The Recurring Irregulars
Sure we loved Jerry, Elaine, George and Kramer. But “Seinfeld” also boasted a dazzling array of recurring crazy characters--from Puddy to J. Peterman to Mickey to the “Braless Wonder.”
Ten of the actors who played some of the most popular zanies discuss their roles and what made them so memorable and tell us of their post-Seinfeld lives.
Name: John O’Hurley
Character name: J. Peterman
Key trait: Elaine’s suave, pompous, egomaniacal, globetrotting boss whose ornate use of the English language is uniqely undecipherable.
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “It’s total delivery. He’s not a relationship driven character. He’s totally about language and delivery, so in that respect he sticks out because he’s sort of like a hood ornament. He’s a one-man parade--a Fortune 500 lunatic. He looks as though he has got the whole package together and if you listen to what he just said you realize he’s basically undisturbed by thought. He’s the ultimate Peter Principal where all the lunatics have risen to the top.”
What’s he doing now: “There has been interest in keeping Peterman alive in print as ‘The Peterman Diaries,’ kind of tales from the lunatic fringe,” O’Hurley says. The actor also appears in concert as a vocal soloist with orchestras around the country and is doing the Peterman character in different ad campaigns.
****
Name: Patrick Warburton
Character name: Puddy
Key trait: In the process of breaking up or getting back together with Elaine at any given moment.
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “Puddy has a sense of cluelessness, but he’s not as predictable as all that. It’s easy to lump him in with the dolts, but stupid is not entertaining. He has a unique take on life situations and you never know what’s going to come out of his mouth. Puddy is also very much a guy’s guy. Everywhere I go men come up and tell me they love the character. He’s unabashed, and he has the view that the world revolves around men. But at the same time, everyone knows it’s Elaine who’s holding the reins.”
What he’s doing now: Warburton is under contract with NBC and is looking at shows for next season. He’s also doing voice overs for Seinfeld’s American Express ads playing Superman and Cadillac ads playing a Jack Webb-worshiping highway patrol officer.
****
Name: Brenda Strong
Character Name: Sue Ellen Mischke
Key trait: Annoys old friend Elaine because she doesn’t wear a bra. When Elaine gives her a bra, Sue Ellen starts a fashion trend when she wears it alone like a shirt.
Why she thinks the character is memorable: “She was never designed around sex or about being sexy. She was about freedom and living life to the fullest. I guess that’s what Jerry found so appealing when she was just walking down the street with only a bra and a blazer. Here is a woman who had no qualms about being completely open about who she is.”
What’s she doing now: Recently featured in an episode of CBS’ “The Closer,” Strong is currently appearing in the film, “Black Dog” and will be seen this fall in “Deep End of the Ocean,” as Michelle Pfeiffer’s best friend.
“Seinfeld has been a great launching board in a lot of ways,” Strong says.
****
Name: Len Lesser
Character: Uncle Leo
Key trait: Jerry’s ill-humored uncle drives Jerry crazy with his signature phrase, “Hello!”
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “He’s the kind of guy who is a total nuisance at times and the kind of guy you avoid. He’s is very warm and outgoing and loud. He’s a very expansive character and that has an attraction to it I think. Many people have told me ‘Oh my God. My father is like you.”’
What’s he doing now: Lesser recently starred with James Farentino in the play “My Father’s House,” in Connecticut. “Something comes up every day,” Lesser says. “I just want to do stuff that interests me now. Suddenly, in my old age, I’m working and I’m known much more than I ever had been.”
****
Name: Steve Hytner
Character: Kenny Bania
Key trait: Comedian and nemesis of Jerry. He keeps getting the big breaks even though Jerry thinks he’s a hack.
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “He’s the most annoying man in the world who desperately wants to be Jerry’s friend. He tries too hard. I think one of the great things about Bania is that he’s utterly annoying, yet he’ s not nasty or mean in any way. I think that’s why audiences took to him so well.
What’s he doing now: Hytner is currently starring on the NBC comedy “Working” as John Delany, a sarcastic, quick-witted officer worker.
****
Name: Larry Thomas
Character: The Soup Nazi
Key trait: Autocratic and surly owner of a popular soap restaurant; he screams “No soup for you!” to patrons who annoy or anger him then throws them out of his place.
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “The only thing I could hazard to guess is that it was really perfect casting for me because there’s a lot of me that’s very much like that. I am the type of person who gets really unhinged when I lay down a few rules and follow them even though I don’t treat people like that. It was definitely the most successful acting job I had and also the easiest.”
What he’s doing now: Thomas is auditioning for different pilots and just finished a movie called “Surface to Air.” “I play this mad Iraqi colonel. I look strangely like Saddam Hussein. I did a great episode of “The Tony Danza Show,” but I don’t have to tell you where that {show} went.”
****
Name: Peter Crombie
Character: Crazy Joe Davola
Key trait: He develops an insane infatuation with Elaine and stalks her wearing a clown outfit when she doesn’t return his affections.
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “I think it’s a tribute to the writing. I felt like I was part of whatever that monster funny machine is and that is what people were responding to. I’ve always wanted to play a guy who couldn’t quite get the medication right. He wasn’t like a sitcom character. It was like I could play this thing virtually straight with just a little hair of a wink and it worked.”
What he’s doing now: Appeared as Frankenstein’s monster last fall in the NBC miniseries, “House of Frankenstein.” He’s also set to do a feature, “My Dog Skip.” “It takes place in the ‘40s in the south. I get to play a guy who terrorizes a kid and his dog. It’s a family kind of a drama.”
****
Name: Mark Metcalf
Character: The Maestro
Key trait: Pompous beau of Elaine is actually named Bob but only answers to “The Maestro” because he is a musical conductor.
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “I’m an extraordinary actor! Isn’t that the right answer? It was really well-written. The Maestro has severe neuroses. He’s an artist and a mediocre artist. They are always the one who think they the greatest. The advantage to that kind of character is you can go way off the deep end {playing him}. He was a friend of Kramer’s. That’s how he came to this little circle. I thought anybody who is a friend of Kramer’s has got to be almost as over the top as Kramer.
What’s he up to now: Appeared last season on the WB’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and this season in ABC’s “Teen Angel.”
****
Name: Danny Woodbine
Character: Mickey
Key trait: Kramer’s “little person” friend is always fighting with Kramer after he gets Mickey into hot water.
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “I think people have it in their head that any friend of Kramer’s is a friend of mine. In just about every episode I have done, Kramer screws with my life and I end up trying to take his. I think they love to see the physicality between the two of us.
What’s he up to now: This season, Woodbine played the comic sidekick on the syndicated series “Conan.” He’s currently up for a comedy at Fox.
****
Name: Reni Santoni
Character: Poppi
Key trait: The owner and chef at a pizza restaurant, he shocks Jerry when he doesn’t wash his hands after using the restroom. He also has a bladder control problem and urinated on Jerry’s sofa.
Why he thinks the character is memorable: “He has sort of an everybody’s uncle kind of a thing who either gets drunk at a party or puts a lampshade on his head. With Poppi, it’s carried to that Seinfeldesque extreme. People talk about the show being about nothing and it’s really about everything, isn’ it?”
What’s he up to now: Recently completed a three-part episode of ABC’s “The Practice” as a lawyer.
Times Staff Writer Booth Moore contributed to this story.
