Larry David names the greatest comedy actor of all time: “Hands down, the funniest guy I’ve ever met”
Larry David launched a second wave of his career by playing an exaggerated, selfish, and snarky version of himself on Curb Your Enthusiasm, and it’s always been difficult to determine how truthful his performance really is. Even if the character from the show was drawn from many of his real experiences, the real David is far more complimentary in his assessment of other comedy actors.
Despite what his outsized reputation might suggest, David has a reputation of being a fairly complimentary, agreeable guy. One of the most enjoyable aspects of Curb Your Enthusiasm was how David used the HBO series to invite many fellow comedians to have guest roles, including Vince Vaughn, Richard Lewis, Conan O’Brien, Mel Brooks, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, and Jon Hamm, just to name a few.
Although his catalogue of famous friends is quite expansive, he told Vanity Fair that Martin Short was “hands down the funniest guy I’ve ever met.”
“I know a lot of funny people, so say ‘one of the funniest people’,” David mused, before reconsidering his answer, “No! No! I don’t take it back! He is the funniest guy I know”.
Short had a memorable appearance on Curb Your Enthusiasm in which he was able to give a multi-faceted performance; in addition to appearing as a slightly jaded, unusual version of himself, he also portrayed a version of Jiminy Glick, the character he had been playing on the TV series Primetime Glick. Short’s refusal to break character, which leads to frustration on David’s part, results in the type of chaotic humour that the show is best known for.
Short’s career is somewhat atypical when compared to the many other comic stars that emerged in the same generation, and although he never had the same blockbuster success as contemporaries like Bill Murray or John Belushi, he was able to consistently deliver quality supporting roles, becoming a scene-stealer in films like Three Amigos and Father of the Bride.
While some of his films got a raw deal from critics when they first debuted, many of them have gone on to become accepted as cult classics, and perhaps the most impressive component of his career has been his ability to reinvent his approach as a comedian in order to resonate with audiences of a different generation.
Even if his comedy skills were praised by David, he has shown a willingness to work with more dramatic material when he guest-starred on the drama shows Damages and The Morning Show. However, Short launched into an entirely new peak when he joined Steve Martin and Selena Gomez in the cast of Only Murders in the Building, an ensemble mystery comedy for Hulu.
Much like Curb, Only Murders has opened itself up to cameos by other famous comic actors, including Keegan Michael-Key, Zach Galifianakis, Mel Brooks, Ron Howard, Melissa McCarthy, and Bobby Cannavale, among others, and considering that the last time Short and David were seen together was mourning the death of their mutual friend Rob Reiner, it would be exciting if the latter could find a way to make a cameo in a subsequent season of Only Murders in the Building for there’s none better to crush the opportunity to be in a quirky sleuth story.
