Lawrence Gene “Larry” David is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. While a stand-up comedian, David also worked as a store clerk, limousine driver, and television repairman to pay his bills. He lived inManhattan 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. 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.
In 1988, 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, reaching the top of 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 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“.
The HBO cable television channel aired David’s 1-hour special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, on October 17, 1999. 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.