Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and observations on everyday life. He has received various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Producers Guild of America Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards (including a Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement), in addition to nominations for six Actor Awards and three Golden Globes.
David started his career as a stand-up comedian before transitioning into television comedy, where he wrote and starred in ABC's Fridays (1980–1982) and wrote briefly for Saturday Night Live (1984–1985). He gained prominence and acclaim when he and Jerry Seinfeld created the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), winning Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. He gained further recognition for creating, writing, and starring in the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024).
Since 2015, David has made guest appearances on Saturday Night Live impersonating Bernie Sanders. He has acted in three films directed by Woody Allen, including Radio Days (1987) and Whatever Works (2009). He also wrote and starred in the HBO movie Clear History (2013). On stage, he made his Broadway debut writing and starring in the comedic play Fish in the Dark (2015). David has also written several comedic pieces for The New Yorker and The New York Times.
Early life and education
David was born on July 2, 1947, in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. His parents are Rose (née Regina Brandes) and Mortimer Julius "Morty" David, a men's clothing manufacturer, and he has an older brother, Ken. David's family is Jewish. His American Jewish father's family moved from Germany to the U.S. during the 19th century. David's mother was born into a Polish-Jewish family in Ternopil, now in Ukraine; her mother's family name was Superfein.
David graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School, now defunct and operating as Frank J. Macchiarola Educational Complex, in 1965. A sign with his photo is displayed in one of the complex's hallways. He then attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was a brother in Tau Epsilon Phi. He graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. At college, he discovered that he could make people laugh simply by being himself. After college, David joined the United States Army Reserve and received training as a petroleum storage specialist.My War, by Larry David. The New York Times via Internet Archive. Published February 15, 2004. Retrieved August 22, 2011. To avoid the final year of his six-year enlistment, he paid a psychiatrist to write a letter declaring him unfit for duty.
Career 1980–1987: Stand-up and SNL While a stand-up comedian, David also worked as a store clerk, limousine driver, and historian. He lived in Manhattan Plaza, a federally subsidized housing complex in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, across the hall from Kenny Kramer, the inspiration for the Cosmo Kramer character in Seinfeld.McShane, Larry. "The real Kramer says actor no racist: But Richards is 'paranoid,' 'very wound-up'" , Chicago Sun-Times , November 26, 2006. Accessed August 11, 2009. "The real Kramer lived for 10 years in a Hell's Kitchen apartment across the hall from Seinfeld co-creator Larry David, and his life became the framework for Richards' quirky, bumbling Seinfeld sidekick." From 1980 to 1982, David was a writer and cast member for ABC's Fridays, where he worked with Michael Richards, who later played Kramer on Seinfeld.
From 1984 to 1985, David was a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL), where he met cast member Julia Louis-Dreyfus. During his time at SNL, he was able to get only one sketch on the air, which aired at 12:50 a.m., the show's last time slot. David quit his job at SNL in the first season, angrily disparaging the quality of the show to producer Dick Ebersol, only to show up to work two days later as if nothing had happened. That event inspired the second-season Seinfeld episode "The Revenge". He can be heard heckling Michael McKean when McKean hosted SNL 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.Transcript of Michael McKean's monologue , voice of audience member: Larry David In 1987, David was a writer and performer for Way Off Broadway, a variety talk show on Lifetime hosted by Joy Behar.
1989–1998: Breakthrough with Seinfeld
In 1989, David teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create a pilot for NBC called The Seinfeld Chronicles, which became the basis for Seinfeld, one of the most successful shows in television history, reaching the top of TV Guide list of the 50 greatest TV shows of all time. Entertainment Weekly ranked it the third-best US TV show of all time. David made occasional uncredited appearances on the show, playing such roles as Frank Costanza's cape-wearing lawyer and the voice of George Steinbrenner. He was also the primary inspiration for the show's character George Costanza. David left Seinfeld amicably after the show's seventh season and returned two years later to write the series finale in 1998. He also continued to voice Steinbrenner.
David wrote 62 Seinfeld episodes, including 1992's "The Contest", for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award and which TV Guide ranked as episode 1 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time"."TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time" TV Guide; June 15, 2009; Pages 34–49 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. It was neither a commercial nor a critical success. He has also appeared in bit roles in Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987) and New York Stories (1989).
1999–2024: Curb Your Enthusiasm and acclaim
The HBO cable television channel aired David's one-hour special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, on October 17, 1999. This was followed by Curb Your Enthusiasm, an HBO television series whose first episode aired on October 15, 2000. The show revisits many of the themes of Seinfeld and is improvised from a story outline only several pages long written by David (and, from the fifth season onward, additional writers).
The actors improvise their dialogue based on the outline and direction. David has said that his character in the show, a fictionalized version of himself, is what he would be like in real life if he lacked social awareness and sensitivity. The character's numerous and frequent social faux pas, misunderstandings, and ironic coincidences are the basis of much of the show's comedy and have led to the entry into the American pop culture lexicon of the expression "Larry David moment", meaning an inadvertently created socially awkward situation. Curb Your Enthusiasm has been described as depicting "the things nobody wants to say, but wish they could".
The show is based on David's life following the fortune he earned from Seinfeld; semi-retired, he strives to live a fulfilled life. Alongside David is his wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), his manager and best friend Jeff (Jeff Garlin), and Jeff's wife Susie (Susie Essman). Celebrities, including comedians Richard Lewis, Wanda Sykes, and Bob Einstein, appeared on the show regularly. Actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have had recurring roles as themselves.
The show is critically acclaimed and has been nominated for 30 Primetime Emmy Awards, with one win, as well as a Golden Globe win. In the first six seasons, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander appear in several episodes, and Jerry Seinfeld has a cameo. In season 7, the cast of Seinfeld, including Michael Richards, return in a story arc involving David's attempt to organize a Seinfeld reunion special. On June 2, 2010, the series premiered on the TV Guide Network, its network television debut. TV Guide Network also produced a series of related discussions with high-profile guest stars, media pundits, and prominent social figures called "Curb: The Discussion" debating the moral implications of each episode. David is quoted as saying "Finally, thanks to the TV Guide Network, I'll get a chance to watch actual, intelligent people discuss and debate the issues addressed on 'Curb'. Now if only someone could tell me where this alleged 'Network' is, I might even watch it." The show's 12th and final season premiered in January 2024.
David played the leading role in Woody Allen's 2009 comedy film Whatever Works alongside Evan Rachel Wood. He had a cameo appearance on the HBO series Entourage as a client of Ari Gold, and because his daughters were Hannah Montana fans, David and his daughters guest-starred as themselves in the episode "My Best Friend's Boyfriend", in which they wait for a table at a fancy restaurant. David appeared as a panelist on the NBC series The Marriage Ref and also played Sister Mary-Mengele in the 2012 reboot of The Three Stooges. He co-wrote and starred in the 2013 HBO television film Clear History. David wrote and starred in the Broadway play Fish in the Dark. Also appearing were Rita Wilson, Jayne Houdyshell, and Rosie Perez. The play centers on the death of a family patriarch. It opened on March 5, 2015. Jason Alexander took over David's role in July. The play closed in August. As of February 1, 2015, its advance sale of $13.5 million had broken records for a Broadway show.
Portrayal of Bernie Sanders Since 2015, David has made multiple guest appearances portraying 2016 and 2020 United States presidential election candidate Bernie Sanders on Saturday Night Live; he also hosted the show on February 6, 2016, with musical guest The 1975 and a cameo by Sanders himself, and on November 4, 2017, with musical guest Miley Cyrus.
In 2017, PBS's Finding Your Roots discovered through genealogical research that David and Sanders are distantly related. Sanders told David the news. "I was very happy about that," David said, according to Variety. "I thought there must have been some connection." The comedian explained that Sanders is "a third cousin or something". He is in fact David's sixth cousin once removed.
On January 8, 2020, David joked on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, "I would say, I would beg him [Bernie] to drop out so I don't have to keep flying in from Los Angeles to do SNL. I thought when he had the heart attack that would be it, I wouldn't have to fly in from Los Angeles. But, you know, he's indestructible. Nothing stops this man!" He later added, "If he wins, do you know what that's going to do to my life? Do you have any idea? I mean, it will be great for the country—great for the country, terrible for me."
"My Dinner With Adolf" essay (2025)
On April 21, 2025, The New York Times published an opinion essay by David titled "My Dinner With Adolf". Framed as a fictional 1939 dinner between the narrator and Adolf Hitler, the satirical piece uses dark humor to explore how personal charm can dangerously obscure the true nature of monstrous people. Without directly naming any contemporary figures, the essay mirrors the language Bill Maher used when describing his dinner with Donald Trump. Despite being a longtime critic of Trump, Maher characterized Trump as "gracious and measured" in private.
2025–present: Return to television