Michael Richards
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Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor and former stand-up comedian. He achieved global recognition for starring as Cosmo Kramer on the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering the national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special, and went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays.
From 1989 to 1998, he played Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld, three times receiving the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. During the run of Seinfeld, he made a guest appearance in Mad About You, reprising his role as Kramer. Richards also made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as Cheers. His film credits include So I Married an Axe Murderer, Airheads, Young Doctors in Love, Problem Child, Coneheads, UHF, and Trial and Error, one of his few starring roles. In 2000, he starred in his own sitcom, The Michael Richards Show, which was canceled after only two months.
In 2006, Richards was filmed going on a racist tirade against hecklers while performing at the Laugh Factory in California. After the tape was obtained and released by TMZ,<ref name="TMZ-2006">Template:Cite web</ref> significant backlash and media coverage led to Richards retiring from stand-up in early 2007. In 2009, he appeared as himself in the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm alongside his fellow Seinfeld cast members for the first time since the show’s finale. In 2013, he portrayed Frank in the sitcom Kirstie, which was canceled after one season.<ref name=HollywoodReporter>Template:Cite web</ref> He most recently played Daddy Hogwood in the 2019 romantic comedy Faith, Hope & Love.
Early life
[edit]
Richards was born in Culver City, California, to a Catholic family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is the son of Phyllis (née Nardozzi), a medical records librarian. As a child, Richards was told his father was William Richards, an electrical engineer,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> who died in a car crash when Michael was two.<ref name="pp">Template:Cite magazine</ref> He later learned his mother's pregnancy was the result of a sexual assault and that she considered abortion and adoption before deciding to raise him as a single mother. Richards was also raised by a grandmother who suffered from schizophrenia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Richards graduated from Thousand Oaks High School. In 1968, he appeared as a contestant on The Dating Game but was not chosen for a date. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1970. He trained as a medic and was stationed in West Germany, where he was a member of a theatrical group called The Training Road Show.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He became interested in performing after taking a theatrical class in seventh grade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
After being honorably discharged, Richards used the benefits of the G.I. Bill to enroll in the California Institute of the Arts and earned a Bachelor of Arts in drama from the Evergreen State College in 1975.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also had a short-lived improv act with Ed Begley Jr. During this period, he enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College and continued to appear in student productions.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Career
[edit]1979–1989: Early career
[edit]
Richards got his big TV break in 1979, appearing in Billy Crystal's first cable TV special. In 1980, he began as one of the cast members on ABC's Fridays television show, where Larry David was a fellow cast member and writer. It included a famous instance in which Andy Kaufman refused to deliver his scripted lines, leading Richards to bring the cue cards on screen to Kaufman, who responded by throwing his drink into Richards' face, causing a small riot (Richards later claimed he was in on the joke).<ref name="fac">Michael Richards 'Speaking Freely' transcript via First Amendment Center, Recorded February 28, 2002, in Aspen, Colorado Template:Webarchive</ref> The film Man on the Moon featured a re-enactment of the Andy Kaufman incident where Richards was portrayed by actor Norm Macdonald.<ref>Template:Cite video</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1981, he appeared in the It's a Living episode "Desperate Hours".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1986, Richards had a minor role in the cult satirical TV miniseries Fresno, playing one of a pair of inept criminal henchmen. That same year he auditioned to play Al Bundy in the TV series Married... with Children, but he was passed over for Ed O'Neill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1989, Richards had a supporting role in "Weird Al" Yankovic's comedy film UHF as janitor Stanley Spadowski. On television, he appeared in Miami Vice as an unscrupulous bookie; in St. Elsewhere as a television producer making a documentary about Dr. Mark Craig; in Cheers as a character trying to collect on an old bet with Sam Malone; and made several guest appearances with Jay Leno as an accident-prone fitness expert.
According to an interview with executive producer David Hoberman, ABC first conceived the series Monk as a procedural police comedy with an Inspector Clouseau-like character suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Hoberman said ABC wanted Richards to play Adrian Monk, but he turned it down.<ref>from "Mr Monk and His Origins," a special feature packaged with the Season One DVDs.</ref>
1989–2005: Seinfeld and rise to prominence
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In 1989, Richards was cast as Cosmo Kramer in the NBC television series Seinfeld, created by fellow Fridays cast member Larry David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Although it got off to a slow start, by the mid-1990s it had become one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. It ended its nine-year run in 1998 at No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings. In Seinfeld, Kramer is the neighbor across the hall of the show's eponymous character, and is usually referred to only by his last name. His first name, Cosmo, was revealed in the sixth-season episode "The Switch".
Richards won more Emmys than any other Seinfeld cast member, taking home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1993, 1994, and 1997 for his role as Kramer. When referring to speculation that he would launch a spin-off to Seinfeld about Kramer, Richards said he was not interested in doing so.<ref name="background">Davis, Ivor (May 30, 1997). Fame is a 'Trial' for Michael Richards. Ventura County Star.</ref> During the run of Seinfeld, Richards made cameo appearances in several TV shows; he played himself in EpisodeTemplate:Nbsp2 of SeasonTemplate:Nbsp1 "The Flirt Episode" (1992) of the HBO series The Larry Sanders Show. He also had a cameo role in the comedy thriller film So I Married an Axe Murderer, credited as "insensitive man". In 1996, Richards made a cameo in Epcot's Ellen's Energy Adventure, where he portrayed a caveman discovering fire. He played radio station employee Doug Beech in Airheads, and co-starred with Jeff Daniels as an actor pretending to be a lawyer in 1997's Trial and Error. He also made guest appearances on Miami Vice, Night Court and Cheers.
In 2000, two years after the end of Seinfeld, Richards began work on a new series for NBC, his first major project since SeinfeldTemplate:'s finale. The Michael Richards Show, for which Richards received co-writer and co-executive producer credits, was conceived as a comedy/mystery starring Richards as a bumbling private investigator. When the first pilot failed with test audiences, NBC ordered that the show be retooled into a more conventional, office-based sitcom before its premiere. After a few weeks of poor ratings and negative reviews, it was canceled. Critics said the show was too "Kramer-esque" and Richards invoked the so-called "Seinfeld curse" as to why the show failed.<ref name="background"/>
Starting in 2004, he and his fellow Seinfeld cast members provided interviews and audio commentaries for the Seinfeld DVDs. Richards stepped down from providing audio commentary after SeasonTemplate:Nbsp5, though he continued to provide interviews.
2006–2012: Laugh Factory incident and aftermath
[edit]During a performance on November 17, 2006 at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, California, Richards launched into a racist rant in response to repeated heckling and interruptions from a small group of Black and Hispanic audience members. Richards was recorded shouting "He's a nigger!" several times and making references to lynching, Planet of the Apes, and the Jim Crow laws.<ref name="TMZ-2006"/><ref name="Vibe">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="washingtonpost.com">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Canadian Broadcasting Corporation">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Reuters-2006">Template:Cite news</ref> Kyle Doss, a member of the group that Richards addressed, said the group had arrived in the middle of the performance and were "being a little loud." According to Doss:
The incident remained unknown to the larger public for three days until a cellphone video filmed by a member of the audience was obtained and released by TMZ. On November 20, after the video made rounds around the news, Jerry Seinfeld invited Richards to appear via satellite during a broadcast of the Late Show with David Letterman, where Richards was recorded saying: "I'm not doing too good. I lost my temper on stage, I was at a comedy club trying to do my act and I got heckled and I took it badly and went into a rage. And uh, said some pretty, uh, nasty things to some Afro-Americans."<ref name="CNN-transcripts2">Template:Cite news</ref> Many studio audience members laughed as Richards began his unscripted explanation and apology, thinking it was a bit, leading Seinfeld to reprimand them, saying: "Stop laughing. It's not funny." Richards said he had been trying to defuse the heckling by being even more outrageous but it had backfired. He later called civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to apologize.<ref name="CNN-transcripts">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="CNN-article">Template:Cite news</ref> He also appeared as a guest on Jackson's syndicated radio show.<ref name="CBS-2007">Template:Cite news</ref> Doss stated that he did not accept Richards's apology, saying: "If he wanted to apologize, he could have contacted ... one of us out of the group. But he didn't. He apologized on-camera just because the tape got out."<ref name="CNN-article"/><ref>Kyle Doss wants reparations for Kramer calling him a nigger at YouTube</ref>
Richards' popularity among the general public declined after the tape was released. A Gallup poll conducted in late November found that only 41 percent of Americans still held a favorable view of Richards. By contrast, other Seinfeld cast members' favorability ratings were in the 70s and 80s.<ref name="poll">Newport, Frank (December 1, 2006). Gauging the Impact of the Michael Richards Incident. Gallup Inc..</ref> The same poll also found that 45 percent of non-whites expressed a negative view of Richards due to the incident.<ref name="poll"/> The incident was parodied on several TV shows, including Mad TV, Family Guy, South Park, Extras and Monday Night Raw. In the ninth episode of the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Richards appeared as himself and poked fun at the incident. In 2008, rapper Wale referenced the incident and used recordings of the incident as well as Richards' apology, in the song "The Kramer" on The Mixtape About Nothing album.
One year after the incident, Richards voiced character Bud Ditchwater in the animated film Bee Movie, which starred and was produced by Jerry Seinfeld. In 2009, Richards and the other main Seinfeld cast members appeared in the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2012, he appeared in the comedy web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, hosted by Seinfeld, in which he remarked on the 2006 incident.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the episode, Richards explained that the outburst still haunted him and was a major reason for his retirement from stand-up.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2013–present: Recent years
[edit]In 2013, Richards was cast to play Frank in the sitcom Kirstie, costarring Kirstie Alley and Rhea Perlman. It premiered on TV Land on December 4, 2013<ref name=HollywoodReporter/> and was canceled after one season.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2014, Richards appeared as the president of Crackle in a trailer for SeasonTemplate:Nbsp5 of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Seinfeld said the trailer's storyline would be expanded on in one of the episodes.
In 2019, Richards played Daddy Hogwood in the romantic comedy Faith, Hope & Love starring Peta Murgatroyd and Robert Krantz.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In June 2024,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Richards released a memoir entitled Entrances and Exits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
[edit]Richards and his first wife, a family therapist, were married for 18 years. They have one daughter, born 1975. They separated in 1992 and divorced the following year.<ref name="People" /><ref name="pp" /> Through their daughter, Richards has two grandchildren.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2010, Richards married his girlfriend of eight years. They have one son, born 2011.<ref name="year" />
Richards is a Freemason.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Richards revealed in his 2024 memoir Entrances and Exits that he survived stage 1 prostate cancer in 2018 via the surgical removal of his entire prostate.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Young Doctors in Love | Malamud Callahan | |
| 1984 | The House of God | Dr. Pinkus | |
| The Ratings Game | Sal | ||
| 1985 | Transylvania 6-5000 | Fejos | |
| 1986 | Whoops Apocalypse | Lacrobat | |
| 1987 | Choice Chance and Control | Victor Loudon | Driver's Ed video |
| 1989 | UHF | Stanley Spadowski | |
| 1990 | Problem Child | Martin Beck | |
| 1993 | Coneheads | Motel Clerk | |
| So I Married an Axe Murderer | Insensitive Man | ||
| 1994 | Airheads | Doug Beech | |
| 1995 | Unstrung Heroes | Danny Lidz | |
| 1997 | Redux Riding Hood | The Wolf | Voice; Short film |
| Trial and Error | Richard "Ricky" Rietti | ||
| 2007 | Bee Movie | Bud Ditchwater | Voice<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2013 | Walk the Light | Lester | Short film |
| 2019 | Faith, Hope & Love | Daddy Hogwood |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–1982 | Fridays | Various roles | 54 episodes; also writer |
| 1982 | Faerie Tale Theatre | King Geoffeey | Episode: "The Tale of the Frog Prince" |
| 1983 | Herndon | Dr. Herndon P. Stool | Television film |
| 1984 | Faerie Tale Theatre | Vince | Episode: "Pinocchio" |
| At Your Service | Rick the gardener | Television film | |
| Night Court | Eugene Sleighbough | Episode: "Take My Wife, Please" | |
| The Ratings Game | Sal | Television film | |
| 1984–1985 | St. Elsewhere | Bill Wolf | 5 episodes |
| 1985 | Tall Tales & Legends | Sneaky Pete | Episode: "My Darlin' Clementine" |
| Cheers | Eddie Gordon | Episode: "Bar Bet" | |
| Scarecrow and Mrs. King | Petronus | Episode: "Car Wars" | |
| Slickers | Mike Blade | Television film | |
| It's a Living | Hager | Episode: "Desperate Hours" | |
| Hill Street Blues | Special Agent Durpe | Episode: "An Oy for an Oy" | |
| 1986 | Miami Vice | Pagone | Episode: "The Fix" |
| A Year in the Life | Ronnie | 3 episodes | |
| Fresno | 2nd henchman | 5 episodes | |
| 1987 | Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge | Various roles | Television special |
| 1987–1988 | Marblehead Manor | Rick | 11 episodes |
| 1989 | Camp MTV | Stanley Spadowski | Television film |
| 1989–1998 | Seinfeld | Cosmo Kramer | 178 episodes |
| 1992 | Dinosaurs | Director | Voice Episode: "Wesayso Knows Best" |
| Mad About You | Cosmo Kramer | Episode: "The Apartment" | |
| The Larry Sanders Show | Himself | Episode: "The Flirt Episode" | |
| 1996 | London Suite | Mark Ferris | Television film |
| 2000 | David Copperfield | Mr. Wilkins Micawber | Television film |
| The Michael Richards Show | Vic Nardozza | 7 episodes; also co-creator, writer, and executive producer | |
| 2009 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Michael Richards | 3 episodes<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2012–2014 | Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee | Himself / Dick Corcoran | 4 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Kirstie | Frank | 12 episodes |
Awards and nominations
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Richards, Michael (June 4, 2024). Entrances and Exits. Permuted Press. Template:ISBN.
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Pages with broken file links
- 1949 births
- 20th-century American comedians
- 20th-century American male actors
- 21st-century American comedians
- 21st-century American male actors
- American Freemasons
- American male comedians
- American male film actors
- American male television actors
- American male voice actors
- American sketch comedians
- American stand-up comedians
- American people of Italian descent
- Anti-black racism in the United States
- California Institute of the Arts alumni
- Combat medics
- Comedians from Los Angeles County, California
- Evergreen State College alumni
- Living people
- Los Angeles Valley College people
- Male actors from Los Angeles County, California
- Military personnel from California
- Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
- People from Culver City, California
- Thousand Oaks High School alumni
- United States Army soldiers