| Larry David | |
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David at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival |
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| Birth name | Lawrence Gene David |
| Born | July 2, 1947 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
| Nationality | American[1] |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Genres | Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, sketch comedy |
| Subject(s) | Self-deprecation, everyday life, manners, sex, social norms |
| Influences | Phil Silvers, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen |
| Influenced | Jerry Seinfeld, Ricky Gervais, Jack Dee, Sarah Silverman, Jeff Garlin, Casper Christensen |
| Spouse | Laurie Lennard (1993–2007) |
| Notable works and roles | Writer & cast member, Fridays Co-creator & head writer, Seinfeld Creator, writer, & actor, Curb Your Enthusiasm |
| Emmy Awards | |
| Outstanding Writing - Comedy Series 1993 Seinfeld Outstanding Comedy Series 1993 Seinfeld |
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Lawrence Gene "Larry" David (born July 2, 1947) is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator (with Jerry Seinfeld), head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in which he stars as a semi-fictionalized version of himself.
David's work won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993. Formerly a standup comedian, David went into television comedy, writing and starring in ABC's Fridays, as well as writing briefly for Saturday Night Live. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as being voted by fellow comedians and comedy insiders as number 23 of the greatest comedy stars ever in a British poll to select The Comedian's Comedian.[2]
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Lawrence Gene David[3] was born to a Jewish family in the neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School and then the University of Maryland, with a bachelor's degree in history (1969), and then in business (1970).[4] After college, David enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve.[5]
While a stand-up comedian, David also worked as a store clerk, limousine driver, and television repairman to pay his bills. He lived in Manhattan Plaza, a federally-subsidized housing complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, across the hall from Kenny Kramer, the inspiration for the Cosmo Kramer character in Seinfeld.[6] David then became a writer for and cast member of ABC's Fridays from 1980 to 1982, and a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) from 1984 to 1985.[7] During his time at SNL, he was able to get only one sketch on the show, which aired at 12:50 AM, the last time slot on the show.[8] David quit his writing job at SNL midseason, only to show up to work a few days later acting as though nothing had happened. That plot inspired a second-season episode of Seinfeld entitled "The Revenge".[9] David met his future Seinfeld stars during that early stage of his career: He worked with Michael Richards (Kramer) on Fridays[7] and with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine)[8] on SNL.[10][11] He can be heard heckling Michael McKean when McKean hosted SNL in 1984, and he can be seen in the sketch "The Run, Throw, and Catch Like a Girl Olympics" when Howard Cosell hosted the season finale in 1985.[12]
In 1989, David teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create a pilot for NBC called The Seinfeld Chronicles, which became the basis for Seinfeld, one of the most successful shows in United States television history,[13] reaching the top on TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest TV shows of all time. Entertainment Weekly ranked it the third-best TV show of all time. David made occasional uncredited appearances on the show, playing such roles as Frank Costanza's cape-wearing lawyer and the voice of George Steinbrenner. He was also the primary inspiration for the show's character George Costanza.[14] David left Seinfeld on amicable terms after the seventh season but returned to write the series finale in 1998, two years later.[15] He also continued to provide the voice for the Steinbrenner character.[16]
David wrote 62 of the episodes of Seinfeld, including 1992's "The Contest", for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award and which TV Guide ranked the episode #1 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time".[17]
Syndication of Seinfeld earned David an estimated US$250 million in 1998 alone. This amount has been steadily decreasing each year, but payments will continue until the full $1.7 billion from the original deal has been paid. In 2008 David made $55 million from Seinfeld syndication, DVD sales, and Curb Your Enthusiasm.[18][19] He was nominated for an Emmy[20] award 19 times for Seinfeld, winning twice—once for best comedy and once for writing.[21]
The HBO cable television channel aired David's 1-hour special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, on October 17, 1999.[22] This was followed by Curb Your Enthusiasm, a television series on HBO that aired its first episode on October 15, 2000.[22]
The show revisits many of the themes of Seinfeld,[23] and is improvised from a story outline only several pages long that David writes (as of the 5th season, additional writers were hired).[24] The actors improvise their dialogue based on the story outline, direction, and their own creativity. David has said that his character in the show, a fictionalized version of himself, is what he would be like in real life if he lacked social awareness and sensitivity.[25] The character's numerous and frequent social faux pas and misunderstandings are the basis of much of the show's comedy and have led to the entry into the American pop culture lexicon of the expression "Larry David moment", meaning an inadvertently created socially awkward situation.[26]
The basis of the show is David's life now that he has earned a fortune and has very little to do in semi-retirement.[27] Alongside David is his wife Cheryl (played by Cheryl Hines), his manager and best friend Jeff (played by Jeff Garlin), and Jeff's wife Susie (played by Susie Essman). Celebrities, including comedians Bob Einstein, Wanda Sykes, and Richard Lewis, appear on the show regularly. Actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have had recurring roles as themselves.[27]
The show is critically acclaimed and has been nominated for 30 Primetime Emmy Awards, with one win, as well as one Golden Globe win.
In the first six seasons, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander appeared in several episodes, and Jerry Seinfeld made a cameo. In season 7, the cast of Seinfeld, including Michael Richards, returned in a story arc involving David's attempt to organize a Seinfeld reunion special.
In October 2009, the episode "The Bare Midriff", in which David's character inadvertently splatters urine on a picture of Jesus causing a woman to believe the picture had miraculously shed a tear, was the focus of some criticism when Fox News reported that Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, had criticized it. HBO responded to the criticism, stating, "The humor is always playful and certainly never malicious."[28]
On Wednesday, June 2, 2010, the series premiered on the TV Guide Network, making its network television debut. TV Guide Network also produced a series of related discussions with high-profile guest stars, media pundits, and prominent social figures called "Curb: The Discussion" debating the moral implications depicted in each episode. David is quoted as saying "Finally, thanks to the TV Guide Network, I'll get a chance to watch actual, intelligent people discuss and debate the issues addressed on 'Curb'. Now if only someone could tell me where this alleged 'Network' is, I might even watch it." [29]
Apart from David's major roles in creating Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, he has also been involved in other films and television series. David wrote and directed the 1998 film Sour Grapes, about two cousins who feud over a casino jackpot.[22] It was neither a commercial nor a critical success.[30][31] He has appeared in minor parts in two Woody Allen films – Radio Days and New York Stories[32] – more recently taking the leading role in Allen's New York-based comedy film Whatever Works.[33] Because his daughters are Hannah Montana fans, David, along with his daughters, guest-starred, as themselves, in the episode "My Best Friend's Boyfriend," in which they were waiting for a table at a fancy restaurant.[22] David had a cameo appearance on the HBO series Entourage as a client of Ari Gold, and also appeared as a panelist on the NBC series The Marriage Ref.
During the 2008 U.S Presidential Election, David supported and actively campaigned for Barack Obama.
In December 2010, David penned an op-ed piece for The New York Times, a sardonic critique of the extension of Bush-era tax cuts headlined "Thanks for the Tax Cut!" [34][35]
As of May 3, 2011, it was reported that he has signed on to play Mother Mengele in The Three Stooges film, planned for 2012 release.[36] The current cast for the Farrelly-directed comedy is Sean Hayes (Larry), Will Sasso (Curly), Chris Diamantopoulos (Moe) and Jane Lynch (nun).[37]
David married Laurie Lennard on March 31, 1993. They have two daughters, and lived in Pacific Palisades, California.[38] Both Davids became contributing bloggers at The Huffington Post in May 2005.[39][40] On June 5, 2007, the couple announced their intention to amicably separate.[41] Laurie David filed for divorce on July 13, 2007, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking joint custody of the couple's two daughters.[42]
The results of a DNA test shown live on the Lopez Tonight show in 2009 revealed that 37% of David's ethnic lineage might be Native American.[43] However, the test's accuracy is disputed by several genealogists.[44]
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