his detached approach towards relationships and his general lack of emotion: Jerry once became engaged, but later states that he "[had] no feelings for those people.""The Voice" In one episode, Jerry describes his current relationship with a woman as having lasted "since the last one.""The Burning" On one occasion when Jerry lets out his emotions and cries, he is perplexed by the experience, asking, "What is this salty discharge?""The Serenity Now" Elaine points out that he has "never felt remorse.""The Foundation"
Jerry has an obsessive insistence on cleanliness and neatness. A girlfriend of his comments that "he would have made a great Nazi" because "everything has to be just so.""The Implant" In "The Pothole," Jerry inadvertently knocks his girlfriend's toothbrush into the toilet bowl, and after she uses it, he is unable to bring himself to kiss her. In the same episode, he expresses an intention to throw away his toilet brush after learning that it has been placed in the toilet. In other instances, Jerry throws out a belt because it touched the edge of urinal"The Voice" and a shoelace because it touched the floor of a men's room."The Butter Shave"
Jerry rarely runs into major personal problems, unlike George and Elaine. In "The Opposite," this tendency is explicitly pointed out, as Jerry goes through a number of experiences of "breaking even" and constantly "evening out," even as his friends are going through intense periods of success or failure. In "The Rye," during a particularly trying time for her, Elaine angrily tells Jerry, "You know, one of these days, something terrible is going to happen to you. It has to!", to which Jerry simply replies, "No, I'm going to be just fine."
Jerry is also very financially successful and occupationally stable in comparison with his friends: George and Elaine both cycle through various jobs, and Kramer is rarely employed. Jerry, on the other hand, maintains the same job throughout the entire series (a stand-up comedian) and never seems to be at a loss for money. Jerry buys his father a Cadillac"The Cadillac, Part 1" and "Part 2" and buys it back after his parents sell it, spending over $20,000 but still remaining far from being "almost broke.""The Money" In "The Apartment," it is revealed that Jerry could easily lend Elaine $5,000 for an apartment. Jerry is regularly called upon to pay to check for the group at Monk's, and allows Kramer to depend on him for food.
Life
Jerry grew up in New York with George Costanza, who, according to "The Outing," were friends ever since an encounter in gym class in their school days. Flashbacks in episodes such as "The Library" portray George and Jerry at this point in their lives. A pizza place which they frequented is portrayed in "The Frogger." George and Jerry attended school together through college at Queens College."The Marine Biologist"Family
Jerry's parents are Morty and Helen Seinfeld, a retired couple living in Florida. He also has a sister (mentioned in "The Chinese Restaurant"), although she is never named, and never appears on screen.Jerry has an uncle, Leo, an eccentric minor character who appears in fifteen episodes. Uncle Leo has a son, Cousin Jeffrey, about whom he constantly talks, but who never appears.
The mother of Helen and Leo (the grandmother of Jerry), Nana, is an elderly woman living alone in the city and suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Nana makes appearances in "The Pledge Drive," "The Kiss Hello," and "The Doodle."
In "The Pony Remark," Helen, Morty, Jerry, and Leo attend a 50th-anniversary party for Manya and Issac, an elderly couple whose relationship to Jerry is never explicitly defined. Manya is described as a Polish immigrant. In the same episode, Jerry references having an "Aunt Rose," and Helen mentions a family member "Claire" who is getting married.
In "The Stakeout," Jerry speaks to an "Uncle Mac," as well as a cousin "Artie Levine."
References
| Seinfeld |
|---|
| Characters |
| Main Characters: Jerry Seinfeld (character)>Jerry Seinfeld | George Costanza | Elaine Benes | Cosmo Kramer |
| Related to Jerry: Helen Seinfeld > Morty Seinfeld | Uncle Leo | Kenny Bania | Sally Weaver | Dr. Tim Whatley |
| Related to George: Estelle Costanza > Frank Costanza | Susan Ross | Mr. Wilhelm | Mr. Kruger | Lloyd Braun |
| Related to Elaine: Jacopo Peterman>J. Peterman | David Puddy | Mr. Lippman | Justin Pitt | Sue Ellen Mischke |
| Related to Kramer: Newman (Seinfeld)>Newman | Mickey Abbott | Jackie Chiles | Bob Sacamano | Babs Kramer | Lomez |
| Other: Soup Nazi > "Crazy" Joe Davola | Minor characters in Seinfeld |
| Culture of the Seinfeld Universe |
| Festivus > Master of Your Domain | Regifting List of fictional films in Seinfeld | Coffee Table Book About Coffee Tables |
| Episodes |
| List of Seinfeld episodes > The Seinfeld Chronicles |
| Other |
| List of Seinfeld references to actual people > Running gags in Seinfeld |
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