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Larry David

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Larry David in the "Smoking Jacket" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
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Larry David in the "Smoking Jacket" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Larry David (born July 2 1947) is an American actor, writer, producer, and film director born and raised in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, New York. David was the co-creator, writer and executive producer for the television series Seinfeld. In addition, he created and stars in the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm.

David, a former standup comedian, was a writer and cast member for ABC's Fridays television series from 1980 to 1982, and a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1985. During his entire time at SNL, David only got one sketch included in the show — the last sketch of the night (where the weaker sketches are usually scheduled). David quit his writing job at SNL in the middle of that season, only to show up to work a few days later to act as if nothing had happened (and stayed through the rest of the season). This event inspired a season two episode of Seinfeld called The Revenge.

David graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with bachelor degrees in history (1970) and business (1971).

On March 31, 1993, David married the former Laurie Lennard; they have two children and live in Pacific Palisades, California. Like her counterpart in Curb Your Enthusiasm, she is an environmental activist. Since May 2005 David and his wife have been contributing bloggers at The Huffington Post.

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Seinfeld

In 1989, David teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create The Seinfeld Chronicles for NBC. The show was later retitled simply Seinfeld, and became one of the most successful shows in television history. David periodically appeared on the show. He was the primary inspiration for the character of George Costanza on Seinfeld. David left Seinfeld, on amicable terms, after the seventh season. However, he returned to write the series finale in 1998 two years later. Larry David was credited by Jerry Seinfeld as being 90% of the show. Although his writing ceased in the later years, his job as executive producer is what made Seinfeld the show it became. Since the first episode, David wished to have a show based on conversational and observational humor. It also became a somewhat dark show: in Seinfeld, essentially, bad things happen to people, and the characters never learn any real lessons. The series' credo was, "No learning, no hugging." Larry David suggested that the show be about "nothing", that Jerry's neighbor Cosmo Kramer be based on his real neighbor Kenny Kramer, that George be based on David himself, and much more along the course of the series.

The commercial success of Seinfeld has made Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld multimillionaires. Syndication deals and DVD releases have earned each co-creator hundreds of millions of dollars. Larry David is estimated to have earned over $500 million from Seinfeld alone.[[Citing sources citation needed]]

Larry David's appearances on Seinfeld

David as a B-movie actor in the Seinfeld episode, "The Heart Attack"
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David as a B-movie actor in the Seinfeld episode, "The Heart Attack"

David as a mysterious man in a cape, talking to Frank Costanza, in "The Chinese Woman."
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David as a mysterious man in a cape, talking to Frank Costanza, in "The Chinese Woman."

All of Larry David's appearances on Seinfeld were uncredited.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

In 1999, the HBO cable television channel aired David's special, , a hybrid work using story outlines and improvised dialogue, shot in a documentary style. Before it aired, HBO had suggested that David commit to a series using the same method. The result, Curb Your Enthusiasm, first aired in 2000. It revisits many of the themes first brought up in Seinfeld, albeit in a markedly different style.

In 2004, Curb Your Enthusiasm was credited with helping clear a Los Angeles man named Juan Catalan of a death penalty murder case. Catalan, who was arrested on suspicion of murder, maintained his innocence, saying he was at a Los Angeles Dodgers baseball game on May 12, 2003, during the time of the slaying. During the game, an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm was being shot in Dodger Stadium which contained footage of Juan Catalan with his daughter. When told that his show had released a wrongfully accused man, Larry David commented in a New Yorker article, "I tell people that I've now done one decent thing in my life. Albeit inadvertently."

In 2005, David was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the "Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series — Musical Or Comedy" category, for his work on the show. In the same year, fellow comedians and comedy insiders, in a poll to select The Comedian's Comedian, voted him amongst the top fifty greatest comedy acts ever.

David was also nominated for a 2006 Emmy Best Actor Award for his work on the show.

Other projects

David has also appeared in minor parts in two Woody Allen films, Radio Days (1987) and Oedipus Wrecks (1989). He was considered for the part that went to Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa.

David wrote and directed the 1998 film Sour Grapes, about two cousins who feud over a casino jackpot. It was neither a commercial nor critical success.

References

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External links

 

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