Jason Alexander

Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian.

Alexander grew up in Maplewood and Livingston, New Jersey, and is a 1977 graduate of Livingston High School.

Interested in magic from an early age, he initially hoped to be a magician, but while attending a magic camp was told that his hands were too small for card magic.

He became interested in theater, eventually realizing, "Wait a minute—the whole thing's an illusion. Nothing up there is real" and that theater itself was "a magic trick".

He then decided to pursue a theater career.

After high school, he studied theatre at Boston University.

He wanted to pursue classical acting, but a professor redirected him toward comedy after noticing his physique, remarking, "I know your heart and soul are Hamlet, but you will never play Hamlet."

Alexander left Boston University without a degree after his third year to take a full-time acting job in New York City.

Alexander starred in several commercials during the 1980s.

Among them were commercials for Hershey's Kiss; Delta Gold potato chips; Miller Lite beer; McDonald's McDLT hamburger; Pabst Blue Ribbon beer; Levi's 501 jeans; Sony Watchman TV; and Western Union wire transfer.

Alexander made his Broadway debut originating the role of Joe in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in 1981.

On Broadway he appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in 1981, Kander & Ebb's The Rink in 1984, Neil Simon's Broadway Bound in 1986, Accomplice in 1990, and Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he garnered the 1989 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.

Alexander made his film debut in 1981 in the summer camp slasher film The Burning.

He remained active on Broadway acting in the musicals The Rink in 1984, Personals in 1985, and the Neil Simon play Broadway Bound in 1986.

Before Seinfeld, Alexander appeared in commercials for John Deere and McDonald's and in the short-lived CBS sitcom Everything's Relative (1987).

Alexander is best known as one of the key cast members of the award-winning television sitcom Seinfeld, where he played the bumbling George Costanza (Jerry Seinfeld's character's best friend since childhood).

He was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards for the role, but did not win any, mainly due to his co-star Michael Richards winning for his role as Cosmo Kramer.

He played George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998, for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

He then starred in Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.

He appeared in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks' The Producers.

He was the artistic director of "Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles", where he has directed musicals.

His film roles include Pretty Woman (1990), Coneheads (1993), North (1994), Denial (1998), Shallow Hal (2001), and Wild Card (2015).

In addition to his roles as an insensitive, money-hungry lawyer in Pretty Woman in 1990 and as inept womanizer Mauricio in Shallow Hal in 2001, Alexander has appeared in Jacob's Ladder in 1990, The Last Supper in 1995, Dunston Checks In in 1996, Love! Valour! Compassion! in 1997, and Love and Action in Chicago in 1999.

Concurrently with his Seinfeld role, he had a part in the ABC sitcom Dinosaurs as Al "Sexual" Harris (who frequently engaged in sexual harassment) as well as other characters from 1991-1994.

For his role in Dream On (1994) he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

He also voiced the titular character in Duckman (1994–1997).

Greenspan was born in Newark, New Jersey to a Jewish family, the son of Ruth Minnie (née Simon), a nurse and health care administrator, and Alexander B. Greenspan, an accounting manager.

Greenspan later borrowed his father's first name to create his stage name, Jason Alexander.

Alexander voiced the lead character in the animated series Duckman (1994–1997) and voiced Catbert, the evil director of human resources, in the short-lived animated series Dilbert from 1999-2000, based on the then-popular comic strip.

The university awarded him an honorary degree in 1995.

Alexander began his acting career on the New York stage and is an accomplished singer and dancer.

He did, however, win the 1995 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.

In January 1995, he did a commercial for Rold Gold pretzels to be broadcast during the Super Bowl.

The commercial depicts him with Frasier dog Eddie jumping out of an airplane with a parachute over the stadium.

After the commercial, the audience is brought back to a supposedly live feed of the playing field hearing startled sports commentators as Alexander and the dog land in the field to wild applause.

Alexander appeared in the 1995 TV version of the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie, as Conrad Birdie's agent, Albert Peterson.

He also voiced the gargoyle Hugo in the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and the 2002 sequel.

He guest-starred in episode 8 of the 1996 variety show Muppets Tonight.

He voiced the gargoyle Hugo in Disney's 1996 animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame and its direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II.

He also acted in Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001, 2009), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019).