Kramer and Newman manage to destroy Sid's teeth with a garbage disposal, and after a trip to the dentist, he runs away and later resurfaces hanging out at Monk's Caf. The Inspiration for Elaine on 'Seinfeld' Lives in Grand Blanc In addition to his one-off role in "Seinfeld," character actor Lou Cutell appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows. Lawrence Tierney's performance as Alton Benes was praised by the cast and crew. Despite being featured in only a fraction of the show's total number of episodes, these four became integral parts of the series. NBC. 6 Estelle Harris (Estelle Costanza) Estelle Harris is a veteran in the game of acting and plays the marvelous role of George's Mother, Estelle Costanza in Seinfeld. CNN . You got it." 4. But Seinfeld's four main characters all behaved that way around the Seinfelds or Costanzas they play-acted the role of good kids being polite to the grownups.Larry David and the show's writers never treated the parents like doddering old fools Jerry's meddling Uncle Leo (played by Len Lesser, who died in 2011) was a little more like that but, rather, like hall monitors or . But the Season 2 episode titled "The Jacket" remains one of the series' best episodes, in large part thanks to the scene-stealing work of the man behind the eternally crabby Mr. Benes. Outside of Screen Rant, Chris enjoys watching his favorite sports teams (Giants, Yankees, and Knicks) and playing video games. For viewers, Mr. Wilhelm's puzzled and shocked face over his 11 Seinfeld episodes often mirrored our own as we watched George's newest antics, amazed that the man somehow never got fired. The parents of Jerry and George are frequently the center of "Seinfeld" plot arcs, but Elaine's father, Alton Benes, makes just . More than two decades after the series ended, the famed "show about nothing" continues to resonate on a profound level with viewers, who've made it a bonafide hit in both syndication and the streaming realm. And she quits. Furthermore, in "The Pick", Elaine is horrified when she realizes she sent a Christmas card which features her nipple to "Sister Mary Catherine" and "Father Chelios". It faced strong competition from the CBS crime drama Jake and the Fatman; viewers would frequently tune out of Seinfeld to watch the second half of Jake and the Fatman's. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rebhorn received a melanoma diagnosis in 1992 and lived with that form of cancer until March 2014 when, after a week and a half of hospice care, he died at his New Jersey home. [5][10] Various cast members remember Seinfeld encountering Tierney and stating "Hey Lawrence, what do you got there in your jacket? "Walter, you did great work," he said. The Cheever Letters: Directed by Tom Cherones. Sandy Baron died in February 2001 at the age of 64 after battling emphysema for a number of years. John Randolph's Frank Costanza showed up in Seinfeld's season 4episode "The Handicap Spot." In a cast filled with literally hundreds of memorable weirdos, Jerry's Uncle Leo is arguably one of the strangest. In multiple episodes, including "The Strong Box" and "The Wizard", she can be seen wearing a crucifix. We even see him buying a gun, presumably in case George and his friends are acquitted for their myriad crimes and social wrongs. The Rabbi proceeds to tell everybody in Elaine's apartment complex and later on his cable TV show about her insecurity. Answer (1 of 3): Morty Seinfeld was originally played by Phil Bruns, who appeared in only the second episode. The parents of each of the main four "Seinfeld" characters loom large over their lives as they're largely responsible for making the anti-heroes into the amusingly selfish, loathsome, nit-picking, stunted adults they'd become. The moves are repeated in her bedroom in a short scene of "The Slicer". Jerry and George are made increasingly uncomfortable by Alton's socially awkward and intimidating manner. While the '90s brought that rare comedic turn on "Seinfeld," Tierney broke bad again for his best-known late-career role as criminal mastermind Joe Cabot in Quentin Tarantino's directorial debut "ReservoirDogs." TIL that Elaine's father on Seinfeld, played by Lawrence Tierney, was supposed to be a recurring character, but he horrified the cast and made threatening gestures toward Seinfeld with a knife. Shocked, she makes an excuse and leaves. His career as an author may have been . In "The Visa" she and Jerry anger Pakistani immigrant Babu Bhatt after she fails to notice Babu's visa application in Jerry's mail that she is picking up for him. It all boils over into a full-on fight between Jerry and the mohel. "He was a good man who pushed his love for creativity and the arts into everything he did," his son, screenwriter Zak Olkewicz, said in a statement (via Deadline). In "The Wizard", Elaine is not sure if her new boyfriend Darryl is black or not and gets mixed signals when she tries to find out. Either way, the casting worked wonders, and George's dad quickly joined the show's favorites, rivaling even Newman for popularity. Jerry Seinfeld: Come on, it's not even a house. However, they were taken aback by his eccentric behavior. 14 Dark Stories From Behind The Scenes Of 'Seinfeld' - Ranker The father of Elaine and her sister Gail, Alton Benes, made his first, and only, appearance in the show during the episode, The Jacket.In the episode, Alton meets George, who he compares to a . A detective turned actor,Barney Martin died at 82 of cancer in Studio City, California, in 2005. With Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander. Kates pops up as the bakery cashier once more in the 1996 episode "The Rye." she often rhetorically asked the world of her boy, whom she visits often at his home in New York City when he can't make it down to Florida to visit her and her husband Morty in their retirement community. It could be because Tierney left such an impression, it would be difficult to see anyone else in that role. "Seinfeld" finished up its extremely popular nine-season run with a two-part, massively viewed, polarizing series finale in which Jerry, Elaine, George, and Cosmo come to be collectively known as "The New York Four" when they're prosecuted in Massachusetts under a "Good Samaritan" law for not helping out (and actively teasing) a carjacking victim. Other references are made to Elaines father throughout the show, including the information that he is an author of the book Fair Game, and is known as an intimidating figure. Jerry Seinfeld: Wednesday. John Randolph was by no means a bad actor. Elaine's father, a published author, was inspired by Richard Yates, author of Revolutionary Road, whom Larry David had met while dating his daughter. Leifer, who wrote or cowrote a number of episodes for the show, has said only some elements of the backstory of the character that she and Seinfeld had dated and have remained good friends since the relationship ended relate to her. Elaine's father Alton, a war veteran and writer, makes Jerry and his friend George Costanza very uncomfortable. He is a graduate of Wesley College's Bachelor of Media Arts and Master of Sport Leadership programs. Morty refuses to let Jerry pay for a meal . In "The Stock Tip", Elaine mentions she has an Uncle Pete. Copyright 2023 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. A definitive character actor, he was always noticeable for his uniquely raspy voice and intense stare, which he brought to dozens of shows and movies. Why Seinfeld Recast Jerry's Dad After Season 1 (And Frank Later) List of episodes. Elaine is delayed and Jerry and George are stuck with Alton waiting for her at the hotel. [1] Leifer has said some elements of the character of Elaine, especially her assertiveness, intelligence and sense of humor, are drawn from the off-screen personality of Julia Louis-Dreyfus herself. Given how committed Larry David was to maintainingSeinfeld's continuity, recasting the parts so quickly reads as a curious decision. He was also a prolific cartoonist, and guest-starred on lots of TV shows in the '80s and '90s, capped with his Emmy-nominated turn in "Seinfeld." Elaine's abortion argument with restaurateur Poppie gets him so angry that he loses control of his bladder in "The Couch" and again in "The Doorman". Incidentally, his other son Clint Howard played the smog strangler when Jerry and George went to LA in search of Kramer. She then spots him cleaning a man's windshield and then at a gathering not wearing a shirt. He mentions this to the mayor, who eventually loses re-election as a result. [6] She attended finishing school and completed her undergraduate education at Tufts University, revealed to be her safety school in "The Puerto Rican Day", as a French literature major. He remains best known for his role as Jerry's dad on Seinfeld, despite an otherwise storied acting career. Peterman is the eccentric but fun owner of the J. Peterman Catalog sales company and is also Elaine Benes' boss during her employment there. Nettleton died in Woodland Hills, California, in January 2008, due to complications of lung cancer, according to the New York Times. Julia Louis-Dreyfus played Elaine Benes on 'Seinfeld' starting 30 years ago this week. Seinfeld: The Most Important Lessons from a Show About Nothing comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment In "The Postponement" and "The Fatigues", Elaine states that she is not Jewish. Regarding Tierney's alleged behind-the-scenes antics on "Seinfeld," that was sort of par for the course for the actor whose personal troubles were well-documented throughout his career. Sheridan's representative told Deadline that the actor died in her sleep in April 2022. Elaine meets J. Peterman on the street ("The Understudy") and becomes an editor at his J. Peterman Catalog, where she remains employed for the rest of the series. For example, in the early seasons of the series, Kramer occasionally mentions his mother, and that she has a problem with alcohol. Lynch paid tribute to Olkewicz on his YouTube channel following his death. In "The Masseuse", she dates a man named Joel Rifkin, who shares the same name as a notorious serial killer. Who played Elaine in the Seinfeld pilot? - Quora And though his time working on the show was apparently a littlecomplicated, his performance as ElaineBenes' curmudgeonly papa stands as one of the finest from the series' vaunted supporting player vaults. In the reunion episode featured in Season 7 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, it is revealed in the years since the finale Jerry has donated sperm to Elaine that results in her having a daughter, who has taken to calling Jerry "Uncle Jerry", but by the episode's end, it is said she now refers to him as "daddy" to Jerry and Elaine's clear discomfort. "He took it out.". The "Seinfeld" cast showers a dying man with birthday wishes. Unfortunately, Scrubs actor Sam Lloyd was only 55when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and lung cancer. Even after it comes to light that Uncle Leo sparked the conflagration by leaving a can of cleaning spray in his oven,he still blames Jerry. Puddy has a casual approach to their relationship as seen in "The Voice" when Puddy claims he just likes her for the sex. In a throwaway line, Elaine mentions to someone at a party that her father used to work at the book depository during Kennedy's assassination. TIL the character who played Elaine's father on Seinfeld, Alton Benis, was meant to have a recurring role, but the staff became scared of the actor after he stole a butcher's knife from the set. George Costanza: I wonder how Susan's father's going to react to this. In November 2003, Deseret News reported that Waymire died suddenly at her Los Angeles home from a previously undiagnosed and undisclosed medical issue. Later, in "The Apology", Peggy thinks Elaine has germs, and in retaliation Elaine intentionally coughs on Peggy's doorknob, rubs her stapler in her armpit, and rubs her keyboard on her backside. He mirrors George's lackadaisical manner in so many ways. 34. While visiting Izzy's sickbed, Jerry runs into Izzy Jr., who throws his back out trying to goad Jerry into lifting a hospital television that's bolted to a table. In the episode, Elaine's father Alton is a war veteran and writer. In "The Non-Fat Yogurt", Elaine dates Lloyd Braun. Elaine is the only main character in the series whose mother never makes an appearance. Eventually, Kramer steps in and forbids Elaine to have any more contact with Noreen. The Jacket: Directed by Tom Cherones. Wretched though Elaine Benes might be in her personal life, she demonstrates professionalism at work at least compared to George. She reprised the role during season 41 of Saturday Night Live in 2016. Celebrities who had cameos on both "Seinfeld" and "Friends" 15 Seinfeld Fan Theories We Can't Keep Ignoring - TheThings If the idea was to give Jerry a"harsher parent," Seinfeld and David were successful in that goal, just as they were with George's dad. George Costanza: [Nods] Can I say one thing to you? [1] In the episode, Jerry Seinfeld buys an expensive suede jacket and has dinner with the father of his ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes. It was filmed in front of a live audience on December 4, 1990. In "The Dog", she tells George she moved to New York in 1986, which, by coincidence, is the year Jerry moved into his apartment across the hall from Kramer. Co-starring are Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Jerry's ex-girlfriend and current platonic pal, Elaine Benes; Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Jerry's neurotic hard-luck best friend; and Michael Richards as Jerry's eccentric neighbor, Kramer.#Seinfeld #LarryDavid #TheJacketGeorge \u0026 Jerry Meet Elaine's Father | The Jacket | Seinfeldhttps://bit.ly/OfficialSeinfeld 1990. 14 Elaine's Father Played A Role In The Assassination Of JFK. Mabel Choate also testifies against Jerry at the trial in the series finale, noting that he never expressed remorse for stealing from her, a little old lady. Sony Pictures Television. He also enjoyed a long stint as the comically underworked Maytag Repairman in a number of TV commercials, per the New York Times. Her dislike of smoking also leads to an argument with a fortune-teller in "The Suicide". 10 Fascinating Facts About Seinfeld - Page 8 - WhatCulture.com Dreyfus was so deeply offended that Screen Rant . The actor was 88 years old. 41 Fascinating Facts About Seinfeld - Mental Floss Via IDB. Jerry wears an expensive jacket when he meets Elaine's father, but an argument ensues when Jerry is reluctant to wear it outside during a snowfall. In March 1999,Wallace passed away from respiratory failure and emphysema at the age of 73. [3] The episode's storyline was based on one of David's personal experiences;[4][5] when he was dating Monica Yates, she wanted him to meet her father, Richard Yates, a respected novelist. Easy enough for the guy who played Elaine Benes' on-and-off boyfriend on "Seinfeld" for 10 episodes of the cult classic sitcom but is still one of the most quoted and memorable characters from the long-running show. Here's who brought that unforgettable character to life on "Seinfeld.". [2] Cast and crew members were very impressed with his performance. She loses her job at the end of Season 5 when the company goes bankrupt and a misunderstanding resulting from her penchant for chewy, speech-impairing Jujyfruit candies thwarts a merger that might have saved the company. Some of the main topics of the show include romantic relationships, the challenges of finding a fulfilling career, and the numerous strange experiences and encounters of adult life. Phil is a sexual harasser, so let's get him out of the way. Kramer makes a contact for Cuban cigars. In one of the most notorious "Seinfeld" moments, she sees George fish an eclair out of a garbage can and eat it. "How could anyone not like him?" After "Seinfeld," she often played a version of Estelle Costanza as a voice actor, most notably as Mrs. Martin, and Jack actor Sandy Baron, both had a stubbornness to their portrayals that made their interactions hilarious to watch. The episode was written by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld and was directed by Tom Cherones. In "The Bizarro Jerry", she dates Kevin, the nice, kind antithesis of Jerry whose friends Gene, Feldman and Vargas are polar opposites of George, Kramer and Newman, respectively, each described as coming from the backwards Bizarro World of Superman comics. NBC executives felt the show was too male-centric, and demanded that Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David add a woman to the cast as a condition for commissioning the show, as revealed in the commentary on the Season 1 and 2 DVD. 19 Jerry Made A Pregnant Julia Louis Dreyfus Cry. He takes. He wanted to do the same thing with Morty, and reshoot the scene from "The Stake Out," but by the time he came up with the idea, the actors had aged so much it wouldn't have been realistic. Jerry Seinfeld's character is named."Jerry Seinfeld." (Justified in that Character!Jerry is a fictionalized version of Real!Jerry. He also causes Jerry to ruin his suede jacket by not letting him turn it inside out for the snow. Later, when Jerry chides her for fighting with an old man, she says, "Hey, he wrote the check. Elaine's longest relationship, besides that with Jerry, is with Puddy (Patrick Warburton), an auto mechanic turned car salesman. Often described as \"a show about nothing,\" Seinfeld mines the humor in life's mundane situations like waiting in line, searching for a lost item, or the trials and tribulations of dating. While Phil Bruns originally played Jerry's dad, Morty Seinfeld, . The Seinfeld crew intended to have another recurring parent on the show: Alton Benes, father of Elaine. Related:Has Seinfeld Aged Badly - Does It Need To Be "Fixed"? Harris has a distinct high-pitched voice that has gotten her far in her acting career. 'Seinfeld': Did George Costanza Have a Brother Who Died? Jerry and Elaine are asked by some friends to be the godparents of their new baby, and, in accordance with that, must help arrange hiring a mohel, the Jewish holy figure who performs the sacred rite of circumcision, or bris. Early Seinfeld episodes didnt age well. Barney Martin - Wikipedia The date takes a disastrous turn when Jerry sees that Poppie doesn't wash his hands after using the toilet, causing Jerry to refuse to eat the hand-tossed pizza Poppie made especially for them and insulting both father and daughter in the process. George suggests Jerry turn the jacket inside out, but because of the candy-stripe lining, Alton insists he turn it back.