Festivus for the Rest of Us! The Hidden Gems and Interesting Facts About the Sitcom Seinfeld

Michael Richards Then

Michael Richards is the actor who played the role of super eccentric neighbor Kramer. Kramer was always barging in or getting involved in some kind of crazy situation. He played the role so well that he even received several best-supporting actor Emmys for the bit.

Actually, Michael won the most awards out of the entire cast! Like most of the rest of the cast, Michael was a comedian before going into acting. Before Seinfeld, he had an array of other bit parts in well-known sitcoms like Cheers and Miami Vice. He also appeared in a string of very popular 1990s movies including Airheads, So I Married an Ax Murderer, and Coneheads.

Kramer Could Have Been Called “Kessler”

When it comes to sitcoms, there certainly seems to be a pattern for pilot episodes. Many actors who appear in pilot shows end up disappearing from the canon of the sitcom. Most people are curious about pilot shows and how characters evolve into totally different characters.

Cosmo Kramer was originally called Kessler in the pilot episode of Seinfeld. Seinfeld producer Larry Davis had a neighbor named Kenny Kramer. This neighbor was hesitant to have his name used in the series. Kenny Kramer was paid $1,000 for the rights to have the Kramer name used in the sitcom. Kenny Kramer went on to use his fame to start a tour bus company called Kramer’s Reality Tour bus company.