Though Larry David co-created Seinfeld alongside Jerry Seinfeld, he didn’t write himself any sort of permanent role on the hit series. This didn’t stop the one-time SNL writer from finding his way on to more than a few episodes throughout Seinfeld’s run, however.
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When Seinfeld first aired back in 1989, the public had no idea who David was. Oddly enough, being rather anonymous seems to have given David a bit of an advantage. By not being recognized as a primary cast member he was repeatedly able to make small cameos throughout the series, the likes of which are easily identifiable today.
10 “The Revenge”
(Season 2, Episode 7)
via NBC
This early Seinfeld episode gave viewers their first introduction to Newman. Though the character isn’t seen in the episode, it’s established that Kramer and him are friends. Unfortunately, Newman keeps threatening suicide to get Kramer’s attention.
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As Seinfeld fans know, Newman was eventually portrayed by Wayne Knight, but in this initial incarnation of the soon-to-be beloved character, Newman’s voice comes courtesy of Larry David. It isn’t David’s best cameo, but it is goofy, and it’s fitting that it was David who first brought the character to life.
9 “The Finale”
(Season 9, Episode 22)
To this day, the very mention of the final Seinfeld episode can cause some fans to cringe. Regardless of its detractors, the episode has its share of funny moments. This particular Larry David cameo comes during the episode’s end credits when Jerry, Kramer, and George are in prison.
David plays the voice of an inmate who tells Jerry that he sucks and that he’s going to cut him due to Jerry’s prison stand-up. The whole interaction is a mere matter of seconds, but somehow David’s voice and timing still manage to shine through and provide some final Seinfeld laughs.
8 “The Pen”
(Season 3, Episode 3)
When Jerry and Elaine travel to Florida to visit Jerry’s parents, things go absolutely haywire. Jerry ends up with a black eye, Elaine gets stoned out of her mind on muscle relaxers and the episode culminates with chaos during a formal dinner meant to honor Jerry’s father.
It’s during this chaos that the series employs the voiceover skills of Larry David. As Jerry struggles to perform for the very unruly senior citizen crowd, a surly voice shouts out “Who are you?” before following up with “I’d rather have a bottle of Scotch.” It’s David, once again making his mark on a first-rate episode.
7 “The Dinner Party”
(Season 5, Episode 13)
After waiting in the cold for an extremely inconsiderate driver to come back and move his double-parked car, Kramer and George finally encounter the man. To their shock, he resembles former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
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Once again Larry David makes a brief but hilarious mark with this cameo as the inconsiderate driver. Of course, he sounds nothing like Hussein – warning Kramer and George that they’ll catch their death of cold as he passes – but it’s still classic David.
6 “The Alternate Side”
(Season 3, Episode 11)
Jerry experiences the frustration of having his car stolen in this early but great Seinfeld episode. Fortunately for him, however, he’s able to call the phone in his car and actually chat with the thief. This isn’t any ordinary thief, though – he’s voiced by Larry David.
The conversation between Jerry and the car thief is far from the typical sort of exchange that could be expected in such a situation. David’s car thief takes a laissez-faire attitude with regard to the criminal act and his refusal to give the car back after Jerry asks him to make the moment even funnier.
5 “The Wig Master”
(Season 7, Episode 18)
After managing to borrow the actual Dreamcoat from the hit Broadway musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Kramer parades around town in the flashy garment. The fun comes to a halt when he goes to get his car from a very suspect parking service, where he’s arrested for being a pimp.
Larry David’s voiceover cameo can be heard in the closing credits of the episode, shortly after Kramer has been arrested. As a visibly shaken Kramer gets his mugshot taken, the official taking the photo (played by David) can be heard commanding several poses, including “I said turn, pimp!” It’s a Seinfeld moment unlike any other.
4 “The Gum”
(Season 7, Episode 10)
This episode sees George desperate to prove that the Monk’s Cafe cashier short-changed him. He feels he can prove this because he drew red lips on the bill that he gave to the Monk’s cashier. Later, when he tries to make a purchase at a newsstand, he realizes his mistake.
George is rebuffed by the newsagent (David), who sarcastically tells him, “I beg your pardon, your majesty, but we don’t accept bills with lipstick on the president.” It’s arguably David’s greatest (and longest) bit of Seinfeld screen time, perfectly suited for his dry delivery and bored demeanor. The scene wouldn’t have been the same without him.
3 “The Heart Attack”
(Season 2, Episode 8)
Though this episode focuses on George believing that he’s had a heart attack, some of the best laughs come from Jerry being confounded by a note he wrote to himself in the middle of the night. The note pertains to a low-budget sci-fi film he was watching earlier that day.
The brief glimpse of the sci-fi film that Jerry was watching has a deranged man (David) in swimming goggles and a silver robe, complete with matching gloves. He’s shouting many things but it’s the “Like flaming globes of Sigmund” line that went on to become one of the show’s most instantly recognizable catchphrases.
2 “The Pilot”
(Season 4, Episode 23)
Image via NBC
A favorite episode for many, The Pilot focuses on the difficulties that Jerry and George are facing with their NBC pilot. After the president of NBC becomes obsessive over Elaine, he decides to join Greenpeace to impress her, but things don’t work out so well for him.
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David’s cameo involves him in a dinghy at sea, struggling to keep the NBC president alive. Unfortunately, he fails, but not before calling out in a ridiculous mariner accent, “Elaine Benes, I’ll write to her. I’ll tell her all about you and what you did out here. Goodbye matey!” It should probably be a sombre moment – but with David in the spotlight, it’s delightfully goofy.
1 “The Chinese Woman”
(Season 6, Episode 4)
Image via NBC
While out together, Jerry and Elaine spot George’s father talking to a man in a cape. The strange occurrence hangs over the episode until Frank Costanza reveals that the man in the cape is his lawyer. David’s caped lawyer also manages to talk a suicidal woman down from a bridge during the episode’s end credits.
It’s hard to beat this particular Larry David cameo, and hearing David tell the woman he saves at the end of the episode that he’s “Frank Costanza’s lawyer” makes this perfect cameo that much better. What’s more, the mere thought of a caped David representing Frank in any type of formal legal setting is just plain priceless.
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