Before her signature role of Estelle Costanza on "Seinfeld," Estelle Harris had a few dozen roles. In the same episode, when Elaine tells him that they're back together, he answers "Oh, no". Jerry wears an expensive jacket when he meets Elaine's father, but an argument ensues when Jerry is reluctant to wear it outside during a snowfall. Director Tom Cherones notes that after "The Stake Out" aired, Seinfeld and David decided they wanted a"harsher parent" for Morty, and replaced the actor. Alright, what, what's the worst he could do? A box of letters from John Cheever is all that remains after Susan's father's cabin burns down. He was 70. "The Jacket" premiered on American television on February 6, 1991, on NBC, it gained a Nielsen rating of 10.4/16 and was praised by critics. The moves are repeated in her bedroom in a short scene of "The Slicer". In "The Sniffing Accountant" she dates Jake Jarmel, an up-and-coming writer and star client of Pendant Publishing. "[4] Tierney, realizing he had been caught, tried to make a joke about how he thought taking the knife would be funny, by reenacting a scene from Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960), holding the knife above his head and making threatening motions towards Seinfeld. After that episode, one of the show's creators, Larry David decided that the character as played by Bruns was too laid back, and felt Jerry should have a more crotchety dad. The Jacket: Directed by Tom Cherones. . In "The Summer of George", Elaine makes an enemy of her coworker Sam (Molly Shannon). Mabel Choate also testifies against Jerry at the trial in the series finale, noting that he never expressed remorse for stealing from her, a little old lady. Seinfeld confronted Tierney about the theft, leading Tierney to try to play it off as a joke and mockingly reenact the classicPsycho stabbing scene with Seinfeld. During Seasons 2 to 5, Elaine works at Pendant Publishing under her boss Mr. Lippman, where she served as a copy editor. George parks it in a handicapped-reserved spot, and it imperils a woman in a wheelchair, and an angry mob forms and destroys the car. As they enter Alton Benes' hotel, Elaine has not arrived yet, forcing them to wait with her father for 30 minutes. He portrayed the wonderfully and aptly named Lt. Joe Bookman, the stern and relentless "library cop" who tracks down Jerry in the 1991 installment "The Library" over a 20-years-overdue copy of Henry Miller's "Tropic of Cancer.". Cutell's close friend Mark Furman announced on Facebook in November 2021 that the prolific actor and "Seinfeld" guest star had passed away. In the episode, Jerry is thrilled when he gets the #1 speed-dial slot on the phone of his new girlfriend, Valerie. Nettleton died in Woodland Hills, California, in January 2008, due to complications of lung cancer, according to the New York Times. In one of the most notorious "Seinfeld" moments, she sees George fish an eclair out of a garbage can and eat it. It was all because of a comically fraught relationship with his overbearing, overprotective, judgmental, and often shrieking mother, Estelle Constanza, or "MA!" Sid makes one more cameo appearance later in the "Seinfeld" run, watching the TV show Jerry and George make about their lives. It is likely that Elaine was raised Catholic, as her last name is Czech in origin (see Edvard Benes) and the Czech people are, for the most part, historically Catholic. After the gang uncharacteristically signs up to volunteer their time with a nonprofit service to assist lonely elderly people, Jerry is assigned Sidney Fields, a cantankerous old jerk who insults his helper and calls him names, and becomes convinced that he's going to murder him (and then teases him when he doesn't actually kill him). If George Costanza was insufferable even to his best friends, he was exponentially worse at work. 10 Elaine's Father Played A Role In The Assassination Of JFK NBC. Making several appearances acrossSeinfeld's nine-season run, the parentsbrought a hilarious dynamic to the show, most notably by providing amusing commentary on Florida's senior citizen communities, and Frank's famous Festivus holiday. Elaine dates baseball player (and Kramer and Newman's nemesis) Keith Hernandez in "The Boyfriend". and for her leading role in a comedy for "Archie Bunker's Place." John Randolph was by no means a bad actor. 26. In "The Betrayal", Elaine is so unhappy at receiving an "unvitation" (a deliberately last-minute invitation) to Sue Ellen Mischke's wedding that she travels all the way to India just to attend. They buy a "lesser" cinnamon babka and must deal with the busy, harried counterwoman (Kates) to return it. Lawrence Tierney was the veteran tough-guy actor who played the role of Elaine's dad, Alton Benes, on Seinfeld. In the clip, Stiller, in character as George Costanza's bellicose father, stands over his TV son, played by Jason Alexander, and faces off against Julia Louis-Dreyfus in character as Elaine . That list, of course, includes the likes of Bryan Cranston, Mariska Hargitay, James Spader, and Bob Odenkirk, among numerous others. Jerry's relationship with Uncle Leoa man so pushy that he resorts to grabbing people's arms while he's speaking so that they won't walk awaycomes to literally explosive moments, like when one of Jerry's packages accidentally ends up at Leo's and blows up. Jerry and Elaine dated for a while before the show started. While Phil Bruns originally played Jerry's dad, Morty Seinfeld, for his first appearance on Seinfeld, it's Barney Martin that Seinfeld fans remember when thinking of the character, since he played him for 19 episodes. "From Towson to Tinseltown,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Elaine_Benes&oldid=1137708670, This page was last edited on 6 February 2023, at 01:33. The titular old man in the Season 4 "Seinfeld" episode, "The Old Man" is played by Bill Erwin. We even see him buying a gun, presumably in case George and his friends are acquitted for their myriad crimes and social wrongs. [1] Leifer has said some elements of the character of Elaine, especially her assertiveness, intelligence and sense of humor, are drawn from the off-screen personality of Julia Louis-Dreyfus herself. The episode was written by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld and was directed by Tom Cherones. He's none too pleased when Ricky stalks Elaine to the Costanza house having made a bizarre bouquet out of Frank's TV Guide. Tierney booked his most famous early-career role in 1945, portraying legendary gangster John Dillinger in the hit film "Dillinger." In "The Smelly Car", Elaine repulses her boyfriend Carl when her hair smells of body odor from riding in Jerry's car. [9] He was known for his bad-guy roles in films during the 1940s and 1950s, such as Dillinger, The Hoodlum and Born to Kill. [6] She attended finishing school and completed her undergraduate education at Tufts University, revealed to be her safety school in "The Puerto Rican Day", as a French literature major. When confronted, he pretended to stab seinfeld with the knife and was not asked to return. At the wedding, George reveals that Elaine had once dated the groom, leading Sue Ellen to rip out Elaine's nose-ring. She expresses shock when Puddy is revealed as a devout Christian. 1. For three episodes, character actress Frances Bay plays Mabel, bringing scathing wit and impeccable comedic timing to this very physical role. In addition to his one-off role in "Seinfeld," character actor Lou Cutell appeared in more than 100 films and TV shows. He was hired by Screen Rant in 2013 to write box office prediction posts in conjunction with the Screen Rant Underground's Box Office Battle game, and his role at the site grew from there. When Elaine finally arrives, she explains that Kramer promised her a lift if she would wait in his car for two minutes. Mullally's found success since Will & Grace as part of two mega-talented cable ensembles in Party Down and Children's Hospital. In just four episodes, Poppie manages to cause quite a lot of damage, including with a medical condition that causes him to unknowingly urinate on Jerry's new couch. Howie shows up just once in "Seinfeld," but it's in both halves of the two-part 1998 series finale, and the way Jerry and the gang react to his extreme misfortune sets the concluding events of the show into motion. [2] The episode also contains the first mention to Elaine's job as a manuscript reader for Pendant Publishing; in early drafts of the script, her job was an optician. It has been 30 years since Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David's groundbreaking sitcom Seinfeld first hit the airwaves, and the show is still as timeless and relevant as ever. Kramer makes a contact for Cuban cigars. He also originated the role of Amos Hart (Mr. Cellophane) in the 1976 Broadway production of Chicago. Once Peterman returns to find an ineffective reshuffling of employees in "The Money" she is demoted back to her former position. He was retired from acting following several knee surgeries. Some mutual friends of the primary foursome get engaged, and Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George agree to buy the couple a big-screen TV and borrow a car from George's father to go pick it up. Here are the Seinfeld actors you may not know passed away. Countless career ups and downs ensued, though Tierney booked an impressive run of work in the 1980s via roles in JohnCassavetes' "Gloria," and the Stephen King adaptation"Silver Bullet." So you burn a house down. Played by Billye Ree Wallacefor three episodes, Jerry's Nana is minding her own business when Jerry suddenly decides to cash all the $10 checks she'd been sending him for his birthday for many, many years. The character didn't reappear until season 5's episode "The Puffy Shirt," and this time, it was Jerry Stiller filling the role. In "The Understudy", after she thinks her Korean manicurists are making fun of her, she angers them by bringing in Frank Costanza, who is fluent in Korean, to eavesdrop on them. Frank was such a huge presence in Seinfeld, it's hard to believe he was only in 24 episodes. [4] David stated in an interview that Richard Yates was "every bit as intimidating as Alton Benes". One of the places where we see her struggle the most is in her role as assistant to Justin Pitt, one of Doubleday Publishing's top executives. "How could she leave us alone with this lunatic?"Season 2 Episode 5 'The Jacket': Jerry wears an expensive jacket when he meets Elaine's father, but an argum. Among the most memorable were Jerry and George's parents - Morty & Helen Seinfeld, and Frank & Estelle Costanza. Elaine's father, a published author, was inspired by Richard Yates, author of Revolutionary Road, whom Larry David had met while dating his daughter. Then he lands one of last of the many jobs he takes on over the course of the show, at a playground equipment company called Play Now. He now has a wide range of cinematic tastes, enjoying the latest Hollywood blockbusters, Oscar contenders, and everything in between. While Phil Bruns originally played Jerry's dad, Morty Seinfeld, . Sony Pictures Television. The parents of Jerry and George are frequently the center of "Seinfeld" plot arcs, but Elaine's father, Alton Benes, makes just . Frank replies, "You want a piece of me? You got it." While preparing for the dinner, George arrives at Jerry's apartment with the song "Master of the House" stuck in his head. Kramer makes a contact for Cuban cigars. Once more trying to buy something at the Royal Bakery only to have someone else purchase it right before he can, Jerry loses out on a marble rye to an elderly woman, which he gets after mugging her and taking it. Here's some Seinfeld trivia for ya: Fans of a certain age may not remember, but Jerry Stiller wasn't always the Festivus-creating patriarch of the Costanza family. From sleeping with his assistants and offering them unauthorized raises to napping under his desk instead of doing his job, George was a nightmare employee. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide stated, "An otherwise mediocre episode, Lawrence Tierney's gruff turn as Elaine's father helps redeem 'The Jacket. Patrick Warburton has arguably one . He wanted to do the same thing with Morty, and reshoot the scene from "The Stake Out," but by the time he came up with the idea, the actors had aged so much it wouldn't have been realistic. Played by another comedy and Broadway legend,Sandy Baron, for six episodes, Jack Klompus' general suspicion of the entire Seinfeld family goes to some pretty dark depths, culminating in Klompus accusing Morty of stealing. en.wikipedia.org. Elaine begins dating David in the latter half of Season 6, and later for the majority of Season 9. She started dating Jerry later that year. Most of the episode's storyline was based on one of David's personal experiences. A box of letters from John Cheever is all that remains after Susan's father's cabin burns down. One of the more prominent names to guest star on both shows. In multiple episodes, including "The Strong Box" and "The Wizard", she can be seen wearing a crucifix. He simply played Frank too subtly. Elaine Marie Benes (/ b n s /) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus.Elaine's best friend in the sitcom is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld, and she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer.Louis-Dreyfus received critical acclaim for her performance as Elaine, winning an Emmy, a Golden Globe and five SAG Awards. Sheridan's representative told Deadline that the actor died in her sleep in April 2022. Jerry Seinfeld: Well, maybe not us but two men could. Actress Ruth Cohen made a career of extra work on shows like The Golden Girls and Murder, She Wrote, with her main success as Seinfeld's most prolific background star. There's actually precedent for this; Phil Burns played Morty Seinfeld before being replaced by Barney Martin, and John Randolph was Frank Costanza before Jerry Stiller. He succumbed to his illnesses in May 2020 at the age of 56. Jerry offends Elaine's assistant. With her mop of curly hair, sometimes blue uniform, and kindly demeanor, Ruthie is one of the few Seinfeld characters who does no harm to others. Elaine screams 'Stella!' in 'Seinfeld' (Season 3, Episode 3) One of Elain's iconic moments in Seinfeld was turned into a popular meme. Like the show's star, Jerry Seinfeld, John Pinette came up in the stand-up comedy boom of the 1980s and 1990s. In "The Fire", Elaine reveals her hate for her overly energetic, always-happy colleague Toby. They started dating in 1986 (as revealed in "The Truth") and dated until 1990. In "The Secret Code", she mentions an uncle who worked in the Texas School Book Depository with Lee Harvey Oswald. Elaine's New Yorker cartoon actually made it into The New Yorker. It out. It also left an indelible mark on television comedy in the wake of its controversial finale in May of 1998. In the previous episode, Kramer burned down the cabin with one of his Cuban cigars, but the father hasn't heard this.