Larry David

Infobox Comedian
name = Larry David


caption =
birth_name = Lawrence Eugene David
birth_date = birth date and age|1947|7|2
birth_place = Brooklyn, New York, United States
medium = stand-up, television, film
nationality = American
active = 1975–present
genre = Improvisational comedy, observational comedy, sketch comedy
influences = Phil Silvers, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen
influenced = Ricky Gervais, Jack Dee, Sarah Silverman, Josh Borenstein, Jeff Garlin
subject = Self-deprecation, everyday life, manners, social norms
spouse = Laurie Lennard (1993–2007)
notable_work = Various characters in "Fridays"
Co-creator, head-writer of "Seinfeld"
Larry David in "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
emmyawards = Outstanding Comedy Series
1993 "Seinfeld"
Outstanding Writing - Comedy Series
1993 "Seinfeld"

Lawrence Eugene "Larry" David (born July 2, 1947) is an American Emmy-winning actor, writer, comedian, producer and film director. Formerly a stand up comedian, David went into television comedy, writing and starring in ABC's "Fridays", as well as writing briefly for "Saturday Night Live". David is one of the most respected and successful comedians of his time. He was voted by other comedians as the 23rd greatest comedian of all time in the British Channel 4 "The Comedians' Comedian" poll.

In 1989, he teamed up with Jerry Seinfeld to co-create the television series "Seinfeld", where he also acted as head writer and executive producer. David's work won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1993. In 1999, he created the HBO series "Curb Your Enthusiasm", a mostly improvised sitcom in which he stars as a fictionalised version of himself.

Biography

David was born in the neighborhood of Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn, [Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Book (Simon & Shuster, 2006)] New York, and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor's degree in history (1969) and then in business (1970). [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://www.smith.umd.edu/alumni/leaders/index.html|title=Alumni Leaders |publisher=University of Maryland, College Park ]

While a former standup comedian, David worked as a limo driver and a TV repairman to pay his bills. David then became writer and cast member for ABC's "Fridays" from 1980 to 1982, and a writer for NBC's "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) from 1984 to 1985.cite web|accessdate=2008-04-25|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D06E2DB173BF935A25754C0A9669C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title= The Great And Wonderful Wizard of Odds |work=The New York Times|date=2000-07-16|author=Marin, Rick ] During his time at SNL, he could not get a sketch on the show.cite web|accessdate=2008-04-25|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/11/AR2005111102037.html|title='SNL in the '80s': The Last Laugh On a Trying Decade |work=The Washington Post|date=2005-11-12|author=Shales, Tom ] David quit his writing job at SNL mid-season, only to show up to work a few days later to act as though nothing had happened. This inspired a season two episode of "Seinfeld" entitled "The Revenge". [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0697766/|title="Seinfeld" The Revenge (1991)|publisher=IMDB] David met his future "Seinfeld" stars during this early stage of his career: He worked with Michael Richards (Kramer) on "Fridays" and with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine) during his one-year stint on "SNL". [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CC&s_site=contracostatimes&p_multi=CC&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=1063FD1A84FAFC62&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Eager Actor Finds Kramer a Bit of a Trial|publisher=Contra Costa Times|date=1997-05-30|author=Koltnow, Barry] [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://www.nytimes.com/specials/seinfeld/sein-dreyfus.html|title=Julia Louis-Dreyfus: She Who Gives 'Seinfeld' Estrogen|publisher=The New York Times|date=1993-06-03|author=Kolbert, Elizabeth] He can be heard heckling Michael McKean when McKean hosted the show in 1984, and can be seen in the sketch, "The Run, Throw and Catch Like a Girl Olympics" when Howard Cosell hosted the season finale in 1985. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-21|url=http://www.tv.com/saturday-night-live/show/365/episode_guide.html?season=10|title=Saturday Night Live |publisher=TV.com ]

David married Laurie Lennard on March 31, 1993; they have two daughters, Cazzie and Romy, and they lived in Pacific Palisades, California. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098904/news|title=News for "Seinfeld" (1990) |publisher=IMDB ] Like her counterpart in "Curb Your Enthusiasm", Cheryl David (played by Cheryl Hines), Laurie is an environmental activist. From May 2005, the couple were both contributing bloggers at The Huffington Post. [cite book|title=Generation Hex|author=Louv, Jason|publisher=The Disinformation Company|date=2005-09-01|isbn=1932857206|url=http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Hex-Jason-Louv/dp/1932857206/] The couple announced their intention to amicably separate on June 5, 2007. [cite news |first=Richard |last=Johnson |title=Newly Single |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/06052007/gossip/pagesix/newly_single_pagesix_.htm |work=Page Six |publisher=New York Post |date=2007-06-05 |accessdate=2007-06-05 ] Laurie David filed for divorce on July 19, 2007 citing irreconcilable differences and seeking joint custody of their two daughters. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=ad9c316d-6adc-4c1e-9d55-fc4bad728381|title=Divorcing Larry David |publisher=E!|date=2007-07-16|author=Finn, Natalie ]

Career

Seinfeld

In 1989, David teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create NBC's "The Seinfeld Chronicles". Later retitled "Seinfeld", the program became one of the most successful shows in United States television history. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-25|url=http://www.nytimes.com/specials/seinfeld/sein1226a.html|title=Seinfeld Says It's All Over, And It's No Joke for NBC |work=The New York Times|date=1997-12-26|author=Carter, Bill ] He occasionally appeared (uncredited) on the show, and was the primary inspiration for the show's George Costanza character. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-25|url=http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/TV/9810/26/seinfeld/index.html|title=The 'real' George Costanza sues Seinfeld for $100 million |publisher=CNN|date=1998-10-26 ] David left "Seinfeld" on amicable terms after the seventh season, but returned to write the series finale in 1998 two years later. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-25|url=http://www.sacbee.com/747/story/471870.html|title=DVD Review: 'Seinfeld: Season 9' wraps up all the hilarious nothingness |work=The Sacramento Bee|date=2007-11-05|author=Dancis, Bruce ] He continued to provide the voice for the character of George Steinbrenner. [cite news|publisher=The Sacramento Bee|title=Still ... seventh-season DVD shines|date=2006-11-21]

Syndication and DVD releases of "Seinfeld" alone have earned David an estimated US$250 million. [cite web| url=http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/daily/03-99/03-08-99/a03wn020.htm| title=Who's the richest? Seinfeld| publisher=Associated Press| date=1999-01-01| accessdate=2008-01-19] He was nominated for an Emmy award 19 times for "Seinfeld", winning twice, once for best comedy and once for writing. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-21|url=http://www.tv.com/larry-david/person/8236/biography.html|title=Larry David |publisher=TV.com ]

"Curb Your Enthusiasm"

The HBO cable television channel aired David's 1-hour special, "", on October 17, 1999. This was followed by "Curb Your Enthusiasm", a television series on HBO that aired its first episode on October 15, 2000.

It revisits many of the themes first brought up in "Seinfeld".cite web|accessdate=2008-04-19|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-26533172_ITM|title=COMEDY CLUB.(Jerry Seinfeld: a film 'Comedian,' and his influene on the 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' TV show) |publisher=The New Yorker|date=2002-10-28 ] The show is improvised, with the actors receiving a synopsis of their scene for them to act out. David has commented that his character in the show, which is a fictionalized version of himself, is what he would be like in real life if he lacked social awareness and sensitivity. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-22|url=http://modelminority.com/article1109.html|title=What Was That? Researchers Explore Below-the-Radar Racism|publisher=Model Minority|date=2008-02-11 ] Indeed, fictional Larry's numerous and frequent social faux pas and misunderstandings are the basis of much of the show's comedy.

The basis of the show is Larry's life now that he has earned a fortune and has very little to do in semi-retirement. Alongside David is his wife Cheryl (played by Cheryl Hines), his manager and best friend Jeff (played by Jeff Garlin), and Jeff's wife Susie (played by Susie Essman). Celebrities including comedians Richard Lewis, Bob Einstein and Wanda Sykes, and actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have had either recurring roles or guest appearances on the show.cite web|accessdate=2008-04-22|url=http://www.rickmcginnis.com/dvd/069.htm|title=Once Upon A Time In Mexico|publisher=Rick McGinnis ]

Other projects

Apart from David's major roles in creating "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm", he has also been involved in other films and television series. David wrote and directed the 1998 film "Sour Grapes", about two cousins who feud over a casino jackpot.cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202970/|title=Larry David (I)|publisher=IMDB] It was neither a commercial nor a critical success.cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sourgrapes.htm|title=Sour Grapes|publisher=Box Office Mojo] [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sour_grapes/|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes|title=Sour Grapes] He has also appeared in minor parts in two Woody Allen films: "Radio Days" and "New York Stories". [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-02|url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/02/larry-david-to.html|title=Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood to star in Woody Allen's next movie|publisher=Entertainment Weekly|date=2008-02-06|author=Sperling, Nicole] David is set to star in Woody Allen's New York-based comedy film entitled Whatever Works, which began filming in April 2008. [cite web |publisher=Entertainment Weekly|url=http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/02/larry-david-to.html?xid=rss-cnn-todayslatest-20080206-Allen+casts+Larry+David%2C+Evan+Rachel+Wood |title= Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood to star in Woody Allen's next movie |Hollywood Insider |Entertainment Weekly |accessdate=2008-02-07 ] Since his daughters are "Hannah Montana" fans, David, along with them, guest starred in the episode "My Best Friend's Boyfriend" as themselves where they are waiting to get a table at a fancy restaurant.

Awards

David was nominated in 2003 for a Golden Globe Award in the "Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series — Musical Or Comedy" category, for his work on "Curb Your Enthusiasm". He was nominated for the same category and series again, in 2005 and 2006. In the same year, fellow comedians and comedy insiders voted him number 23 on the top fifty greatest comedy acts ever in a poll to select "The Comedian's Comedian". David was nominated for a 2006 Emmy Best Actor Award. There was speculation that the show would be ending after the fifth season; however, the show returned for a sixth season on September 9, 2007, airing at 10pm Sunday nights on HBO. [cite web|accessdate=2008-04-21|url=http://www.hbo.com/larrydavid/cast/david.html|title=Cast and Crew |publisher=HBO ]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.hbo.com/larrydavid/ Larry David] at HBO

Persondata
NAME=David, Larry
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=David, Lawrence Gene
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Writer, comedian, producer
DATE OF BIRTH=July 2, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH=New York City, New York, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=