Michael Richards

Michael Richards (born July 24, 1949, Culver City, California, U.S.) is an American actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of Cosmo Kramer on the critically acclaimed situation comedy Seinfeld (1989–98). In addition to Seinfeld, Richards has appeared in numerous television shows and films, including the late-night sketch comedy show Fridays (1980–82), the cult-classic comedy film UHF (1989), and the courtroom comedy Trial and Error (1997). His career was damaged after a video of his racist tirade at a Los Angeles comedy club circulated widely on the Internet in 2006.

Early life

Richards was born in Culver City, California, to Phyllis Richards (née Nardozzi), who was a medical records librarian, and William Richards, an electrical engineer. His father was killed in a car crash when Richards was two years old. As a youth, Richards was influenced by entertainers who used slapstick and physical comedy to get laughs, such as British actor and director Charlie Chaplin, French filmmaker and actor Jacques Tati, and American comedian Red Skelton. From a young age, Richards practiced the physical comic style that would later make him famous on Seinfeld. Describing his early antics, in 1992 Richards told The New York Times, “I would crash my bike into a tree and [pretend to] fall down dead. I would walk into a classroom backward.” He also performed in high-school and college plays. Richards graduated from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama in 1976.

Career

He began performing stand-up comedy in 1979, describing his act to The New York Times as a “cross between [those of] Robin Williams and Andy Kaufman—different voices, faces, characters, all transforming very fast.” Less than a year later, American comedian Billy Crystal offered Richards a spot on his television comedy special The Billy Crystal Show, which in turn led to a regular gig on the sketch comedy show Fridays. He also played the butler Fejos in the horror comedy film Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) and Rick the gardener in the situation comedy Marblehead Manor (1987–88) before landing the role of Kramer in 1989.

Richards was introduced to and worked with American actor and comedian Larry David on Fridays. David, who would become a cocreator of and the head writer for Seinfeld, had someone else in mind for the role of Kramer during casting. The character was based on David’s kooky New York City neighbour, Kenny Kramer, and David did not see Richards in the role. However, American actor and comedian Jerry Seinfeld, the show’s star and other creator, insisted on Richards for the part, and David agreed to go with Seinfeld’s preference. After Richards auditioned, he did a handstand and then walked out of the room. He brought that same kinetic, slapstick energy to the role of Kramer, using what would become his signature physical gags, such as barging through Jerry’s apartment door, to great comic effect. Richards immersed himself so deeply in the role that he would sometimes react angrily when his antics made his fellow cast members laugh, because it caused him to break his intense concentration.

After Seinfeld ended its run in 1998, Richards played the kindhearted optimist Wilkins Micawber in the television movie David Copperfield (2000) and starred in the short-lived comedy series The Michael Richards Show (2000). He struggled to find work in television and film in the early 2000s and returned to performing stand-up comedy. During a 2006 appearance at the Laugh Factory comedy club in Los Angeles, he lashed out and hurled obscenities and racial epithets at African American audience members who had been heckling him. After a video of the incident circulated on the Internet, Seinfeld, a longtime friend of American talk-show host David Letterman, arranged to have Richards appear on the Late Show with David Letterman to apologize. Richards also addressed the controversy in 2012 on Seinfeld’s talk-show series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

His other post-Seinfeld roles include a version of himself in David’s comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm (2009), chauffeur Frank Baxter in American actress Kirstie Alley’s situation comedy Kirstie (2013–14), and an appearance in the romantic comedy Faith, Hope & Love (2019).

Richards won three Emmy Awards for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series (1993, 1994, and 1997) for his work on Seinfeld.

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