Jerome Seinfeld was born in Brooklyn, New York, on April 29, 1954. Parents Kalman, a commercial sign maker, and Betty moved the family, which included a daughter, Carolyn, to suburban Massapequa, Long Island, when he was very young. The apple did not fall very far from the tree, as his father was known to have a terrific sense of humor.
He attended Oswego College in upstate New York, but transferred to Queens College in New York. While a student, his interest in stand-up comedy was born and he performed in several college productions. After graduation, in 1976, he went directly to amateur night try-out at “Catch a Rising Star”, and began to perform in local clubs and in resorts in the Catskill Mountains. A guest appearance on a Rodney Dangerfield HBO special boosted his career and there was no stopping him after he was featured on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson”, “Late Night With David Letterman” and “The Merv Griffin Show” in 1981 and 1982. He also had a part on the series, “Benson” in 1979 from which he was abruptly fired after four appearances. He vowed after that to never do another sitcom unless he had greater control.
As the fates would have it, such a time came in 1989 when NBC invited him to create a sitcom. With the help of collaborator Larry David, the “Seinfeld Chronicles” were born. The following year “Seinfeld” we all know and love evolved, beginning its long and fruitful run into celluloid immortality. Known for his impeccable neatness and unflappable confidence, Jerry Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, have three children (two sons and a daughter) and live in a five-million dollar co-op on Central Park West on New York’s Upper West Side.
Jerry Seinfeld has passed into cultural icondom. On a recent Oprah Show, when told that his sitcom was voted the funniest ever by one of the powers–that-be, he replied, “that’s nice but that’s just one person’s opinion, and the applause in this room tells me so much more about how people really feel about me and my show.”
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