The complete list of famous actors that appeared in ‘Seinfeld’
Jerry Seinfeld had carved a hugely successful career in stand-up during the 1980s. His hilarious and squeaky-clean approach to New York-style comedy had him touring the country and appearing on numerous late-night slots. TV networks had caught on to Seinfeld’s appeal and approached the comedian to ask if he had any ideas for a television show.
Seinfeld went to a close friend and comedy writer, Larry David, and the pair devised a new sitcom in which Seinfeld would play a fictional version of himself. In 1989, the American sitcom Seinfeld aired for the first time on NBC.
The show, described by its creators as a “show about nothing”, portrays the lives of a group of single friends living in New York. The ensemble cast of Jason Alexander, Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jerry Seinfeld brilliantly and hilariously brings to life the absurdity of everyday existence. The show was a hit and became one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, laying the blueprint for the wave of television that followed.
But it wasn’t just the four characters that brought joy to millions worldwide. Over the course of the show’s nine seasons, a litany of famous faces joined the cast in various cameo roles. Here’s a list of the actors that graced the show at one time or another.
Every actor who appeared in Seinfeld:
1. Keith Hernandez: The American baseball player Keith Hernandez played himself in the show. The New York Mets star had no acting experience prior to Seinfeld but joined the cast for two episodes, befriending Jerry Seinfeld and dating Elaine in his role.
2. Teri Hatcher: Playing the role of Sidra Holland, Hatcher appeared on the show in 1993 for three episodes. At the time, Hatcher had some popular television experience under her belt, most famously for playing Lois in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. Among Seinfeld fans, Hatcher is remembered for one of the show’s most beloved lines, “They’re real, and they’re spectacular”.
3. Courteney Cox: Before her role as Monica in Friends, Courteney Cox appeared in Seinfeld as one of the many talented actors who dated Jerry Seinfeld in the show. It’s hard to imagine Friends without Seinfeld coming into existence, and Cox managed to star in both of the most successful sitcoms of the era.
4. Debra Messing: Another great actor to feature in the show was Debra Messing, and like Cox, her character dated Jerry Seinfeld for a short period. Playing the part of Beth, the actor’s talent was clearly noticed as she then went on to play Grace in the hugely popular Will and Grace that came out later in the ‘90s.
5. Catherine Keener: The list of famous actors who dated Jerry in the show continues, this time with Catherine Keener. Keener became a household name later in her career, probably most recognisable for her roles in Being John Malkovich and The 40-Year-Old Virgin. In Seinfeld, she played Jerry’s artist girlfriend who famously painted the iconic portrait of Kramer that ended up as the well-known poster of dorm rooms.
6. Jon Lovitz: Off the back of his performance on Saturday Night Live and voicing Jay Sherman for years over the entire run of The Critic, Jon Lovitz was a well-known actor before starring in Seinfeld. The brilliant comic actor appeared in 13 episodes of the show and played Jerry and George’s friend, Garry Fogel, who pretends to have cancer.
7. Lloyd Bridges: Lloyd Bridges had forged a career as a dynamic dramatic actor before being cast in the hugely popular comedy film Airplane. The actor’s impressive display as a comedic performer clearly got the attention of Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, who cast him as Izzy Mandelbaum, the gym-obsessed owner of a crêpe restaurant.
8. Jane Leeves: Appearing on the show as Marla, most notably in the episode ‘The Contest’, Jane Leeves starred in only a couple of episodes. But like so many of the female actors that graced the show at one time or another, the role was a springboard for Leeves’ career, with the actor going on to play Daphne on the sitcom Frasier.
9. Stephen Tobolowsky: Most would recognise Stephen Tobolowsky from his role in Groundhog Day, though the actor has cropped up in numerous television shows throughout the years. Tobolowsky played Tor in Seinfeld, a quack with questionable medical practices who gives George medicine that turns him purple.
10. Jami Gertz: Star of the films The Lost Boys and Twister, as well as the television show Square Pegs, Gertz played the character Jane on the show and, surprise surprise, one of Jerry’s girlfriends. In the episode, ‘The Stall’, Gertz’s character withholds toilet paper from Elaine, and Jerry desperately tries to stop Elaine from figuring out it was his new girlfriend.
11. Judge Reinhold: Another actor who left a lasting impression on fans was Judge Reinhold. The amusing quirk of his character was that he’s a “close talker”, meaning he stands too close to people when he talks. The characteristic of being a “close talker” also feels reminiscent of the kind of humour that runs heavily throughout Larry David’s brilliant follow-up show, Curb Your Enthusiasm.
12. Bette Midler: Milder was cast in the show as herself, well, a version of herself. Milder’s hilarious and zany performance as a foul-mouthed softball player is one of the show’s great cameo appearances.
13. Jon Voight: One of the show’s most famous cameos was Jon Voight, star of Midnight Cowboy and Deliverance. The actor has a small scene with George and ends up punching him in the arm over a dispute about a new car.
14. Rob Schneider: Riding the wave of success for his four seasons on Saturday Night Live, Rob Schneider was cast in Seinfeld as Ally McBeal. Schneider went on from the show to become a very familiar face in a number of tremendously successful Adam Sandler movies.
15. Marisa Tomei: Marisa Tomei joined the cast in season seven, playing a version of herself but with a thing for “funny, quirky, bald men”. Tomei becomes the love interest of George in the show, though things don’t work out, with Tomei slapping George for his attempted philandering.
16. James Spader: Spader had made a name for himself in the ’80s playing a particular kind of slippery character. He was cast in Seinfeld for one episode, as continued the theme, by playing a creepy recovering addict who refused to apologise to George for a joke he made years prior.
17. Raquel Welch: The legendary actor best known for her roles in the movies One Million Years B.C and Hannie Caulder sure does make an impression in her one episode of Seinfeld. In the epic scene from the season eight finale, we see the actor taking on both Kramer and Elaine in a fight. Welch also threatens to feed someone’s genitals to a wolf. It’s certainly one of the show’s most iconic cameos.
18. Megan Mullally: Mullally played Betsy on the show and was apparently almost cast to play Elaine before the role went to Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Things worked out for Mullally, however, as she went on to star as a regular in Will and Grace.
19. Carol Kane: Kane only had a brief stint on the show but left a lasting impression on fans. In the run-up to Seinfeld, Kane had taken roles in the television show Taxi and in the movies The Princess Bride and Scrooged.
20. Lauren Graham: The Gilmore Girls star was cast in season nine of Seinfeld. Graham was regarded as one of the funniest and most charming of all of Jerry’s girlfriends on the show, and it was no wonder Graham went on to become a huge star after this.
21. Stephen Root: Stephen Root, or to Seinfeld buffs, Mr. Lager, was cast in the show in 1996 and appeared in the episode ‘The Invention’. It’s a less outlandish performance from a solid comedic actor but a memorable and highly entertaining cameo nonetheless.
22. Lori Loughlin: Another love interest of Jerry’s on the show was played by Lori Loughlin. In the episode, she helps Jerry get in touch with his emotions. But in true Seinfeld fashion, things don’t turn out quite as planned for Jerry.
23. Peter Stormare: Stormare is blessed with one of those faces that just slightly puts you on edge. The Coen brothers recognised this and cast him as the blackmailing nihilist in their stoner detective comedy, The Big Lebowski. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David clearly saw a similar quality in the actor and cast Stormare as Slippery Pete.
24. Jon Favreau: It may be hard to spot Favreau in his episode of Seinfeld as he’s covered in make-up and dressed as a clown. But look closely at the episode where George flees from a kitchen fire, and it’s, in fact, Favreau who puts out the blaze with his massive shoe.
25. Bob Odenkirk: Before stepping into Seinfeld, Odenkirk was primarily known as a stand-up comedian, owing a lot to his HBO program, Mr. Show. In Seinfeld, he plays a student studying to be a doctor and dating Elaine. Today, Odenkirk is best known for his dramatic roles, most famously for his role in Breaking Bad and then the spin-off series Better Call Saul, which gained the actor an Emmy nomination.
The trend of having famous stars appear briefly as themselves in ’90s sitcoms soon became commonplace. Friends, Frasier, and Will and Grace all jumped on the bandwagon. However, they were clearly taking a leaf out of Seinfeld’s book. Take yourself back to the episodes in Friends where Bruce Willis, George Clooney, or Brad Pitt burst onto the set, and their entrance is accompanied by the canned sound effects of shrieks, gasps, and giddy excitement. It was shocking to see huge movie stars on our TV sets at home and not on the big screen. However, it’s without question that Seinfeld paved the way for the exciting trend that ran throughout ’90s sitcom television and continues to this day.
