Doc Brown's nephew, Mrs. Potatohead,
and a P. T. Anderson favorite. These are the Seinfeld stars who are no longer with us.
Monk's Cafe in Seinfeld is as much a character as the actors on screen, and its human embodiment is
Ruthie Cohen — the cashier who appears in a whopping 101 episodes of the show. Uncredited
and unnamed, Ruthie might not always get a speaking line, but during the show's nine seasons,
she appeared in the most episodes besides the core cast of Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer.
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. Her most memorable episode might be
the one where George accuses her of stealing a $20 bill he still had in his own wallet.
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.
In 2008, Cohen died of a heart attack at 78.
If we want to understand why George Costanza is how he is, we need not look much further
than his father, Frank, whose impotent rage has been passed down to his dysfunctional and
underachieving son. From his obsession with TV Guide to his creation of an alternative
December holiday called Festivus that violently combats the cheer of Christmas and Hanukkah,
"And at the Festivus dinner you gather your family around
and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year."
Frank Costanza is almost in a class of his own amid the routine madness of Seinfeld.
He was such a huge presence in the show, it's hard to believe he was only in 24 episodes.
Frank was played by Hollywood royalty Jerry Stiller — the father of Ben Stiller.
He brought his signature eccentricity to the role with all the gusto he could muster.
Jerry Stiller passed away in his sleep in May 2020 at the age of 96,
having spent the last 60 years of his life making people laugh.
While Phil Bruns originally played Jerry's dad, Morty Seinfeld, for his first appearance
on the show, it's Barney Martin that Seinfeld fans remember when thinking of the character,
since he played him for 19 episodes. George and Frank are clearly related, but the apple
has fallen far from the tree with Morty and Jerry; the two have very little in common.
And that doesn't stop them from having ridiculous conflicts. Take, for example,
the time Jerry bought Morty a Cadillac after a career boost. Instead of enjoying the gift,
Morty got impeached as president of the Homeowners Association after his neighbors believed he stole
their collective funds to afford such a sweet new ride. The enmity between Morty and Frank Costanza
was epic, and his brief turn working with Elaine at J. Peterman was as weird as it was funny.
A detective turned actor, Barney Martin died at 82 of cancer in Studio City,
California, in 2005. He remains best known for his role as Jerry's dad on Seinfeld,
despite an otherwise storied acting career.
In a cast filled with literally hundreds of memorable weirdos, Jerry's Uncle Leo is
arguably one of the strangest. The comedian's relationship with Uncle Leo—a man so pushy
that he resorts to grabbing people's arms while he's speaking so that they won't walk away—comes
to literally explosive moments, like when one of Jerry's packages accidentally ends
up at Leo's and blows up. Even after it comes to light that Uncle Leo sparked the
conflagration by leaving a can of cleaning spray in his oven, he still blames Jerry.
Played by prolific character actor Len Lesser, who appeared in more than 500 roles during the
course of his long career, Uncle Leo became his own force of nature in Seinfeld. In February 2012,
he passed away from cancer-related pneumonia in Burbank, California, at the age of 88.
Bookstore owners may not miss shoplifting Uncle Leo, but Seinfeld fans sure do.
"Jerry! Hello! Jerry! Hello!"
If George Costanza was insufferable even to his best friends, he was exponentially worse
at work. 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.
No one was more baffled or unsettled by his unruly work behavior than his boss at Yankee Stadium, Mr.
Wilhelm. For viewers, Mr. Wilhelm's puzzled and shocked face over his 11 Seinfeld episodes often
mirrored our own as we watched George's antics — amazed that the man somehow never got fired.
In many ways, Mr. Wilhelm feels like one of the show's few examples of a
conscience — all thanks to Richard Herd's empathetic portrayal. He
even made an appearance in the series finale, along with Mr. Steinbrenner.
Herd had been a familiar face in both movies and television until his death
in May of 2020 from cancer complications at the age of 87.
Wretched though Elaine Benes might be in her personal life,
she demonstrates professionalism at work — at least compared to George. Unfortunately,
she has to contend with bosses who are all insane to varying degrees. This brilliant
comedic reversal makes Elaine among the more fully rounded of these all-around awful characters.
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. Played by British actor Ian Abercrombie,
Mr. Pitt's quirks almost put Kramer's to shame. From cutting his Snickers bars with utensils and
needing a specific kind of white sock that must be ironed before wearing to picking the salt off
of pretzels, Mr. Pitt is one of Elaine's biggest complaints in the episodes in which he appears.
While Abercrombie was best known as Mr. Pitt, he had a long acting career that
began with stage work in the U.K. and ended in Hollywood many decades later. He passed away
from kidney failure complications in January 2012 at 77 years old.
While the majority of Seinfeld takes place inside Jerry's Manhattan apartment, some of the show's
misadventures occur in the retirement community in Florida where Jerry's parents live. Though
they're supposed to be enjoying their golden years and relaxing in the sun, nobody in the
retirement community got the memo, and certainly not Jack Klompus — Morty Seinfeld's arch nemesis.
Played by Sandy Baron — another comedy and Broadway legend — Jack Klompus' general suspicion
of the entire Seinfeld family culminates into him accusing Morty of stealing. Klompus also caused
an unnecessary row after forcing Jerry to accept his special astronaut pen that writes upside down,
"Take the pen." "Are you sure?" "I'm positive, take the pen." "Okay, thank you very much."
and then complaining about the incident to the whole community until Jerry gave it back.
Sandy Baron died in February 2001 at the age of 64 after battling emphysema for a number of years.
While Seinfeld was always a dark comedy, it had moments where it flirted with being
downright disturbing, like in the Ross family arc.
Susan Ross was George Costanza's longtime girlfriend and, briefly, his fiancée before
she died from licking toxic wedding envelopes George selected in order to save money.
Played by Twin Peaks alumni Warren Frost and Grace Zabriskie, Mr. and Mrs. Ross never liked George,
and they made no secret that they thought he was terrible for their daughter.
By the finale of Seinfeld, Mr. Ross is fully convinced that George deliberately
murdered his daughter. We even see him buying a gun, presumably in case
George and his friends are acquitted for their myriad crimes and social wrongs.
While Frost's turn as Doc Hayward in Twin Peaks overshadowed his five episodes of Seinfeld,
fans of the show continue to remember him fondly. He passed away in February 2017 at the age of 91.
Most of George Costanza's bosses expected far more from him than he was ever able to provide,
but not Mr. Kruger of Kruger Industrial Smoothing. He mirrors George's lackadaisical
manner in so many ways. Played by character actor Daniel von Bargen,
Mr. Kruger has a few iconic plotlines even though he's only in four Seinfeld episodes.
His first major story involves a trip to the beach with his family and a resulting photograph that
George mucks up completely. His most memorable appearance arguably comes when George tries to
convince him that his fictional charity, The Human Fund, is real. George's attempt
at persuasion ends with Kruger joining him for Festivus "celebrations" at the Costanza home.
"I find your belief system fascinating."
With his deadpan expression and comedic timing, von Bargen absolutely steals the
scene—a remarkable feat among so many other talented actors.
Tragically, he passed away in March 2015 at the young age of 64 after a long battle
with diabetes complications, mental illness, and a tragic suicide attempt.
We first meet Poppie — the owner of a well-known Italian pizzeria — when Jerry starts dating his
daughter, Audrey. The date takes a disastrous turn when Jerry sees that Poppie doesn't wash
his hands after using the toilet. This causes the comedian to refuse to eat the hand-tossed
pizza Poppie made especially for them, which insults both father and daughter.
In just four episodes, Poppie manages to cause quite a lot of damage, beginning when a medical
condition leads him to unknowingly urinate on Jerry's new couch. Poppie's enmity with the group
extends to Elaine; their conflicting views on abortion land him in the hospital due to stress.
The actor who played Poppie, Reni Santoni, was best known for his role as Clint Eastwood's
partner in Dirty Harry. He passed away at 81 in August 2020 after a long illness.
You'd think after so many years on air and in reruns, Seinfeld would bring us a little bit
closer to understanding how Jerry's brain works. But as we see with the Nana subplot, his behavior
remains a mystery. Played by Billye Ree Wallace for three episodes, Jerry's Nana is minding her
own business when her grandson suddenly decides to cash all the $10 checks she'd sent him for
his birthday for many, many years. Because Nana no longer has that particular account anymore,
the checks bounce, and she gets dressed up in her finest to go down to the bank to get it
sorted out. Unfortunately, she discovers the bank isn't there anymore. The neighborhood
is scarily run-down, but she gets surprisingly good directions from a random man in an alley.
Like many of her Seinfeld co-stars, Wallace was a well-known character actress who appeared in
shows like Mad About You as well as films like Albert Brooks' Mother. In March 1999,
Wallace passed away from respiratory failure and emphysema at the age of 73.
If there's one thing we know for certain about Jerry Seinfeld, it's that he's selfish and
opportunistic. Enter Mabel Choate, an elderly woman who simply wants a nice marble rye. Jerry
needs the loaf for George to replace the one that Frank Costanza stole from Susan's parents, so he
steals her bread. It's dark out, so Mabel doesn't recognize her assailant until another inopportune
moment: when Morty Seinfeld is being impeached. Mabel 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.
For three episodes, character actress Frances Bay plays Mabel,
bringing scathing wit and impeccable comedic timing to the role. She passed away at 92
years old in September 2011 after an accident left her with a series of health complications.
At the end of season three, Kramer gets upset after Jerry takes his keys back and decides he
wants to go to Los Angeles to be an actor. During his quest to find fame in showbiz,
he meets Helena, a former actress who haunts the hallways of his new apartment building.
Played by Elmarie Wendel, Helena is a send-up of Hollywood queen Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard,
stealing the show as she descends the stairs with her sometimes inappropriate commentary. Wendel
might have been better known for her turn as Mrs. Dubcek on Third Rock From the Sun, but Seinfeld
fans will still be saddened to hear of her passing in July 2018 of undisclosed causes. She was 89.
There are three Izzy Mandelbaums in Seinfeld: Izzy Sr., Izzy, and Izzy Jr. Comically,
all three generations appear to be roughly the same wizened age.
Izzy is one of Morty and Helen's neighbors in Florida. Irritated by Jerry's youthful vigor,
he challenges the comedian to feats of strength but ends up throwing his back out.
While visiting Izzy's sickbed, Jerry runs into Izzy Jr., who throws his back out
trying to goad Jerry into lifting a hospital television that's bolted to a table. Finally,
Izzy Mandelbaum Sr. appears and — you guessed it — lands himself in a hospital bed as well.
Sadly, all three Mandelbaum actors have passed away. Hollywood icon
Lloyd Bridges died in March 1998 at 85 after several illnesses,
Gene Dynarski passed in April 2020 after a series of heart issues,
and Mandelbaum patriarch Earl Schuman died of undisclosed causes at 100 years old in March 2016.
In Elaine's extensive catalog of men who become obsessed with her, the creepiest
is definitely Ricky, played by Christopher Lloyd's nephew Sam Lloyd. When we first meet Ricky, he's
sitting next to Elaine on the subway and offers her a highlighter for the TV Guide she's reading.
His intensity freaks her out, and in a rush to get away from him, she forgets her magazine on
the subway seat. Only, it's not her magazine—it's Frank Costanza's. He's none too pleased when Ricky
stalks Elaine to the Costanza house with a bizarre bouquet made out of his TV Guide.
The next time we meet Ricky, his obsession has veered into mild psychopathy;
he designs mannequins that look just like Elaine, which are distributed all over New York City.
Unfortunately, Scrubs actor Sam Lloyd, was only 55 when he was diagnosed with a brain
tumor and lung cancer. He succumbed to his illnesses in May 2020 at the age of 56.
Seinfeld fans will no doubt remember Walter Olkewicz from his memorable
guest role in the 1996 two-part episode "The Cadillac." As Nick the cable guy,
he chased Kramer through the streets of New York City and later hugged it out with
him after apologizing on behalf of Plaza Cable for making him wait at home all day.
The New Jersey native was best known for his turn as bartender Jacques Renault in Twin Peaks,
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and later as Jacques's cousin in Twin Peaks: The Return.
Olkewicz retired from acting following several knee surgeries and later died of complications
from infections in 2021 at the age of 72. His son, screenwriter Zak Olkewicz, said in a statement,
"He was a good man who pushed his love for creativity and the arts into everything he did,"
Over the span of 27 episodes of Seinfeld, viewers got a chance to see just why George Costanza was
the way he was. It was all because of a comically fraught relationship with his overbearing,
overprotective, judgmental, and often shrieking mother, Estelle Constanza.
"You're wearing that shirt. You've had it for five years already. Why don't you buy a new shirt?"
Estelle was often a hindrance to George's goals or a burden to be dealt with. She was great at
embarrassing her son, as was the case in her first appearance in the episode "The Contest."
"I go out for a quart of milk,
I come home and find my son treating his body like it was an amusement park."
Before her signature role of Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld, Estelle Harris had a few dozen parts.
She only began seriously acting in her late forties, with frequent theatrical
and TV commercial roles, according to CNN. After Seinfeld, she often played a version of Estelle
Costanza through voice work — most notably as Mrs. Potato Head in the "Toy Story" movies.
Harris died in April 2022 at the age of 93.
Veteran actor Philip Baker Hall appeared onscreen nearly 200 times
in a 50 year career that stretched from the early 1970s to the 2020s.
A definitive character actor, he was always noticeable for his uniquely
raspy voice and intense stare, which he brought to dozens of shows and movies.
Hall was a member of writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's repertory players,
landing major parts in Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, and Magnolia. He was
also part of the award-winning ensembles of The Contender, Argo, and Dogville. Regardless,
he is probably best remembered for the character he played on one episode of Seinfeld, which he
reprised in the series finale. He portrayed the wonderfully and aptly named Lt. Joe Bookman,
the stern and relentless "library cop" who tracks down Jerry over a book that was 20 years overdue.
Hall died at home in Glendale, California in June 2022. He was 90 years old.
There isn't anyone on Seinfeld who loved,
adored, and cherished the hard-to-love Jerry Seinfeld more than his mother, Helen Seinfeld.
"How could anyone not like you?"
She visits Jerry often at his home in New York City when he can't make it down to Florida to
see her and her husband Morty. Those visits usually morph into meddling and butting in,
verging on smothering. The doting, relentlessly sunny,
and persuasive Helen appeared in 21 Seinfeld episodes over the course of the series.
Playing the nosy Helen immediately after a recurring role as the nosy neighbor in
ALF was Liz Sheridan, a veteran of multiple '70s Broadway productions and many '80s sitcoms.
Her representative told Deadline that she died in her sleep in April 2022. She was 93.
Kathryn Kates portrayed an unnamed but plot-pivotal character in two episodes
of Seinfeld that aired two years apart. Jerry and Elaine head to the Royal Bakery to purchase
a chocolate babka but are unable to because they didn't take a number when they arrived,
enabling someone else to buy the last one. They purchase a "lesser" cinnamon
babka and must deal with the busy, harried counterwoman to return it.
Kates pops up again as the bakery cashier in the 1996 episode "The Rye." 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 Mabel Choate, which he infamously gets after mugging her and taking it.
A prolific character actor who appeared in Law and Order: SVU and Orange Is The New Black,
Kates died in Florida in January 2022 after a history of lung cancer. She was 73.
In the episode "The Bris", Jerry and Elaine are asked by some friends to be the godparents
of their new baby. In accordance with that, the pair must find a mohel — the Jewish holy figure
who performs the sacred rite of circumcision. Unfortunately, the guy they've hired isn't exactly
the best. He's prone to wild mood swings and may have even once faced malpractice allegations for
botching another bris. It all boils over into a full-on fight between Jerry and the mohel.
Portraying the unnamed but memorable mohel was character actor Charles Levin,
who, apart from Seinfeld, was probably best known for the pilot episode of The
Golden Girls and multiple Woody Allen films. In July 2019, his remains were
found in a remote area of Oregon, where he had gotten lost and stranded. He was 70.