Cosmo Kramer

Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to simply as Kramer, is a fictional character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998) played by Michael Richards. The character is loosely based on the comedian Kenny Kramer, a former neighbor of Seinfeld co-creator Larry David. The character Kramer is the neighbor of the series' main character, Jerry Seinfeld, and is friends with George Costanza and Elaine Benes. His character is that of a lovable rogue, with his trademarks being his upright hairstyle, vintage wardrobe, impractical business ideas and eccentric personality, whose combination led The Atlantic Monthly reviewer Francis Davis to characterize him as a "hipster doofus." The show's writers later adopted this description into the program. Kramer is obsessed with high-quality fresh fruit and occasionally smokes pipes and Cuban cigars. He is also known for his habit of bursting through Jerry's apartment door without knocking, and eating Jerry's food. His antics include frequent pratfalls and a penchant for noisy, percussive outbursts to indicate skepticism, agreement, irritation and a variety of other feelings. He has been described as "an extraordinary cross between Eraserhead and Herman Munster". Kramer appears in all but two episodes: "The Chinese Restaurant" and "The Pen", in the second and third seasons, respectively. For the pilot episode, Kramer was named "Kessler" to avoid potential legal issues; Kenny Kramer later authorized the use of his name.