Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and observations on everyday life. He has received various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Producers Guild of America Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards (including a Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement), in addition to nominations for six Actor Awards and three Golden Globes.
David started his career as a stand-up comedian before transitioning into television comedy, where he wrote and starred in ABC's Fridays (1980–1982) and wrote briefly for Saturday Night Live (1984–1985). He gained prominence and acclaim when he and Jerry Seinfeld created the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), winning Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. He gained further recognition for creating, writing, and starring in the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm (1999–2024).
Since 2015, David has made guest appearances on Saturday Night Live impersonating Bernie Sanders. He has acted in three films directed by Woody Allen, including Radio Days (1987) and Whatever Works (2009). He also wrote and starred in the HBO movie Clear History (2013). On stage, he made his Broadway debut writing and starring in the comedic play Fish in the Dark (2015). David has also written several comedic pieces for The New Yorker and The New York Times.
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Early life and education
David was born on July 2, 1947, in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. His parents are Rose (née Regina Brandes) and Mortimer Julius "Morty" David, a men's clothing manufacturer, and he has an older brother, Ken. David's family is Jewish. His American Jewish father's family moved from Germany to the U.S. during the 19th century. David's mother was born into a Polish-Jewish family in Ternopil, now in Ukraine; her mother's family name was Superfein.
David graduated from Sheepshead Bay High School, now defunct and operating as Frank J. Macchiarola Educational Complex, in 1965. A sign with his photo is displayed in one of the complex's hallways. He then attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was a brother in Tau Epsilon Phi. He graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in history. At college, he discovered that he could make people laugh simply by being himself. After college, David joined the United States Army Reserve and received training as a petroleum storage specialist. To avoid the final year of his six-year enlistment, he paid a psychiatrist to write a letter declaring him unfit for duty.
Career
1980–1987: Stand-up and SNL
While a stand-up comedian, David also worked as a store clerk, limousine driver, and historian. He lived in Manhattan Plaza, a federally subsidized housing complex in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, across the hall from Kenny Kramer, the inspiration for the Cosmo Kramer character in Seinfeld. From 1980 to 1982, David was a writer and cast member for ABC's Fridays, where he worked with Michael Richards, who later played Kramer on Seinfeld.
From 1984 to 1985, David was a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL), where he met cast member Julia Louis-Dreyfus. During his time at SNL, he was able to get only one sketch on the air, which aired at 12:50 a.m., the show's last time slot. David quit his job at SNL in the first season, angrily disparaging the quality of the show to producer Dick Ebersol, only to show up to work two days later as if nothing had happened. That event inspired the second-season Seinfeld episode "The Revenge". He can be heard heckling Michael McKean when McKean hosted SNL in 1984, and can be seen in the sketch "The Run, Throw, and Catch Like a Girl Olympics" when Howard Cosell hosted the season finale in 1985. In 1987, David was a writer and performer for Way Off Broadway, a variety talk show on Lifetime hosted by Joy Behar.
1989–1998: Breakthrough with Seinfeld
In 1989, David teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld to create a pilot for NBC called The Seinfeld Chronicles, which became the basis for Seinfeld, one of the most successful shows in television history, reaching the top of TV Guide's list of the 50 greatest TV shows of all time. Entertainment Weekly ranked it the third-best US TV show of all time. David made occasional uncredited appearances on the show, playing such roles as Frank Costanza's cape-wearing lawyer and the voice of George Steinbrenner. He was also the primary inspiration for the show's character George Costanza. David left Seinfeld amicably after the show's seventh season and returned two years later to write the series finale in 1998. He also continued to voice Steinbrenner.
David wrote 62 Seinfeld episodes, including 1992's "The Contest", for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award and which TV Guide ranked as episode No. 1 on its list of "TV's Top 100 Episodes of All Time". He has also been involved in other films and television series. David wrote and directed the 1998 film Sour Grapes, about two cousins who feud over a casino jackpot. It was neither a commercial nor a critical success. He has also appeared in bit roles in Woody Allen's Radio Days (1987) and New York Stories (1989).
1999–2024: Curb Your Enthusiasm and acclaim
The HBO cable television channel aired David's one-hour special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, on October 17, 1999. This was followed by Curb Your Enthusiasm, an HBO television series whose first episode aired on October 15, 2000. The show revisits many of the themes of Seinfeld and is improvised from a story outline only several pages long written by David (and, from the fifth season onward, additional writers).
The actors improvise their dialogue based on the outline and direction. David has said that his character in the show, a fictionalized version of himself, is what he would be like in real life if he lacked social awareness and sensitivity. The character's numerous and frequent social faux pas, misunderstandings, and ironic coincidences are the basis of much of the show's comedy and have led to the entry into the American pop culture lexicon of the expression "Larry David moment", meaning an inadvertently created socially awkward situation. Curb Your Enthusiasm has been described as depicting "the things nobody wants to say, but wish they could".
The show is based on David's life following the fortune he earned from Seinfeld; semi-retired, he strives to live a fulfilled life. Alongside David is his wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), his manager and best friend Jeff (Jeff Garlin), and Jeff's wife Susie (Susie Essman). Celebrities, including comedians Richard Lewis, Wanda Sykes, and Bob Einstein, appeared on the show regularly. Actors Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have had recurring roles as themselves.
The show is critically acclaimed and has been nominated for 30 Primetime Emmy Awards, with one win, as well as a Golden Globe win. In the first six seasons, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander appear in several episodes, and Jerry Seinfeld has a cameo. In season 7, the cast of Seinfeld, including Michael Richards, return in a story arc involving David's attempt to organize a Seinfeld reunion special. On June 2, 2010, the series premiered on the TV Guide Network, its network television debut. TV Guide Network also produced a series of related discussions with high-profile guest stars, media pundits, and prominent social figures called "Curb: The Discussion" debating the moral implications of each episode. David is quoted as saying "Finally, thanks to the TV Guide Network, I'll get a chance to watch actual, intelligent people discuss and debate the issues addressed on 'Curb'. Now if only someone could tell me where this alleged 'Network' is, I might even watch it." The show's 12th and final season premiered in January 2024.
2025–present: Return to television
In July 2025, David announced his return to television with a seven-episode sketch comedy limited series for HBO, centered on overlooked figures and absurd moments in U.S. history. The series is co-written and executive produced by David and longtime collaborator Jeff Schaffer, who will also direct. The series is produced in collaboration with Barack and Michelle Obama's Higher Ground Productions. David, who said he was returning to TV "with a heavy heart" following the end of Curb Your Enthusiasm, will star alongside several familiar faces from Curb and guest appearances. The project coincided with the 250th anniversary of the United States. Titled Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, it premiered on June 26, 2026.
Influences
David has named Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Phil Silvers, Abbott and Costello, Jackie Mason, Alan King, Don Rickles, and Mad magazine as influences.
Personal life
David lives in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. He was married to Laurie Lennard from 1993 to 2007. They have two daughters, Cazzie David and Romy David. Larry and Laurie became contributing bloggers at The Huffington Post in 2005. In 2017, David was introduced to producer Ashley Underwood at a birthday party for Sacha Baron Cohen. They married in 2020. David's niece is actress Julie Claire, who appears in Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
David is an atheist and an avid sports fan. A native New Yorker, he supports the New York Jets, Yankees, Knicks, and Rangers. David is also a supporter of the Democratic Party. In 2010, he wrote an article for The New York Times criticizing the extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. He ended the article by sarcastically thanking then-President Barack Obama for approving the extension.
Wealth
In 2013, Charlie Rose estimated David's net worth at around $500 million. Two years later, two other estimates put the number between $400 million and $900 million. In 2020, National Review offered an estimate of about $400 million.
Most of David's wealth originates from syndication deals of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, the former having netted $3.1 billion in rerun fees as of 2013. The syndication of Seinfeld earned David an estimated $250 million in 1998 alone. In 2008, David was reported to have grossed $55 million, mostly from Seinfeld syndication and work on Curb Your Enthusiasm.
David's net worth was parodied in a 2001 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, "The Shrimp Incident", in which HBO executive Allan Wasserman yells at David: "If you want shrimp, take your $475 million, go buy a shrimp boat."
In a 2015 interview with CBS, David confirmed that his 2007 divorce reduced his wealth by half in the community property state of California. "I have a lot of money", he said, but added that the "figures out there are crazy".
Cryptocurrency promotion lawsuit
David was among several celebrities who appeared in television commercials for the cryptocurrency exchange FTX that aired during Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. In November 2022, FTX filed for bankruptcy, and David, alongside other spokespeople, was sued in a class action lawsuit. In January 2024, David expressed some regret over appearing in the ad, and said of the class action suit, "I would love to be part of [it], 'cause part of my salary was in crypto, so I lost a lot of money". In May 2025, a federal court dismissed most claims in the lawsuit.
Works
Bibliography
David, Larry (January 1, 2006). "Cowboys Are My Weakness". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
David, Larry (December 20, 2010). "Thanks for the Tax Cut!". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
David, Larry (July 23, 2018). "The Most Important Meal of the Day". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
David, Larry (August 10, 2018). "What Really Happened at Trump Tower". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
David, Larry (November 18, 2019). "On the First-World Campaign Trail". Shouts & Murmurs. The New Yorker. Vol. 95, no. 36. p. 29. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
David, Larry (November 22, 2019). "Imagining What Keeps Trump Up at Night". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
David, Larry (November 29, 2021). "Larry David's Notes for His Biographer". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
David, Larry (April 21, 2025). "Larry David: My Dinner with Adolf". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
Awards and nominations
David has received numerous awards, including two Emmy Awards, three Producers Guild of America Awards, and three Writers Guild of America Awards. He has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards and six Actor Awards. Fellow comedians and comedy insiders voted David the 23rd-greatest comedy star ever in a poll to select The Comedian's Comedian.
