Jason Alexander, George Constanza
With looks that can be sympathetic and charming--as well as devious and unscrupulous--Tony Award winner Jason Alexander is currently known as Jerry Seinfeld's witty angst ridden sidekick, George Costanza on NBC's hit series "Seinfeld" For his flawless portrayal of George, Alexander has earned two Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe nomination and has won an American Television Award and two American Comedy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a television series. New York Daily News says "Casting Alexander in this role was a stroke of pure genius." In addition to "Seinfeld" , Alexander recently filmed the comedy "North" directed by Rob Reiner, which co-stars fellow "Seinfeld" castmate Julia-Louis Dreyfuss, Bruce Willis and Elijah Wood. He was recently seen in the feature film "Coneheads" with Dan Akroyd and Jane Curtain, and can be seen in a cameo role in Ron Howard's film "The Paper" which stars Michael Keaton and Glenn Close.
An actor whose talents span all media, Alexander began by entertaining his classmates at a young age to keep them from teasing him about his chubbiness. He memorized comedy albums, movie dialogue and did impressions so well that he never gave his peers a chance to laugh at him, only with him. Alexander took singing and dancing lessons outside of school--he considered his Bar Mitzvah his "first paid gig." At 17, he earned his first professional job when he was spotted in a children's theater group and was asked to perform on a local New York children's program.
Two years later, he landed his first film while studying acting at Boston University in a horror film entitled "The Burning," which also features Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens. Subsequent films would include "Brighton Beach Memiors," "Mosquito Coast," Jacob's Ladder," "White Palace," and playing Richard Gere's friend and villainous lawyer in "Pretty Woman." Last year, Alexander starred in "I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore," a romantic comedy in which he is not only the leading man, but even gets the girl.
A theater lover, his Broadway debut came with "Merrily We Roll Along," a Hal Prince/Stephen Sondheim collaboration. He also starred in the Broadway production of Rupert Holmes' "Accomplice," Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound" and "The Rink" with Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera. His theatrical capstone, however, was Jerome Robbins' "Broadway," for which he won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Further displaying his Broadway talents, Alexander also authored the narration for the show, which itself went on to become the Tony Award winner for Best Musical. Most recently, Alexander took to the stage in Los Angeles, portraying Harry Truman in the one man play Give 'Em Hell Harry, which brought unanimous raves from Los Angeles theater critics and audiences alike.
On television, Alexander starred in his own CBS series "Everything's Relative," was a series regular on "E.R." with Elliott Gould and co-starred in the acclaimed mini-series "Favorite Son." He has appeared in numerous commercials, his best known being the "Keep In Touch" ad for Western Union, and his Rold Gold Pretzel Campaign. Last year, a dream of Alexander's came true when he hosted "Saturday Night Live."
Born and raised in New Jersey and a long-time resident of New York, "Seinfeld" has forced Alexander and his wife to move to Los Angeles. Although he likes L.A., Alexander misses the New York theater community terribly. His wife began a neighborhood recycling program in New York, and together they have brought their environmental zeal to Los Angeles. They recently welcomed their first child, a son, into the world.
Always looking to challenge himself, Alexander hopes to direct theater, something he has not done since college. Last season he directed his first television show--an episode of "Seinfeld," which brought him yet another nomination for a DGA Award. With his new projects, combined with his diverse talents of actor, singer, dancer and director, we have only begun to see a fraction of what Jason Alexander has to offer.