- Born
- Birth nameJerome Allen Seinfeld
- Nickname
- Little Jerry
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- Jerry Seinfeld was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Betty (Hesney) and Kalman Seinfeld. His father was of Hungarian Jewish descent, while Jerry's maternal grandparents, Salha and Selim Hosni, were Syrian Jewish immigrants (from Aleppo). He moved with his family, including sister Carolyn, to suburban Massepequa, Long Island, at a young age. Jerry's dad, who had a terrific sense of humor, was a commercial sign maker.
Jerry attended Oswego College in upstate New York however transferred to Queens College back in New York City. Developed an interest in stand-up comedy after brief stints in college productions. Went straight from college graduation to amateur night tryout at New York's Catch a Rising Star, 1976.
Continued to perform in local clubs and Catskill Mountain resorts until his career was boosted by an appearance on a Rodney Dangerfield HBO special, 1976. Career took off after first successful spot on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), May 1981, at age 27. Appearances on [error] and The Merv Griffin Show (1962) followed. Also appeared four times as Frankie on Benson (1979) sitcom. After he was abruptly fired from the show, he swore never to do another sitcom unless he had greater control. This opportunity emerged when he was invited to create a sitcom for NBC in 1989 and teamed with one-time stand-up colleague Larry David.
Progression of "The Seinfeld Chronicles" into the long-running Seinfeld (1989) series phenomenon was ended by its co-creator and co-executive producer, Larry David. Still unmarried, he moved back to New York City into a new multimillion-dollar, multilevel apartment on Central Park West just down the street from his small bachelor studio on West 81st.- IMDb mini biography by: mwprods@rcn.com
- SpouseJessica Seinfeld(December 25, 1999 - present) (3 children)
- ChildrenSascha SeinfeldJulian Kal SeinfeldShepherd Kellen Seinfeld
- ParentsBetty HesneyKalman Seinfeld
- RelativesCarolyn Liebling(Sibling)
- Impeccable neatness, unflappable confidence
- Observational humour
- Bases much of his comedy on real life experiences
- Frequently references his favorite hero Superman
- Sarcasm
- Was the first recipient of the American Express Black Card.
- Has a collection of more than 500 sneakers. They are all white.
- Bought Billy Joel's house in Amagansett village in the Hamptons (Long Island, NY) for then record-setting price of $32 million in March, 2000.
- Is a Porsche collector. Paparazzi have seen him in at least 20 different ones.
- Lives in Manhattan's renowned Beresford apartment building, northwest corner of 81st St. and Central Park West, just down the street from the address of "129 W. 81st," just west of Columbus Avenue where sitcom Jerry lived. He then named his production company "Columbus 81.".
- A recent survey stated that the average person's greatest fear is having to give a speech in public. Somehow this ranked even higher than death which was third on the list. So, you're telling me that at a funeral, most people would rather be the guy in the coffin than have to stand up and give a eulogy.
- [about pregnancy and babies] It's like getting ready for your own birth. Nothing prepares you . . . When those eyes meet your eyes -- I was feeling things I never had feelings like before. I never loved anyone so much at first meeting. I love her so much! But! - Let's make no mistake why these babies come here: to replace us. Their first words are "Mama", "Dada" and "Bye-bye". We'll see who's wearing the diapers when this is all over.
- [on whether family life produces better comedy than bachelorhood ]The truth is, the family is much more creatively nourishing because you're playing on a full keyboard. Whereas when you're single, you're just playing the upbeat jazzy tunes.
- You can be passionate about anything. Pay attention, don't let life go by you. Fall in love with the back of your cereal box.
- When you've been in the business 5-years, as a person, it's like you're 5-years old - like a child. 10-years and you're 10-years old, 20... Etcetera. That's how I measure maturity in this industry.
- Seinfeld (1989) - $225,000,000 (from sale of syndication rights to the show)
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