Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and observations on everyday life. He has received various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Producers Guild of America Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards (including a Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement), in addition to nominations for six Actor Awards and three Golden Globes.
David started his career as a stand-up comedian before transitioning into television comedy, where he wrote and starred in ABC's Fridays (1980–1982) and wrote briefly for Saturday Night Live (1984–1985). He gained prominence and acclaim when he and Jerry Seinfeld created the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), winning Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. He gained further recognition for creating, writing, and starring in the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999–2024).
Since 2015, David has made guest appearances on Saturday Night Live impersonating Bernie Sanders. He has acted in three films directed by Woody Allen, including Radio Days (1987) and Whatever Works (2009). He also wrote and starred in the HBO movie Clear History (2013). On stage, he made his Broadway debut writing and starring in the comedic play Fish in the Dark (2015). David has also written several comedic pieces for The New Yorker and The New York Times.
David was born on July 2, 1947, in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. His parents are Rose (née Regina Brandes) and Mortimer Julius "Morty" David, a men's clothing manufacturer, and he has an older brother, Ken. David's family is Jewish. His American Jewish father's family moved from Germany to the U.S. during the 19th century. David's mother was born into a Polish-Jewish family in Ternopil, now in Ukraine; her mother's family name was Superfein.
David graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School, now defunct and operating as Frank J. Macchiarola Educational Complex, in 1965. A sign with his photo is displayed in one of the complex's hallways. He then attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was a brother in Tau Epsilon Phi. He graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. At college, he discovered that he could make people laugh simply by being himself. After college, David joined the United States Army Reserve and received training as a petroleum storage specialist. To avoid the final year of his six-year enlistment, he paid a psychiatrist to write a letter declaring him unfit for duty.
While a stand-up comedian, David also worked as a store clerk, limousine driver, and historian. He lived in Manhattan Plaza, a federally subsidized housing complex in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, across the hall from Kenny Kramer, the inspiration for the Cosmo Kramer character in Seinfeld. From 1980 to 1982, David was a writer and cast member for ABC's Fridays, where he worked with Michael Richards, who later played Kramer on Seinfeld.
From 1984 to 1985, David was a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL), where he met cast member Julia Louis-Dreyfus. During his time at SNL, he was able to get only one sketch on the air, which aired at 12:50 a.m., the show's last time slot. David quit his job at SNL in the first season, angrily disparaging the quality of the show to producer Dick Ebersol, only to show up to work two days later as if nothing had happened. That event inspired the second-season Seinfeld episode "The Revenge". He can be heard heckling Michael McKean when McKean hosted SNL in 1984, and can be seen in the sketch "The Run, Throw, and Catch Like a Girl Olympics" when Howard Cosell hosted the season finale in 1985. In 1987, David was a writer and performer for Way Off Broadway, a variety talk show on Lifetime hosted by Joy Behar.
1989–1998: Breakthrough with Seinfeld
In 1989, 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 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 US TV show of all time. David made occasional uncredited appearances on the show, playing such roles as Frank Costanza's cape-wearing lawyer and the voice of George Steinbrenner. He was also the primary inspiration for the show's character George Costanza. David left Seinfeld amicably after the show's seventh season and returned two years later to write the series finale in 1998. He also continued to voice Steinbrenner.
David wrote 62 Seinfeld episodes, including 1992's "The Contest", for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award and which TV Guide ranked as episode No. 1 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time". He has also been involved in other films and television series. David wrote and directed the 1998 film Sour Grapes, about two cousins who feud over a casino jackpot. It was neither a commercial nor a critical success. He has also appeared in bit roles in Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987) and New York Stories (1989).
1999–2024: Curb Your Enthusiasm and acclaim
The HBO cable television channel aired David's one-hour special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, on October 17, 1999. This was followed by Curb Your Enthusiasm, an HBO television series whose first episode aired on October 15, 2000. The show revisits many of the themes of Seinfeld and is improvised from a story outline only several pages long written by David (and, from the fifth season onward, additional writers).
The actors improvise their dialogue based on the outline and direction. David has said that his character in the show, a fictionalized version of himself, is what he would be like in real life if he lacked social awareness and sensitivity. The character's numerous and frequent social faux pas, misunderstandings, and ironic coincidences are the basis of much of the show's comedy and have led to the entry into the American pop culture lexicon of the expression "Larry David moment", meaning an inadvertently created socially awkward situation. Curb Your Enthusiasm has been described as depicting "the things nobody wants to say, but wish they could".
The show is based on David's life following the fortune he earned from Seinfeld; semi-retired, he strives to live a fulfilled life. Alongside David is his wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), his manager and best friend Jeff (Jeff Garlin), and Jeff's wife Susie (Susie Essman). Celebrities, including comedians Richard Lewis, Wanda Sykes, and Bob Einstein, appeared on the show regularly. Actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have had recurring roles as themselves.
The show is critically acclaimed and has been nominated for 30 Primetime Emmy Awards, with one win, as well as a Golden Globe win. In the first six seasons, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander appear in several episodes, and Jerry Seinfeld has a cameo. In season 7, the cast of Seinfeld, including Michael Richards, return in a story arc involving David's attempt to organize a Seinfeld reunion special. On June 2, 2010, the series premiered on the TV Guide Network, its network television debut. TV Guide Network also produced a series of related discussions with high-profile guest stars, media pundits, and prominent social figures called "Curb: The Discussion" debating the moral implications of each episode. David is quoted as saying "Finally, thanks to the TV Guide Network, I'll get a chance to watch actual, intelligent people discuss and debate the issues addressed on 'Curb'. Now if only someone could tell me where this alleged 'Network' is, I might even watch it." The show's 12th and final season premiered in January 2024.
David played the leading role in Woody Allen's 2009 comedy film Whatever Works alongside Evan Rachel Wood. He had a cameo appearance on the HBO series Entourage as a client of Ari Gold, and because his daughters were Hannah Montana fans, David and his daughters guest-starred as themselves in the episode "My Best Friend's Boyfriend", in which they wait for a table at a fancy restaurant. David appeared as a panelist on the NBC series The Marriage Ref and also played Sister Mary-Mengele in the 2012 reboot of The Three Stooges. He co-wrote and starred in the 2013 HBO television film Clear History. David wrote and starred in the Broadway play Fish in the Dark. Also appearing were Rita Wilson, Jayne Houdyshell, and Rosie Perez. The play centers on the death of a family patriarch. It opened on March 5, 2015. Jason Alexander took over David's role in July. The play closed in August. As of February 1, 2015, its advance sale of $13.5 million had broken records for a Broadway show.