Jason Alexander

This article is about the American actor. For other people named Jason Alexander, see Jason Alexander (disambiguation).

Jason Alexander
Alexander in 2009
Born	Jay Scott Greenspan (1959-09-23) September 23, 1959 (age 64) Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma mater	Boston University
Occupations	Actor comedian director television presenter podcaster
Years active	1981–present
Spouse	Daena Title ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	2
Relatives	Stacy Title (cousin-in-law)

Jay Scott Greenspan ^{[1] [2] [3]} (born September 23, 1959), ^[2] known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. He played George Costanza in the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998, for which he was nominated for seven consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

Alexander made his Broadway debut originating the role of Joe in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in 1981. He remained active on Broadway acting in the musicals The Rink in 1984, Personals in 1985, and the Neil Simon play Broadway Bound in 1986. He then starred in Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He appeared in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks' The Producers . He was the artistic director of "Reprise! Broadway's Best in Los Angeles", where he has directed musicals.

His film roles include Pretty Woman (1990), Coneheads (1993), North (1994), The Last Supper (1995), Dunston Checks In (1996), Denial (1998), Shallow Hal (2001), and Wild Card (2015). He also voiced the gargoyle Hugo in the Disney film The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and the 2002 sequel. For his role in Dream On (1994) he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He also acted in Curb Your Enthusiasm (2001, 2009), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019). He also voiced the titular character in Duckman (1994–1997).

Early life and education

Jason Alexander as a senior at Livingston High School in 1977.

Greenspan was born in Newark, New Jersey to a Jewish family, the son of Ruth Minnie (née Simon), a nurse and health care administrator, and Alexander B. Greenspan, an accounting manager. Greenspan later borrowed his father's first name to create his stage name, Jason Alexander. ^[1]

Alexander grew up in Maplewood and Livingston, New Jersey, and is a 1977 graduate of Livingston High School. ^[4] Interested in magic from an early age, he initially hoped to be a magician, but while attending a magic camp was told that his hands were too small for card magic. He became interested in theater, eventually realizing, "Wait a minute—the whole thing's an illusion. Nothing up there is real" and that theater itself was "a magic trick". He then decided to pursue a theater career. ^[5]

After high school, he studied theater at Boston University. He wanted to pursue classical acting, but a professor redirected him toward comedy after noticing his physique, remarking, "I know your heart and soul are Hamlet, but you will never play Hamlet." ^{[6] [7]} Alexander left Boston University without a degree after his third year to take a full-time acting job in New York City. The university awarded him an honorary degree in 1995.

Career

1980s: Early career and Seinfeld success

Alexander began his acting career on the New York stage and is an accomplished singer and dancer. On Broadway he appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along in 1981, Kander & Ebb's The Rink in 1984, Neil Simon's Broadway Bound in 1986, Accomplice in 1990, and Jerome Robbins' Broadway in 1989, for which he garnered the 1989 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.

Alexander made his film debut in 1981 in the summer camp slasher film The Burning . In addition to his roles as an insensitive, money-hungry lawyer in Pretty Woman in 1990, Alexander has appeared in Jacob's Ladder in 1990, The Last Supper in 1995, Dunston Checks In in 1996, Love! Valour! Compassion! in 1997, and Love and Action in Chicago in 1999.

Alexander starred in several commercials during the 1980s. Among them were commercials for Hershey's Kiss; Delta Gold potato chips; Miller Lite beer; McDonald's McDLT hamburger; Pabst Blue Ribbon beer; Levi's 501 jeans; Sony Watchman TV; and Western Union wire transfer. ^[8] Before Seinfeld, Alexander appeared in commercials for John Deere and McDonald's and in the short-lived CBS sitcom Everything's Relative (1987).

Alexander is best known as one of the key cast members of the award-winning television sitcom Seinfeld , where he played the bumbling George Costanza (Jerry Seinfeld's character's best friend since childhood). He was nominated for seven Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards for the role, but did not win any, mainly due to his co-star Michael Richards winning for his role as Cosmo Kramer. He did, however, win the 1995 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series. ^{[9] [10]}

Concurrently with his Seinfeld role, he had a part in the ABC sitcom Dinosaurs as Al "Sexual" Harris (who frequently engaged in sexual harassment) as well as other characters from 1991-1994. Alexander voiced the lead character in the animated series Duckman (1994–1997) and voiced Catbert, the evil director of human resources, in the short-lived animated series Dilbert from 1999-2000, based on the then-popular comic strip. ^{[11] [12]} In January 1995, he did a commercial for Rold Gold pretzels to be broadcast during the Super Bowl. The commercial depicts him with Frasier dog Eddie jumping out of an airplane with a parachute over the stadium. After the commercial, the audience is brought back to a supposedly live feed of the playing field hearing startled sports commentators as Alexander and the dog land in the field to wild applause.

Alexander appeared in the 1995 TV version of the Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie , as Conrad Birdie's agent, Albert Peterson. He guest-starred in episode 8 of the 1996 variety show Muppets Tonight . ^[13] He voiced the gargoyle Hugo in Disney's 1996 animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame and its direct-to-video sequel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame II . Alexander voiced the character Abis Mal in the 1994 film The Return of Jafar and the 1994-1995 TV series based on the 1992 film Aladdin .

In 1997, he played in the remake of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, alongside Whitney Houston, Brandy Norwood, and Whoopi Goldberg. His other Disney voice work includes House of Mouse in 2001 and the 2012 video game Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance . ^[14]

He has dabbled in directing, starting with 1996's For Better or Worse and 1999's Just Looking .

In 1999, Alexander presided over the New York Friars Club Roast event honoring Jerry Stiller, who played his father on Seinfeld; it featured appearances by Kevin James and Patton Oswalt, both Stiller's costars on The King of Queens . Alexander appeared in the 1999 Star Trek: Voyager episode "Think Tank" as Kurros, a genius alien trying to get Seven of Nine to serve on his ship.

2000s: Post-Seinfeld appearances, theatre, and solo-lead sitcoms

Despite a successful career in film and stage, Alexander did not repeat his Seinfeld-level of success in television. The year 2001 marked his appearance as inept womanizer Mauricio in Shallow Hal and his first post-Seinfeld return to prime-time television: the heavily promoted but short-lived ABC sitcom Bob Patterson , which was canceled after five episodes. Alexander partially blames the show's failure on the country's mood after 9/11. ^[15] Alexander made cameo appearances as himself in 2001 in the second season of Curb Your Enthusiasm , and he appeared in the show's seventh season with his three principal Seinfeld co-stars. ^[16] He was featured in the Friends 2001 episode "The One Where Rosita Dies" as Earl, a suicidal supply manager. Phoebe calls him trying to sell him toner, learns about his problem, and tries to persuade him not to commit suicide. This is referenced in an episode of Malcolm in the Middle where Alexander appears as Leonard, a neurotic and critical loner. He describes himself as "free" and says he makes money "selling toner over the phone". Later in the episode, he is repeatedly harassed by a man named George.

He appeared in "One Night at Mercy", the first episode of the short-lived 2002 revival of The Twilight Zone, playing Death. He played the toymaker A.C. Gilbert in the 2002 film The Man Who Saved Christmas . He appeared in Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) commercials in 2002, including one with Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants and another with Trista Rehn of The Bachelorette . It was rumored that he quit doing these commercials due to KFC suppliers and slaughterhouses' alleged cruelty to animals, but he denied that in an interview with Adweek , saying, "That's PETA bullcrap. I loved working for KFC. I was targeted by PETA to broker something between them. I think KFC really stepped up to the plate; unfortunately PETA did not." In 2007, Alexander appeared in a commercial for the ASPCA that aired on cable TV stations. ^[17] In 2018, Alexander became one of several celebrities to play Colonel Sanders in commercials for KFC, reprising his role from the 2002 campaign. ^[18]

In 2003, he was cast opposite Martin Short in the Los Angeles production of Mel Brooks's The Producers . ^[19] He appeared with Kelsey Grammer in the 2004 musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol , as Jacob Marley. Alexander's second chance as a TV series lead, the CBS sitcom Listen Up (2004–05), also fell short of a second season. Alexander was the principal executive producer of the series, based very loosely on the life of the popular sports-media personality Tony Kornheiser. Alexander appeared on the Family Guy: Live in Vegas 2005 album and sang a verse in a song.

Alexander continued to appear in live stage shows, including Barbra Streisand's memorable birthday party in 2005 for Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl, where he performed selections from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street with Angela Lansbury. ^[20] He featured in the 2005 Monk episode "Mr. Monk and the Other Detective" as Monk's rival, Marty Eels.

Alexander in 2006

In a 2006 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! , Alexander demonstrated several self-defense techniques. Also that year, he hosted the PBS "A Capitol Fourth" celebrations in Washington, D.C., singing, dancing, and playing tuned drums. Alexander was featured as a regular cast member in the second season of Everybody Hates Chris . He hosted the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner.

He was the artistic director of Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles from 2007 until it went defunct in 2013, ^[21] where he previously directed Sunday in the Park with George , and directed its 2007 revival of Damn Yankees . ^[22] In 2007, Alexander was a guest star in the third episode of the improv comedy series Thank God You're Here .

He has been a frequent guest and panelist on Bill Maher's Politically Incorrect in 1995, 1997 and 2000 ^[23] and Real Time in 2006, 2009 and 2012; ^[24] Hollywood Squares in 1999, 2002 and 2004; ^[25] the Late Late Show in 2003, 2012, 2014 and 2015, with Craig Kilborn, Craig Ferguson, and James Corden; ^{[26] [27] [28]} Late Show with David Letterman in 1989, 2000, and 2002; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in 2015; ^[29] and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in 2015. ^{[30] [31]}

In 2008, Alexander guest-starred in the season four episode "Masterpiece" of the CBS show Criminal Minds as Professor Rothschild, ^{[32] [33]} a well-educated serial killer obsessed with the Fibonacci sequence who sends the team into a race against time to save his last victims. ^[34] He returned in the same season to direct the episode "Conflicted", featuring the actor Jackson Rathbone.

Alexander hosted the LOL Sudbury opening night gala in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada in 2008, which was simulcast throughout Canada at 60 Cineplex theaters, a first for any comedy festival. He has lent his voice to several episodes of the Twilight Zone Radio Dramas .

In 2008 and again in 2009, Alexander fronted Jason Alexander's Comedy Spectacular, a routine exclusive to Australia. The show consists of stand-up and improvisation and incorporates Alexander's musical talent. He is backed up by several well-known Australian comedians. His first time performing a similar show of this nature was in 2006's Jason Alexander's Comedy Christmas. In February/March 2010, Alexander starred in his show, The Donny Clay Experience, at the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Donny Clay, whom he has portrayed in a tour of the United States and Orillia, Ontario, is a self-help guru in a similar mold to his Bob Patterson character.

In 2009, he played Joseph in the Thomas Nelson audio Bible production The Word of Promise. The project featured a large ensemble of actors, including Jim Caviezel, Lou Gossett Jr., John Rhys-Davies, Jon Voight, Gary Sinise, Christopher McDonald, Marisa Tomei, and John Schneider. ^{[35] [36]}

In 2009, Alexander had a small role in the film Hachi: A Dog's Tale as a train station manager. He starred as Cosmo in the 2011 live action film A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! . In 2011, Alexander was the guest star in an episode of Harry's Law , playing a high school teacher bringing a wrongful dismissal suit. ^{[37] [38]}

2010s–present

Alexander with Alan F. Horn in May 2010

In 2015, he replaced Larry David as the lead in David's Broadway play Fish in the Dark. He co-starred opposite Sherie Rene Scott in the 2017 world premiere of John Patrick Shanley's The Portuguese Kid at the Manhattan Theatre Club. ^[39]

In 2018, Alexander played Olix the bartender in The Orville . ^{[40] [41]} The same year, he portrayed Gene Lundy, a drama teacher, on two episodes of Young Sheldon . In 2020, 2021 and 2022, he reprised the role of Gene Lundy on one episode.

In 2019, Alexander appeared on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Asher Friedman, a blacklisted Broadway playwright who is an old friend of Midge Maisel's father Abe Weissman. ^[42] He won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Song for "The Bad Guys?" on Brainwashed By Toons (2020). In 2020, Alexander hosted the Saturday Night Seder , an online Passover Seder that featured many celebrities and benefited the CDC Foundation.

From February 2023 he co-presented Really? No, Really?, a weekly podcast in which he, co-host Peter Tilden, and their guests will attempt to find answers "to life’s most baffling, intriguing, confusing and annoying questions". ^[43] In July 2023, he made his Broadway directing debut with Sandy Rustin's comedy The Cottage. The cast includes Eric McCormack, Laura Bell Bundy and Lilli Cooper. ^[44]

In 2023, on the December 21 primetime CBS special Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic, Alexander performed two songs in conjunction with dance-performers and closed the show with a spoken tribute to Van Dyke. ^[45]

Personal life

Alexander has been married to Daena E. Title, cousin of director Stacy Title, since May 31, 1982. ^{[46] [47] [2]} They have two sons, Gabriel ^{[47] [48]} and Noah. ^[47]

Alexander performed a mentalism and magic act at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, California, from April 24 to 30, 2006, and he was later named The Academy of Magical Arts Parlor Magician of the Year for this act. He won the academy's Junior Achievement Award in 1989. ^[49]

Charity

Alexander was the national spokesman for the Scleroderma Foundation, a leading organization dedicated to raising awareness of the disease and assisting those who are afflicted. ^[50] In summer 2005, he appeared with Lee Iacocca in ads for DaimlerChrysler. Iacocca did the ads as part of a way to raise money for Denise Faustman's research on autoimmunity. ^[51] Iacocca and Alexander both have loved ones whose lives have been adversely affected by autoimmunity.

Alexander competed on televised poker shows and in various tournaments. He appeared twice on Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown , winning the final table of the 8th season. Alexander won the $500,000 prize for the charity of his choice, The United Way of America, to help benefit the New Orleans area. Alexander played in the 2007 World Series of Poker main event, but he was eliminated on the second day. He returned in 2009, making it to day 3 of the event and finishing in the top 30% of the field. Alexander has appeared on NBC's Poker After Dark in the "Celebrities and Mentors" episode, finishing in 6th place after being eliminated by professional poker player Gavin Smith. He signed with PokerStars, where he plays under the screen name "J. Alexander". In 2021, Alexander competed in a virtual National Poker Tournament, hosted by the Children's Tumor Foundation, to raise money for Neurofibromatosis research.

Political views

Alexander has been a prominent public supporter of the OneVoice initiative, which seeks out opinions from moderate Israelis and Palestinians who want to achieve a mutual peace agreement. On Real Time with Bill Maher , he said he had visited Israel many times and spoke about progress toward peace he had observed.

Alexander is a supporter of the Democratic Party. ^[52] Alexander supports same-sex marriage ^[53] and an assault weapons ban. ^[54] In 2020, he campaigned for the Texas Democrats with former Seinfeld colleagues Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Larry David. ^[55] He endorsed Barack Obama in 2012 ^[56] and Joe Biden in 2020. ^[52] Alexander has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration ^{[57] [52]} and he has ridiculed Donald Trump over his dancing. ^[58] He has called Republican Party senator Ted Cruz a jerk from the "jerk store" in reference to a joke from Seinfeld. ^[59]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	The Burning	Dave
1986	The Mosquito Coast	Clerk
	Brighton Beach Memoirs	Pool Player
1990	Pretty Woman	Philip Stuckey
	White Palace	Neil
	Jacob's Ladder	Mr. Geary
1992	I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore	Bernie Fishbine
1993	Sexual Healing	Frank	Short subject
	Coneheads	Larry Farber
	For Goodness Sake	VCR Customer	Short subject
1994	The Paper	Marion Sandusky
	North	North's Father
	The Return of Jafar	Abis Mal	Voice, direct-to-video
	Blankman	Mr. Stone
1995	For Better or Worse	Michael Makeshift	Also director
	The Last Supper	The Anti-Environmentalist
1996	Dunston Checks In	Robert Grant
	The Hunchback of Notre Dame	Hugo	Voice [60]
1997	Love! Valour! Compassion!	Buzz Hauser
1998	Denial	Art Witz
1999	Madeline: Lost in Paris	Henri / Uncle Horst	Voice, direct-to-video [60]
	Love and Action in Chicago	Frank Bonner
	Just Looking	Radio Announcer	Voice, uncredited; also director
2000	The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle	Boris Badenov
	Let's Rap Fire Safety	Smoke Detector	Voice; short subject [60]
2001	The Trumpet of the Swan	Father	Voice [60]
	On Edge	Zamboni Phil
	Shallow Hal	Mauricio Wilson
2002	The Hunchback of Notre Dame II	Hugo	Voice, direct-to-video [60]
2003	101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure	Lil' Lightning	Voice, direct-to-video [60]
2006	Ira & Abby	Dr. Morris Saperstein
	Hood of Horror	British Record Mogul
	How to Go Out on a Date in Queens	Johnny
	Farce of the Penguins	Penguin on Belly	Voice, direct-to-video
2007	The Grand	Dr. Yakov Achmed
2009	Rock Slyde	Mailman Stan
	Hachi: A Dog's Tale	Carl
2010	Quantum Quest: A Cassini Space Odyssey	Major Moron	Voice [60]
2011	The Voyages of Young Doctor Dolittle	Eugene	Voice, direct-to-video
2012	Stars in Shorts	Sid Rosenthal
	Delhi Safari	Male Flamingo, Hyena Cook	Voice, English dub [60]
2014	Lucky Stiff	Vinnie DiRuzzio
2015	Wild Card	Pinky
	Larry Gaye: Renegade Male Flight Attendant	Larry's Dad
2016	Tom and Jerry: Back to Oz	Mr. Bibb / The Nome King	Voice, direct-to-video [60]
	Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened	Himself	Documentary
2020	My Boyfriend's Meds	Dr. Sternbach
	Faith Based	Nicky Steele
2023	Leo	Jayda's dad	Voice [61]
2024	The Electric State	TBA	Post-production
TBA	The Gettysburg Address	Noah Brooks	Voice, documentary

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1981	Senior Trip	Pete	Television film
1984–1985	E/R	Harold Stickley	15 episodes
1986	Rockabye	Lt. Ernest Foy	Television film
1987	Everything's Relative	Julian Beeby	10 episodes
1988	Newhart	Ramming	Episode: "Courtin' Disaster"
1989–1998	Seinfeld	George Costanza	Main role
1992–1993	Dinosaurs	Various voices	Recurring role
1993	Dream On	Randall Townsend	Episode: "Oral Sex, Lies and Videotape"
	Saturday Night Live	Himself (host)	Episode: "Jason Alexander/Peter Gabriel"
1994–1997	Duckman	Eric Duckman	Voice, main role
1994, 1998	The Larry Sanders Show	Himself	2 episodes
1994	Aladdin	Abis Mal	Voice, recurring role
1995	Bye Bye Birdie	Albert Peterson	Television film
1996	Muppets Tonight	Himself	Episode: "Jason Alexander"
	The Nanny	Jack	Episode: "The Tart with Heart"
	Sesame Street	Himself	Episode 3557
1997	Remember WENN	Alan Ballinger	Episode: "Nothing Up My Sleeve"
	Cinderella	Lionel	Television film
1998–1999	Hercules	Poseidon	Voice, recurring role
1998	Saturday Night Live	Titey	Voice, episode: "Steve Buscemi/Third Eye Blind"
1999	Jingle Bells	Elf	Voice, television film
	Ultimate Trek: Star Trek's Greatest Moments	Captain James T. Kirk	Television special
	Star Trek: Voyager	Kurros	Episode: "Think Tank"
1999–2000	Dilbert	Catbert	Voice, main role
2001, 2009	Curb Your Enthusiasm	Himself	Recurring role
2001	Friends	Earl	Episode: "The One Where Rosita Dies"
	Bob Patterson	Bob Patterson	Main role; also executive producer
	The Legend of Tarzan	Zutho	Voice, episode: "Tarzan and the Face from the Past"
2002	Son of the Beach	Tex Finklestein	Episode: "Penetration Island"
	House of Mouse	Hugo	Voice, episode: "Donald Wants to Fly"
	The Twilight Zone	Death	Episode: "One Night at Mercy"
	The Man Who Saved Christmas	A.C. Gilbert	Television film
2003	Malcolm in the Middle	Leonard	Episode: "Future Malcolm"
2004–2005	Listen Up	Tony Kleinman	Main role; also producer
2004	A Christmas Carol	Jacob Marley	Television film
2005	Monk	Marty Eels	Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Other Detective"
2006	Odd Job Jack	Don	Voice, episode: "Twenty-One You're Dead"
2006–2007	Everybody Hates Chris	Principal Edwards	2 episodes
2006	Campus Ladies	Professor	Episode: "A Very Special Episode"
2008	The New Adventures of Old Christine	Dr. Palmer	Episode: "One and a Half Men"
	Criminal Minds	Prof. Rothchild	Episode: "Masterpiece"
2009	Meteor	Dr. Chetwyn	2 episodes
2010–2013	Fish Hooks	Mr. Nibbles	Voice, 3 episodes [60]
	The Cleveland Show	Saul Friedman	Voice, 2 episodes
2010, 2023	American Dad!	Sal / Mr. Orlando	Voice, 2 episodes
2011	Glenn Martin, DDS	Brandon	Voice, episode: "GlenHog Day"
	Franklin & Bash	Carter Lang	Episode: "Big Fish"
	Harry's Law	Richard Cross	Episode: "Bad to Worse"
	China, IL	Harold	Voice, 2 episodes
	A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!	Human Cosmo	Television film
2011–2012	Dora the Explorer	Owl	Voice, 3 episodes [60]
2012	Two and a Half Men	Dr. Goodman	Episode: "The Straw in My Donut Hole"
	Clipaholics	Narrator	Voice, main role
2013	Community	Mountain Man	Episode: "Intro to Felt Surrogacy"
2014	Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee	George Costanza	Episode: "George Costanza: The Over-Cheer"
	Kirstie	Stanford Temple	Episode: "Maddie's Agent"
	Comedy Bang! Bang!	Inspector Gantlet	Episode: "Jenna Fischer Wears a Floral Blouse & Black Heels"
	How Murray Saved Christmas	Doc Holiday	Voice, television film
2014–2017	The Tom and Jerry Show	Rick	Voice, recurring role (season 1–2) [60]
2015	Big Time in Hollywood, FL	Himself	Episode: "The Hand That Feeds"
	Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero	Coach Wallace	Voice, episode: "Ultrahyperball" [60]
	Drunk History	William "Boss" Tweed	Episode: "Journalism"
	League of Legends with Videogamedunkey	Himself	Episode: "Brucer Zin Zow"
2015–2016	The Grinder	Cliff Bemis	4 episodes
	TripTank	Various voices	6 episodes [60]
2016	The Mark Lembeck Technique	Mark Lembeck	Pilot
2017	Animals.	Algae	Voice, episode: "Rats" [60]
	The Simpsons	Bourbon Verlander	Voice, episode: "The Caper Chase"
	Hit the Road	Ken Swallow	Main role; also co-creator, writer and executive producer
2017–2018	Kody Kapow	Goji	Voice, recurring role
2017, 2019	Robot Chicken	Krampus	Voice, 2 episodes
2018–2022	Young Sheldon	Gene Lundy	5 episodes
2018	Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age	Himself	Documentary
2018–2019	The Orville	Olix	2 episodes
2019	The Bug Diaries	Cicada	Voice, episode: "Worm's New Digs"
	Richard Lovely	Mr. Mouse	Voice, pilot
	Pinky Malinky	Mayor Hop	Voice, recurring role [60]
2019–present	Harley Quinn	Sy Borgman	Voice, 13 episodes [60]
2019–2022	The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel	Asher Friedman	4 episodes
2019	Mad About You	Himself	Episode: "Real Estate for Beginners"
2021	The Conners	Pastor Phil	2 episodes
	The Problem with Jon Stewart	Jeff Bezos	Episode: "Working-Class Economy"
2022	Out of Office		Television film
	Star Trek: Prodigy	Doctor Noum	Voice, 7 episodes
2023	History of the World, Part II	Maurice Cheeks	Episode: "VI"
2024	Rock, Paper, Scissors	Jonathan Fartjoke	Voice, episode: "Potato/The Fart Joke Debate"

Music videos

Year	Title	Role	Ref.
2007	"Celebrity"	Performer	[62]
2007	"Online"	Director
2012	"Trying Not to Love You"	Bud the Coffee Foam Artist

Video games

Year	Title	Voice role
1996	Disney's Animated Storybook: The Hunchback of Notre Dame	Hugo
	The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Topsy Turvy Games	Hugo [60]
2012	Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance	Hugo [60]

Theme parks

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	It's Tough to be a Bug	Weevil Kneevil

Director

Year	Title	Notes
1992	Seinfeld	Episode: "The Good Samaritan"
2006	Campus Ladies	Episode: "A Very Special Episode"
2007–2008	Everybody Hates Chris	2 episodes
2009	Criminal Minds	Episode: "Conflicted"
2010	'Til Death	Episode: "Snore Loser"
2012	Franklin & Bash	Episode: "Last Dance"
	Mike & Molly	Episode: "Vince Takes a Bath"
2023	Young Sheldon	Episode: "A Frat Party, a Sleepover and the Mother of All Blisters"

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Venue	Ref.
1981	Merrily We Roll Along	Joe Josephson	Neil Simon Theatre	[63]
1982	Forbidden Broadway	Performer	Stage 72
1984	The Rink	Lino/Lenny/Punk/Uncle Fausto	Al Hirschfeld Theatre
1985–1986	Personals	Louis/Others	Minetta Lane Theatre
1986–1988	Broadway Bound	Stanley	Broadhurst Theatre
1989–1990	Jerome Robbins' Broadway	Narrator	Imperial Theatre
1990	Accomplice	Performer	Richard Rodgers Theater
	Light Up the Sky	Sidney Black	Union Square Theatre
2000	Defiled	Harry Mendelssohn	Geffen Playhouse
2003–2004	The Producers	Max Bialystock	National Tour
2006	The God of Hell		Director Geffen Playhouse
2008	The Odd Couple	Oscar Madison	Stage Reading
2013	Finding Neverland	Charles Frohman	Workshop	[64]
	Broadway Bound		Director Odyssey Theatre	[63]
2015	Fish in the Dark	Norman Drexel	Cort Theatre
2017	The Portuguese Kid	Barry Dragonetti	Manhattan Theatre Club
2019	The Last Five Years		Director Syracuse Stage	[65]
2023	The Cottage		Director Helen Hayes Theater, Broadway	[66]
2024	Judgment Day	Sammy Campo	Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Awards and nominations

Tony Awards

Year	Category	Performance	Result	Ref.
1989	Best Actor in a Musical	Jerome Robbins' Broadway	Won	[67]

Primetime Emmy Awards

Year	Category	Project	Episode	Result	Ref.
1992	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series	Seinfeld	"The Note" + "The Tape"	Nominated	[68]
1993			"The Contest" + "The Outing"	Nominated
1994			"The Hamptons" + "The Opposite"	Nominated
	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series	Dream On	"Oral Sex, Lies, and Videotape"	Nominated
1995	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series	Seinfeld	"The Gymnast" + "The Race"	Nominated
1996			"The Pool Guy" + "The Invitations"	Nominated
1997			"The Comeback"	Nominated
1998			"The Strike"	Nominated

Daytime Emmy Awards

Year	Category	Project	Result	Ref.
2020	Outstanding Original Song	Brainwashed By Toons	Won	[68]
	Outstanding Writing for a Special Class Program		Nominated

Golden Globe Awards

Year	Award	Performance	Result	Ref.
1993	Best Supporting Actor – Television	Seinfeld	Nominated	[68]
1994			Nominated
1995			Nominated
1998			Nominated

Screen Actors Guild Award

Year	Award	Performance	Result	Ref.
1995	Ensemble in a Comedy Series	Seinfeld	Won	[68]
1995	Male Actor in a Comedy Series		Won
1996	Ensemble in a Comedy Series		Nominated
1996	Male Actor in a Comedy Series		Nominated
1997	Ensemble in a Comedy Series		Won
1997	Male Actor in a Comedy Series		Nominated
1998	Ensemble in a Comedy Series		Won
1998	Male Actor in a Comedy Series		Nominated
1999			Nominated

References

1. kevinpollakschatshow (January 13, 2015), KPCS: Jason Alexander #86, archived from the original on December 11, 2021, retrieved October 9, 2017
2. "Jason Alexander Biography: Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Comedian (1959–)". Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). September 23, 1959. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
3. "Jason Alexander". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012.
4. Weinraub, Bernard. "At the Movies" Archived May 2, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , October 22, 1999. Retrieved February 24, 2011. "I was born in 1959 and grew up in Livingston, New Jersey, but I felt I knew these people very well"
5. "Jason Alexander discusses how he got into acting and his early career- EMMYTVLEGENDS.ORG". Archived from the original on December 11, 2021 – via YouTube.
6. Laskowski, Amy (February 2015). "Seinfeld's Costanza Gives Master Class in Acting at CFA". Bostonia. Boston University: 4.
7. Master Class with Alumnus Jason Alexander, archived from the original on July 17, 2023, retrieved July 17, 2023
8. Efrem, Maia (July 27, 2016). "Jason Alexander Had Hair When He Starred in These 8 Hilarious '80's Commercials". Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020– via Forward.com.
9. "The Inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards | Screen Actors Guild Awards". sagawards.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
10. "Screen Actors Guild Awards (1995)". IMDb. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
11. "Dilbert (1999-2000) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
12. "Catbert". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
13. "Muppets Tonight". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
14. "Jason Alexander to debut in Kingdom Hearts". I.imgur.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
15. "In Step With: Jason Alexander". Parade Magazine. April 3, 2005. Archived from the original on March 22, 2006.
16. Rice, Lynette (March 5, 2009). "Exclusive: 'Seinfeld' cast to appear on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on July 3, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
17. "Logan, a victim of animal cruelty". Archived from the original on July 30, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2010– via YouTube.
18. Haring, Bruce (August 7, 2018). "Jason Alexander Is Latest KFC Celebrity Col. Sanders Imitator in New Ads". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
19. Jones, Kenneth (July 17, 2002). "Mel Brooks Gets Jason Alexander and Martin Short for L.A. Producers, Starting May 2, 2003". Playbill. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
20. Gallo, Phil (July 10, 2005). "Stephen Sondheim's 75th: The Concert". Variety. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
21. Ng, David (June 28, 2013). "Jason Alexander on the end of Reprise Theatre Company". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
22. Gans, Andrew (November 6, 2007). "Reprise! Damn Yankees, with Derricks, Gillentine, Page, Taylor and White, Begins Nov. 6". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
23. Mann, Bill (January 1, 1997). "Maher makes the correct move". SFGATE. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
24. Guthrie, Marisa (September 5, 2012). "HBO's Bill Maher Pulls in Largest Audience in Eight Years Amid Presidential Conventions". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
25. Wang, Jessica (April 12, 2022). "Jason Alexander, Jon Stewart, Jennifer Tilly, and more remember Gilbert Gottfried: 'What a gift'". Yahoo News. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
26. "Talk Show Watch: "Camp" on "Letterman," Jason Alexander on "Kilborn," Melanie Griffith on "The View"". Playbill. August 3, 2003. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
27. Rahman, Ray (June 3, 2012). "Jason Alexander apologizes for calling cricket a 'gay sport' on 'The Late Late Show'". EW.com. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
28. Levin, Sydney (February 12, 2014). "Jason Alexander defends his very obvious toupee". Yahoo News. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
29. Fierberg, Ruthie (October 3, 2017). "Jason Alexander Shares the Time He Got in Trouble With Stephen Sondheim". Playbill. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
30. Gorenstein, Colin (June 9, 2015). "Watch Larry David and Jason Alexander gang up on Jimmy Fallon during "Tonight Show" appearance". Salon. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
31. Fox, Jesse David (June 9, 2015). "Larry David and Jason Alexander Appeared on Fallon Together: Imagine Seinfeld With Two Georges". Vulture. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
32. ""Criminal Minds" Masterpiece". IMDb. 2008. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
33. "Criminal Minds Episode Guide 2008 Season 4 – Masterpiece, Episode 8". TV Guide. Archived from the original on March 3, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
34. Selzer, Jillian. "21 celebrities you forgot guest starred on 'Criminal Minds'". Insider. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
35. "The Official Resource Site For WORD OF PROMISE". Archived from the original on October 29, 2014.
36. Groves, Martha (November 16, 2009). "BELIEFS : Stars lined up for elaborate audio Bible : Michael York, Jason Alexander and many others gave voice to a 79-CD reading of Old and New Testaments". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
37. "Harry's Law". IMDb. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
38. Masters, Megan (August 25, 2011). "TVLine Items: Seinfeld Vet to Harry's Law, Tim Allen Meets Elvira, Y&R Star to Ringer and More". Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
39. "Manhattan Theatre Club – 2017–18 Season". Manhattan Theatre Club. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
40. ""The Orville" Ja'loja (TV Episode 2018)". IMDb. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
41. "The wild and interesting guest stars of 'The Orville'". Guide. January 11, 2019. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
42. Smail, Gretchen (December 6, 2019). "'Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Season 3 Includes A Surprising Cameo From A 'Seinfeld' Favorite". Bustle. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
43. "Curb stars to make a new podcast about the show". Chortle. November 30, 2022. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
44. "Jason Alexander Sets Broadway Directing Debut With 'The Cottage' Starring Eric McCormack, Laura Bell Bundy & Lilli Cooper". Deadline. February 16, 2023. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
45. Solzman, Danielle (December 21, 2023). "dick-van-dyke-98-years-of-magic-airs-on-cbs". Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
46. Wallace, Amy (May 14, 2019). "Director Stacy Title's Mission to Make 'Walking Time Bomb'". Vulture. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
47. "Jason Alexander Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story – Biography.com". The Biography Channel . Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
48. "Alexander's Son Unimpressed With Seinfeld". Contactmusic.com . November 26, 2004. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
49. "Hall of Fame". The Academy of Magical Arts. July 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2018.
50. DiNunno, Gina (January 6, 2010). "Jason Alexander Becomes Jenny Craig Spokesperson". TV Guide. Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
51. "faustmanlab.org". faustmanlab.org. Archived from the original on March 29, 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2013.
52. Alexander, Jason [@ijasonalexander] (October 8, 2020). "Once again, I am proud to stand with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the slate of Democratic candidates for House and Senate. The lies, the cheating, the corruption and the destruction of our nation, institutions and citizens must end.#VoteBlueToSaveAmerica" (Tweet). Retrieved June 22, 2023– via Twitter.
53. "New York Gay Marriage Ruling: What Hollywood Is Saying on Twitter". The Hollywood Reporter. June 24, 2011. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
54. "Jason Alexander's amazing gun rant". Salon. July 23, 2012. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
55. Strause, Jackie (October 20, 2020). "A 'Fundraiser About Something': 'Seinfeld' Stars to Reunite for Texas Democrats". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
56. "Obama Receives a Celebrity Endorsement at FSU". March 21, 2019. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
57. "'Seinfeld' Alum Jason Alexander Spars With Trump Supporters Over Gen. McMaster's George Costanza Reference". February 22, 2017. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
58. Parker, Ryan (October 18, 2020). "Jason Alexander Compares Trump's Dance Moves to Those of Elaine Benes". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
59. "Seinfeld Actor Jason Alexander Slams 'Jerk' Ted Cruz in 2020 Presidential Burn". CCN.com. May 7, 2019. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
60. "Jason Alexander (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 17, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
61. "Everything You Need to Know About Leo". Tudum . August 23, 2023. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
62. "Jason Alexander". IMVDb. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
63. "Jason Alexander Theatre Broadway and Theatre Credits". broadwayworld. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
64. Healy, Patrick. "Weinstein Lands a Big-Name Executive Producer for ‘Finding Neverland’ " Archived March 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times (artsbeat.blogs), 4 September 2013
65. Lowen, Linda (June 2, 2019). "'Last Five Years' at Syracuse Stage a unique, gorgeous and innovative production (Review)". Syracuse Post-Standard. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
66. Fox5NY Alexander Directs Archived July 24, 2023, at the Wayback Machine accessed 07/24/23
67. "Jason Alexander Tony Awards Info - Browse by Nominee". broadwayworld. Archived from the original on June 11, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
68. "Jason Alexander". IMDb. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2020.

External links

• Jason Alexander at AllMovie
• Jason Alexander at the Internet Broadway Database
• Jason Alexander at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Jason Alexander at IMDb  
• Jason Alexander at the TCM Movie Database
• A 1999 Interview about his 1981 Broadway role in Merrily We Roll Along
• Jason Alexander at The Interviews: An Oral History of Television