Editing Michael Richards (section)

===1989–2005: ''Seinfeld'' and rise to prominence===
[[File:Michael Richards Jerry Seinfeld.jpg|thumb|Richards with [[Jerry Seinfeld]] at the [[44th Primetime Emmy Awards]] in 1992]]

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 [[Situation comedy|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 [[Jerry Seinfeld (character)|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 (Seinfeld)|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 (media)|spin-off]] to ''Seinfeld'' about Kramer, Richards said he was not interested in doing so.<ref name="background">Davis, Ivor (May 30, 1997). [https://www.newspapers.com/article/ventura-county-star-fame-is-a-trial-fo/138203047/ 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 Episode{{nbsp}}2 of Season{{nbsp}}1 "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 [[Universe of Energy#Ellen's Energy Adventure (1996–2017)|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 (1997 film)|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 ''Seinfeld''{{'}}s finale. ''[[The Michael Richards Show]]'', for which Richards received co-writer and co-[[Television producer|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#The Seinfeld "curse"|''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 Season{{nbsp}}5, though he continued to provide interviews.