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Larry David

Contributor

Said Seinfeld writer Peter Mehlman of David: "Larry is very in tune with his own deepest, darkest, most embarrassing thoughts -- and he's utterly unabashed about sharing them."

Indeed, since starting out on the NY comedy-club scene, the Brooklyn native's dry, off-kilter sensibility has been found in his writing as well as his (more infrequent) acting. In 1999 David wrote and starred in "Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm", a one-hour special for HBO which spawned the critically acclaimed HBO series the following year.

The second season was nominated for an "Outstanding Comedy Series" Emmy®. The show's third season was nominated for ten Emmy® Awards including Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Larry and Best Comedy Series. In 2003, Curb Your Enthusiasm received the Golden Globe award for Best Television Series-Musical or Comedy. David was also nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series-Musical or Comedy.

David was a writer and performer on ABC's late night comedy series "Fridays" from 1980-82. (Seinfeld regular Michael Richards was also a regular on the series.) He wrote for Saturday Night Live during the 1984-85 season, and claims that only one of his sketches ever made it onto the broadcasted shows. (A slyly aborted walk-out by him was later the inspiration for the Seinfeld episode in which George quit his job and then returned as if nothing happened!) In 1983, he acted in two films: Henry Jaglom's "Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?" and "Second Thoughts." He played a "communist neighbor" in Woody Allen's "Radio Days" (1987) and also acted (playing a theater manager) in the Allen-directed segment of the 1989 "New York Stories" anthology.

The next year Larry David co-created (with Jerry Seinfeld) one of the most lauded comedy series in TV history, "Seinfeld." David wrote for that series from 1990-96 and returned to write the series finale in 1998. (David also did a few uncredited appearances during show's run, including loaning his voice for certain off-screen characters including George Steinbrenner.)

David was Emmy®-nominated seven times for his writing on "Seinfeld", and won in 1993 ("Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series") for the now classic episode "The Contest." He also shared an Emmy® in 1993 for "Outstanding Comedy Series". (He has shared a nomination for this award six times.) David won WGA awards for his work on "Seinfeld" in both 1994 and 1995.
Afer leaving "Seinfeld" in 1996, David wrote and directed the 1998 feature "Sour Grapes", starring Steven Weber and Craig Bierko. In 1999 Larry David received an "AFI Star Award" at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.

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