The 15 Best Non-George Steinbrenner Cameos on ‘Seinfeld’ by Larry David
Outside of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David is obviously best known as the co-creator of Seinfeld. A close second, though, is having served as the voice of George Steinbrenner on Seinfeld. But probably surprisingly to most non-Seinfeld stans, that was hardly his only on-screen (or voice) appearance on the show. In fact, he was seen or heard in nearly 40 Seinfeld episodes in all. He was even the original voice of Newman before Wayne Knight made the character iconic.
Here then are the 15 quintessential Larry David Seinfeld cameos that don’t involve George Steinbrenner…
Man in Hallway, ‘The Trip’
In the Season Four premiere, David can be seen in the hallway when Kramer is being arrested for the murder of Chelsea Lang. Seinfeld writer Larry Charles can be seen standing next to him. Although it’s a fairly quick scene, it’s still one of the few moments we actually see David on-screen.
Elderly Patron, ‘The Chinese Restaurant’
Jerry bets Elaine $50 to eat an egg roll from a patron’s plate. When she approaches a table, she tries to whisper that she’ll give them $25 to do so, but the elderly diners can’t understand her. David can be heard shouting, “What did she say?!?! What did she say?!?! Will someone tell me what she said?!?!”
Airplane Passenger, ‘The Airport’
While Jerry is living his best life in first class, Elaine is slumming it back in coach. When she returns to her seat after getting up during the food service, the flight attendant tells her the only meal they have left is a kosher one. After the passengers sitting next to her argue about what a kosher meal is, David can be heard saying, “Oh, you know what? I ordered the kosher meal.” When Elaine asks him, “Then why didn’t you take it?,” he responds, “I ordered it six weeks ago. I forgot.”
Newman, ‘The Revenge’
As mentioned earlier, before Wayne Knight played the role, David originally voiced Newman. The scenes have since been dubbed with Knight’s voice for syndication, but the original version can be heard below.
Prisoner, ‘The Finale’
In the final scene of the series, Jerry is doing stand-up from Latham County Prison. Several Seinfeld alumni appear in it. When Jerry asks, “Is anyone here from Cellblock D?,” one of the prisoners responds, “I am.” That’s the voice of Seinfeld music composer Jonathan Wolff. At the very end of the scene, the prison guard escorting Jerry off-stage is Jon Hayman, the voice of the Bubble Boy. But the best cameo belongs to David, who can be heard heckling Jerry with, “You suck! I’m gonna cut you!”
Saddam Hussein Look-alike, ‘The Dinner Party’
George and Kramer are double-parked by a Saddam Hussein look-alike, making them late to pick up Jerry and Elaine from the bakery. The actor who played Hussein originally voiced the character, but his accent was too difficult to understand, so David dubbed over it in an English accent. The unexpectedness of David’s goofy accent is perfectly juxtaposed with the faux toughness of the despot when he says, “I wouldn’t walk around without a coat in this weather, you’ll catch your death of cold. So long!”
Beachgoer, ‘The Marine Biologist’
After Jerry runs into college “it” girl Diane DeConn, George is shocked to learn that she’s interested in him. The only catch is that Jerry told her that George is a marine biologist. The result is a hilarious set of lies that George tells about marine life and a trip to the Galapagos Islands to keep up the charade. The story comes to a head when the couple is strolling on the beach and come across a dying whale, which is when we hear David’s unmistakable voice cry out in the distance, “Is anyone here a marine biologist?”
Cop, ‘The Wig Master’
One of Kramer’s most memorable Seinfeld moments is his Season Seven “pimp walk.” He strolls down the street with a top hat, the squire’s walking stick and the wig master’s Technicolor dreamcoat. When he gets mistakenly arrested as a pimp and is having his mugshot taken, we can hear David on the speaker saying, “Okay, big daddy, take the hat off.” He then asks Kramer to turn to his right. When he doesn’t, David yells out, “I said turn, pimp!”
Car Thief, ‘The Alternate Side’
When Jerry’s car is stolen, he calls his car phone in hopes of confronting the thief. The car thief, voiced by David, answers, and he and Jerry engage in a calm, nonchalant exchange, with David asking, “Hey Jerry, when’s the last time you had a tune up?” David even agrees to mail Kramer a pair of gloves that were left in the car.
Greenpeace Activist, ‘The Pilot’
David and Charles reappear together in the Season Four finale as Greenpeace activists rafting alongside NBC President Russell Dalrymple, who quit his job to join Greenpeace in hopes of gaining Elaine’s respect. His plan backfires as he falls out of the boat and drowns at sea. That’s when David delivers the famous line: “I’ll remember her name — Elaine Benes. I’ll write to her. I’ll tell her all about you, and what you did out here. Goodbye, matey! Goodbye!”
Tennis Announcer, ‘The Lip Reader’
While attending the U.S. Open, George treats himself to an enormous ice cream sundae. Unbeknownst to him, one of the cameramen spots him eating it and films his ice-cream covered face. The tennis announcers begin making some wisecracks at George’s expense, including David’s memorable line, “Hey buddy, they have a new invention — it’s called a napkin!”
Movie Voiceovers, ‘The Movie’ and ‘The Pool Guy’
In Season Four’s “The Movie,” the gang gets split up trying to see Checkmate, and end up in the theater for Rochelle, Rochelle, a young woman’s strange erotic journey from Milan to Minsk. David voiced the dialogue in the films. It’s particularly hilarious when you can hear his voice telling Rochelle, “Take off those wet clothes, you’ll catch a cold.” David has another memorable movie appearance in Season Seven’s “The Pool Guy,” where he voices the character in the film Chunnel, yelling, “Everybody out of the chunnel! Everybody out!”
Newsstand Owner, ‘The Gum’
George stops at a newsstand to buy a pack of gum, and David is the vendor behind the counter. Not only do you see David on-screen, but he also interacts with one of the main four characters in a back-and-forth dialogue. He isn’t in costume either, so he’s authentically himself as he says, “I beg your pardon, your majesty, but we don’t accept bills with lipstick on the president.”
Sigmund, ‘The Heart Attack’
David’s first on-screen appearance from Season Two, which occurs as Jerry is dozing off on his couch while a bizarre sci-fi film plays in the background. In the movie, David laughs maniacally as he calls out, “Like flaming globes, Sigmund! Like flaming globes!” On the Seinfeld DVD interviews, writer Larry Charles confirmed that he suggested David play the role of the eccentric Sigmund.
Man in the Cape, ‘The Chinese Woman’
Jerry and Elaine spot Frank Costanza talking to a mysterious man wearing a cape and sunglasses. We later learn that the strange man is Frank’s lawyer, who Frank describes as “an independent person who doesn’t follow the trends.” While Frank’s wife Estelle says he looks ridiculous, we agree with Frank that the man has an eye for fashion. At the end of the episode, the Man in the Cape comes to the rescue of Noreen as she contemplates jumping off a bridge. Is this man a lawyer or some type of superhero? We’ll never know, but the mystery of the Man in the Cape makes for David’s most beloved cameo.
