Jerry Seinfeld was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Betty
(Hesney) and Kalman Seinfeld. His father was of Hungarian Jewish
descent, while Jerry's maternal grandparents, Salha and Selim Hosni,
were Syrian Jewish immigrants (from Aleppo). He moved with his family,
including sister Carolyn, to suburban Massepequa, Long Island, at a
young age. Jerry's dad, who had a terrific sense of humor, was a
commercial sign maker.
Jerry attended Oswego College in upstate New York however transferred
to Queens College back in New York City. Developed an interest in stand-up
comedy after brief stints in college productions. Went straight from
college graduation to amateur night tryout at New York's Catch a Rising
Star, 1976.
Continued to perform in local clubs and Catskill Mountain resorts until
his career was boosted by an appearance on a
Rodney Dangerfield HBO special, 1976.
Career took off after first successful spot on
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962),
May 1981, at age 27. Appearances on
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and
The Merv Griffin Show (1962)
followed. Also appeared four times as Frankie on
Benson (1979) sitcom. After he was
abruptly fired from the show, he swore never to do another sitcom
unless he had greater control. This opportunity emerged when he was
invited to create a sitcom for NBC in 1989 and teamed with one-time
stand-up colleague Larry David.
Progression of "The Seinfeld Chronicles" into the long-running
Seinfeld (1989) series phenomenon
was ended by its co-creator and co-executive producer,
Larry David. Still unmarried, he
moved back to New York City into a new multimillion-dollar, multilevel
apartment on Central Park West just down the street from his small
bachelor studio on West 81st.
