Biography
Who is Larry David?
Early life and real name
Lawrence Gene David was born on July 2, 1947, in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. His parents were Rose and Mortimer Julius David, and he grew up alongside his older brother Ken in a Jewish family. He attended Sheepshead Bay High School and graduated in 1965 before pursuing higher education at the University of Maryland, College Park. At college, he studied history and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1970.
Following his college graduation, Larry joined the United States Army Reserve and trained as a petroleum storage specialist. Before completing his military service, he paid a psychiatrist to write a letter declaring him unfit for duty in order to avoid the final year of his enlistment.
Career beginnings
Before finding widespread success in television, Larry worked various jobs, including store clerk, limousine driver, and historian, while performing as a stand-up comedian. During this period, he lived in Manhattan Plaza in Hell's Kitchen, residing across the hall from Kenny Kramer, who served as the real-life inspiration for the Cosmo Kramer character in Seinfeld.
Larry transitioned into television comedy by working as a writer and cast member for ABC's Fridays from 1980 to 1982. He later joined NBC's Saturday Night Live as a writer for the 1984 to 1985 season. During his brief tenure at Saturday Night Live, he managed to get only one sketch on the air during the final time slot before quitting and returning to work a couple of days later.
Seinfeld and breakthrough
In 1989, Larry teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create a pilot for NBC titled The Seinfeld Chronicles. This pilot evolved into the immensely successful sitcom Seinfeld, which ran from 1989 to 1998 and became one of the most acclaimed shows in television history. He served as the primary inspiration for the character George Costanza and made various uncredited appearances on the program, such as voicing George Steinbrenner.
Larry wrote 62 episodes of Seinfeld, including the acclaimed 1992 episode The Contest, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award. He left the series amicably after the seventh season and returned in 1998 to write the series finale. Beyond Seinfeld, he wrote and directed the 1998 feature film Sour Grapes and appeared in Woody Allen projects such as Radio Days.
Curb Your Enthusiasm and later work
In 1999, HBO aired Larry's one-hour special Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, which paved the way for the hit comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show premiered in 2000 and concluded its run with its twelfth and final season in January 2024. The series relies on improvisation from detailed story outlines, with Larry portraying a fictionalized version of himself dealing with everyday social awkwardness.
In addition to television, Larry made his Broadway debut in 2015 by writing and starring in the comedic play Fish in the Dark. He also portrayed Bernie Sanders in multiple guest appearances on Saturday Night Live starting in 2015, and starred in the 2013 HBO television film Clear History.
Birthday and age
Larry David was born on July 2, 1947, which makes Larry 79 years old today. That birthday falls under the Cancer sign. Larry shares the date with 29 other famous people.
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