Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy series starring Seinfeld writer, co-creator, and executive producer Larry David as himself. It is produced and broadcast by HBO. The show features a large cast of recurring characters.
Richard Lewis (as a fictionalized version of himself, Season 1-) is a neurotic stand-up comedian who has recently recovered from alcohol and drug problems. Richard is one of Larry's oldest and closest friends, both having moved from New York City to Los Angeles to pursue careers in comedy. Despite this, his relationship with Larry is often volatile and complicated. Often, Richard becomes the victim of Larry's follies, causing Richard to blame Larry for almost everything wrong in his life. Ironically, he is usually more sensible and moral than Larry. He has also had numerous very attractive girlfriends over the course of the show, with which Larry often tends to offend or clash with in some way. Richard Lewis first appeared in the show's first episode (after the pilot), "The Pants Tent."
Ted Danson (as a fictionalized version of himself, Seasons 1, 3-7) is an old friend of Larry's despite the fact that Larry often insults him behind his back. When Cheryl and Larry separate, Ted chooses to side with Cheryl as the two often do charitable work with the NRDC. Danson often appears with his real life wife, Mary Steenburgen, who also plays a fictionalized version of herself. Ted invests in a restaurant with Larry and Jeff in season three, but he ends up leaving the project because he is upset with Larry. Larry and Ted constantly have problems exchanging gifts such as when Larry gives Ted a shirt with a hole in it, something Ted calls "a problem" rather than a gift. In the episode "The Freak Book" Larry gives Ted a book titled "Mondo Freaks" which offends Ted and Mary, then crashes Ted's birthday party by bringing his driver in, who gets drunk and harasses Mary. In "The Hot Towel" Larry gives Ted and Mary a $300 gift certificate to a restaurant, but gets offended when he sees them using the gift certificate with Jeff and Susie instead of with him. Danson first appeared in the show's second episode, "Ted and Mary."
Marty Funkhauser (Bob Einstein, Season 4-) is one of Larry's oldest friends. Despite this, he and Larry tend to disagree on many topics such as whether or not he is too old to be called an orphan, and he also argues that he is Larry's best friend, which Larry constantly tries to refute. He has a wife, Nan, and one daughter, Jodi, who is an on-and-off lesbian, as well as a sister with mental health issues named Bam Bam (Catherine O'Hara). He is often very methodical and by-the-book about most of his actions and puts much emphasis on family first, making sure the entire family takes one opinion on a certain matter. Despite that, he has been known to take credit for things which may or may not necessarily apply to him. Funkhouser is an avid golfer, golfing at the same country club as Larry and Jeff. Funkhouser first appeared in the fourth season episode "The Weatherman." Uninvited, he turns up to Seinfeld reunion rehearsals, much to Larry's disdain, and befriends Jerry Seinfeld. Funkhouser divorces his wife in the episode "The Divorce".
Sammi Greene (Ashly Holloway, Season 2-) is Jeff and Susie's daughter who is now a teenager. Sammi has developed an interest in singing publicly, even though she does not possess much talent. When Sammi sang at a party hosted by Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, Larry David interrupted her song to save the crowd from having to listen to it, but he ended up upsetting the partygoers. Sammi, as a child, once said she would choose her dog, Oscar, over her father, if the two could not live together. Sammi was originally referred to as a boy in the first episode of the series "The Pants Tent," but first appeared in the Season 2 episode, "The Doll," as a girl.
Nat David (Shelley Berman, Season 3-7) is Larry's Jewish widowed father. He usually tends to make mistakes that Larry calls him out on. His physical resources are diminishing because of his age, leading him to glaucoma and occasional hearing loss. He is not very confrontational, but he does have a high sensitivity for their Jewish culture. Nat calls bad drivers "Schmohogs." Nat first appeared in the Season 3 episode, "The Special Section."
Leon Black (J. B. Smoove, Season 6-) is the brother of Loretta Black, a single mother whose family was a victim of Hurricane Edna. When Larry and Cheryl take in Loretta and her family, Leon moves in, too, even though he was living in Los Angeles already long before the hurricane. After a while, however, Loretta and her family move out of the house, but Leon simply stays behind. He often displays that he has Larry's back, tending to be a lot more blunt and confrontational than Larry could ever be. This involves him helping out Larry with his various misadventures and giving him reassurance and tips for how to fend for himself. Leon is also quite promiscuous when it comes to women, regardless of if they are married. Leon first appeared in the Season 6 episode, "The Anonymous Donor".
Antoinette (Antoinette Spolar, Seasons 1-4, 6, 8) is Larry's inept assistant who predominantly appeared in the first four seasons. She first appeared in the very first episode, "The Pants Tent."
Nan Funkhauser (Any Hall, Seasons 4-) is Marty Funkhauser's wife and the mother of Jodi Funkhauser. She first appeared in the Season 4 episode, "The Weatherman." She and Marty get a divorce in the episode "The Divorce".
Dr. Saul Funkhauser (Saul Rubinek, Seasons 4-) is Marty Funkhauser's cousin and Larry's dentist. He first appeared in the Season 4 episode, "The Weatherman". He returns a second time in the episode, "The 5 Wood," where he speaks at his uncle's (Leo Funkhauser's) wake.
Wanda (Wanda Sykes, Seasons 2-5, 7-8) is a friend of Cheryl's who rarely agrees with Larry. In "The Bowtie," (Season 5 Episode 2) Wanda tells Larry that she is "not his link into the black world" after he gets himself in an awkward racial incident. In "Funkhauser's Crazy Sister," Wanda and Cheryl use Larry's name to get a table at a crowded restaurant. She tends to 'appear' anytime Larry has a misunderstanding with a black person.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (as a fictionalized version of herself, Seasons 1-2, 7) is an actress Larry worked with on Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live. They have known each other since 1984. Julia Louis-Dreyfus first appeared in the Season 1 episode, "The Wire." In the episode "The Wire", Larry and Cheryl have been trying to convince their neighbors, the Weinstocks, to help get an electrical wire removed from their property. In order to sign off on it, the Weinstocks, who are big Seinfeld fans, wanted to meet Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In Season 2, Larry worked on a sitcom with Julia, but the project fell through with ABC, CBS, and HBO. Julia returned in Season 7 to star in a Seinfeld reunion episode.
Cheryl's parents (Paul Dooley and Julie Payne, Season 1-5) are very Christian, which often leads them to disagreements with Larry. Cheryl's father is often very loud and likes to sing Christmas carols. They first appeared in the Season 1 episode, "Beloved Aunt."
Becky (Kaitlin Olson, Seasons 1-4, 6) is Cheryl's sister who is often at odds with Larry over religious and personal reasons. Cheryl moves in with Becky after she leaves Larry. Becky first appeared in the Season 1 episode, "Beloved Aunt."
Norm (Paul Mazursky, Seasons 4, 7) was another golfer at the country club that Larry, Jeff, Ted Danson, and Funkhauser belong to. Larry blames Norm when he is kicked out of the club for having a messy locker. Norm was the slowest golfer on the course, and the others dreaded golfing behind him, until Larry, not knowing Norm had high blood pressure, yells at him and tells him off for his slow golfing. Norm dies soon after this encounter, because the stress caused his already-high blood pressure to rise. Norm first appeared in the Season 4 episode, "Mel's Offer."
Jerry Seinfeld (as a fictionalized version of himself, Seasons 4, 7) co-created the hit sitcom Seinfeld with Larry. Jerry Seinfeld attends the opening night of Larry David's play The Producers, grimacing after Larry failed to remember his lines. Jerry returned in Season 7 to star in a Seinfeld reunion episode. Throughout the season, Jerry writes and produces the reunion show with Larry, often spending time with him outside of working on the show. Jerry pushes Larry to hire an actress named Virginia for the role of George Costanza's ex-wife Amanda, but Larry wants to hire his own ex-wife Cheryl. Jerry first appeared in the season four finale, "Opening Night."
Mary Steenburgen (as a fictionalized version of herself, Seasons 1, 6-7) is Ted Danson's wife, who frequently appears alongside her real life husband Ted Danson. Ted and Mary are good friends with Larry and Cheryl. She first appeared in the show's second episode, "Ted and Mary."
The Greenes (played by Louis Nye and Mina Kolb, Seasons 1-3) are Jeff Greene's elderly Jewish parents. Larry is constantly offending the Greenes by accident with careless remarks. They first appeared in the show's very first episode, "The Pants Tent."
Jason Alexander (as a fictionalized version of himself, Seasons 2, 7) is the actor who played Larry David's alter ego George Costanza in the hit show Seinfeld. In season two, Jason and Larry plan to do a new sitcom about an actor who could not get work after appearing on a mega hit because people always see him as that character, but the two could not agree on whose office to hold the meeting at. Jason constantly refers to George Costanza as a "schmuck," a "yutz," and an "idiot," which irritates Larry because the character was based on him. Jason returns in season seven to star in a Seinfeld reunion episode. During the filming of the reunion, Jason begins to get too close to Cheryl David, who has the role of George's ex-wife. Larry gets upset and makes changes to the script to keep Jason and Cheryl apart, but this causes Jason to leave the show. Finding that they can't do the show without Jason, Larry frustratedly quits and Jason returns. Jason is the author of Acting without Acting, a pamphlet-length "book" whose length and title Larry and Jerry Seinfeld frequently mock. Jason first appeared in the season two episode "The Car Salesman."
Andy David (Richard Kind, Seasons 3-5, 7) is Larry's obnoxious cousin. In "The Special Section", Andy gets upset when Larry does not call him when he was in New York. He goes golfing with Larry, Jeff, and Funkhauser in "The Black Swan" when Larry accidentally kills a swan. He first appeared in the season three episode "The Special Section."
Stu Braudy (Don Stark, Seasons 3-4) is a friend of Larry's, but hates Paul Reiser. Larry and Stu end up playing golf in the rain in "The Weatherman" when they ignore the weatherman's forecast of showers. He first appeared in the episode "The Terrorist Attack."
Rosie O'Donnell (as a fictionalized version of herself, Seasons 5, 7-8) is an actress who is friends with Larry from their days as stand-up comedians. In "The Bowtie" confirming to Larry that the lesbian community had accepted him again after Jodie went back together with her girlfriend. Her appearance in Season 7 was less amicable as she got into two fights with Larry in "Denise Handicapped". She first appeared in the season five episode "The Bowtie."
Doctor Morrison (Philip Baker Hall, Seasons 4, 7) is a doctor who treats Larry for a cut he got when Mel Brooks hit him in the head with a door in "Mel's Offer." He returned in "The Hot Towel" to treat a hand injury Larry received due to a hot towel on a flight that Larry thought was "put in the microwave". He ended up giving Larry his personal number to ease the communication between the two, but regretted the decision instantly. He first appeared in "Mel's Offer."
Dr. Mark (Rob Huebel, Season 5) is a neighbor who Larry accuses of stealing his newspaper in "The Seder". In "The Korean Bookie" it is revealed that Mark performed the breast augmentation surgery for Rachel which was partially paid for with money Larry gave to her father when he hit his car. He first appeared in "The Seder."
Dean Weinstock (Wayne Federman, Seasons 1, 7) was Larry and Cheryl's next-door neighbor with a fixation on Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Weinstock first appeared in "The Wire." Later appeared in "Vehicular Fellatio."
Anna (Gina Gershon, Seasons 4, 6) a Hasidic dry cleaner. Larry regularly brings his dirty items to be cleaned by her, including a semen-stained sheet in "The Anonymous Donor". Larry almost has sex with her in "The Survivor" as part of his 10th anniversary gift from Cheryl. She first appeared in "The Survivor."
In season three, Larry, along with Jeff and Ted Danson, invests in a new restaurant. The management staff of the restaurant, as well as the celebrity investors, grow increasingly upset with Larry. These characters first appeared in the episode "Chet's Shirt."
Omar Jones (Mekhi Phifer) is a Muslim private investigator who Larry hires to find out if he is adopted. Jones charges Larry a higher rate than his other clients because he heard that Larry told a group of black people to "keep it down" in "The Bowtie". In the same episode there was a running gag with Larry continually forgetting to give Omar his bathroom key back. In "The End" Omar informs Larry that he is not adopted. He first appeared in the episode "The Bowtie."
Doctor (James Pickens Jr.) treats Richard Lewis's cousin Louis Lewis after his accident. In "The Smoking Jacket" the doctor accuses Larry, who is constantly visiting Lewis, of wanting him to die so he won't have to give his kidney to Richard Lewis. Larry admits that this is the reason. He first appeared in "The Smoking Jacket."
The Blacks (Season 6-7) are a family of African-American victims of Hurricane Edna, a category 5 hurricane reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina. The Blacks consist of single mother Loretta Black, her children Keysha and Daryl, and their Auntie Rae. In season six, Cheryl convinces Larry to take the Blacks in, and they end up leaving in season seven. The Blacks first appeared in the season six premiere, "Meet the Blacks."
Cha Cha (Tia Carrere, Season 6) is Richard Lewis' girlfriend. She is often quite friendly to Larry, despite some of his faux pas, including one where he inadvertently admitted he found her sexually attractive. Larry had gotten her a job when his friend needed a receptionist. But he found that her friendliness was sometimes too overbearing, since whenever he passed her desk to use the restroom she would talk to him constantly, and expressed too much concern for his bathroom habits. She first appears in the episode "Meet the Blacks."
Michael Richards (as a fictionalized version of himself, Season 7) is an actor Larry worked with on Seinfeld and Fridays. He appears in season seven to play Cosmo Kramer in the Seinfeld reunion. He was once diagnosed with Groat's Disease and came to Larry for help to cope with it mentally. The show even addressed his 2006 racial incident; in "The Table Read" episode, he finds out that Leon has lied to him, and yells at him about that ("if only there were a terrible name that I could call you!"); random passersby take out their cell phones and start filming the event, causing him to look at the camera in frustration. He first appeared in the episode "The Reunion."
Mocha Joe (Saverio Guerra, Season 7) runs a coffee stand on the NBC lot as well as delivering coffee to certain offices at the studio. He develops a grudge against Larry when he refuses to tip him for a small favor. He first appears in the episode "Seinfeld".
|
||||||||