TOP 10 SEINFELD CHARACTER ACTORS
Seinfeld was arguably the best sitcom ever produced on television. What made the show so great for me and millions of others in my opinion, were the character actors that would play these small bit parts on the show. Some only showed up on one or two episodes while others became a part of the extended Seinfeld family with reoccurring bits throughout the nine seasons of the show.
Before we present our top ten, I think it’s important to note that there was no scientific method used to come up with this list. It wasn’t based on the number of times these characters appeared on the show or any surveys. It was based on pure entertainment and who we felt made a lasting impression on us and other Seinfeld fans.
Here’s our top ten characters on Seinfeld.
| 10 | Jack Klompus | Morty’s neighbor at Phase Two of the Pines of Mar Gables who seems to consistently have a grudge against Morty Seinfeld. Klompus appeared in a classic episode called “The Cadillac” where Jerry bought Morty a Cadillac and Jack convinced the Condo Association that Morty has been embezzling funds and used it to buy his new Cadillac. The reason Klompus made the list is because this guy’s delivery was dead on! He was just a crabby, jealous, old snoop that was more interested in making sure that no one else around him had it any better than he did. Everyone knows at least one Jack Klompus is their life! |
| 9 | Soup Nazi | You might be wondering why this one ranks only #9. The Soup Nazi episode was a classic for sure and this character was great but what made this episode so memorable wasn’t so much the Soup Nazi character as it was the story line and the writing. The way customers line up and ordered the soup, so proper and concise, in a robotic way was the funniest thing about the episode and if you messed up one little thing then it was NO SOUP FOR YOU! |
| 8 | Izzy Mandelbaum | Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum! Mandelbaum! Izzy, played by Lloyd Bridges, was another one of Mr. and Mrs. Seinfeld’s neighbors at Del Boca Vista. One of the best episodes was the English Patient episode when he challenged Jerry to a strength contest and pulled out his back. While Jerry was visiting Izzy at the hospital, he meets Izzy’s son who looks older than Izzy. Izzy’s son challenges Jerry to lift the TV but pulls his back also. Now both Mandelbaums are in laid up in bed and finally you meet Izzy’s Dad who’s looks older than both of them put together. He too tries to lift the TV and fails! It’s all too funny. Great comedic hijinks! As Izzy would say, “You think your better than me!?” |
| 7 | J. Peterman | This was one of the more popular characters. Peterman appeared in 22 episodes. His depiction of an eccentric fashion company owner was genius. The way he spoke and the words and phrases he used were perfectly delivered. Our favorite Peterman episode had to be the one when was having a book signing and published his book based on Kramer’s stories which he bought for $750. Kramer tries to hone in on the book signing identifying himself as the “real Peterman” and when he is rebuffed he launches his own Peterman Reality Bus Tour. This story line is so good and it is even funnier when you find out that it was based on true events. Damn, I really miss this show. |
| 6 | Lt. Bookman | Although Bookman was in only two episodes, “The Library” and the final episode, the “matter-of-fact” delivery of this library cop was over the top and comedy gold. One of the funniest exchanges has to be the one between Jerry and Bookman about Jerry’s overdue library book from when he checked out the book in high school. Here is an excerpt from one of Bookman’s scenes with Jerry, “Maybe we can live without libraries, people like you and me. Maybe. Sure, we’re too old to change the world, but what about that kid, sitting down, opening a book, right now, in a branch at the local library and finding drawings of pee-pees and wee-wees on the Cat in the Hat and the Five Chinese Brothers? Doesn’t HE deserve better? Look. If you think this is about overdue fines and missing books, you’d better think again. This is about that kid’s right to read a book without getting his mind warped! Or: maybe that turns you on, Seinfeld; maybe that’s how y’get your kicks. You and your good-time buddies. Well I got a flash for ya, joy-boy: Party time is over. Y’got seven days, Seinfeld. That is one week!” How Jerry ever got through that scene, I’ll never know. |
| 5 | David Puddy | It just keeps getting better and better. David Puddy was Elaine’s on-again off-again boyfriend. He wasn’t the smartest bulb in the pack but damn, he was a great car mechanic. He was so good that it seemed like he was a regular character but he only appeared in 11 episodes. You find out more and more about David Puddy, the man, in each episode. He’s a Christian, a recovering mysophobe and a huge Devils hockey fan. Perfect casting. Can’t picture anyone else playing Puddy. |
| 4 | Frank Costanza | Jerry Stiller, the actor who played Frank Costanza, George’s father has a special place in our hearts. He also played Carry’s dad in the King of Queens, another great sitcom. He appeared in the third most episodes as far as character appearances go (29). There were so many classic Frank moments to mention but one of the most memorable ones has to be the one where it re-lives his invented holiday of Festivas to replace Christmas. Instead of a Christmas tree, he hung a pole. Instead of presents, you air out grievances with your loved ones. Just another example of unbelievably creative and hilarious writing. It’s a Festivus for the rest of us! |
| 3 | Jackie Chiles | The Seinfeld show was great at taking current events and spoofing and incorporating them into the show. They did this so well in many episodes. One of the funniest characters that came of this was Jackie Chiles who played Kramer’s lawyer. He parodied Johnny Cochran who was one of OJ Simpson’s lawyers during the infamous Simpson murder trial. His extensive vocabulary and mannerisms were an over the top mimic of Cochran. It’s virtually impossible to not laugh when Jackie is talking. “It’s lewd, lascivious, salacious, outrageous!” |
| 2 | Newman | Newman was as close to a regular as you can get. The reason this character makes the list is because just about every episode he’s in is memorable. Newman is Jerry’s arch enemy and one of Kramer’s best friends. He lives in the same building and gets into several predicaments by involving himself in several of Kramer’s schemes. One of our favorite Newman moments has to be in the episode, The Boyfriend (1), when he confronts NY Mets star, Keith Hernandez and accuses him of spitting on him and Kramer after a baseball game. They finally crack the case wide open when Hernandez figures out that is was NY Mets pitcher, Roger McDowell who did the deed. This was a parody of the 1991 JFK movie. Beware of magic luggie and people lurking behind the bushes over by the gravely road. |
| 1 | The Mohel | Pronounced “Moil”. This is our number one character. I know it wasn’t what you probably expected. He only appeared in one episode, “The Bris”, but during his brief appearance, he delivered some of the funniest moments ever on the show. So much was going on during this episode, between George’s car roof being destroyed when a patient jumped from the hospital and landed on his car to Kramer conspiring to break out a “pig man” from that same hospital. Hard belly laughs for a good 22 minutes! One of the best lines ever was when the Mohel dropped his bag of tools during the Bris. As he got down to pick them up, he mutters to Jerry, “I coulda been a kosher butcher like my brother. The money’s good. There’s a union, with benefits. And, cows have no families. You make a mistake with a cow, you move on with your life.” Seriously, I’m laughing just writing this. |
So there you have it. Our top 10 characters from Seinfeld. We had to leave out so many other great characters but we could only pick only ten. Did we leave out any of your favorites? If so, be sociable, leave a comment and let us know.
References
http://www.seinology.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Seinfeld_minor_characters
God rest on peace Charles. And your dog Boo Boo Bear. Great over the top performer. God Bless