Michael Anthony Richards was born on July 24,1949 and is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld.
33 Facts About Michael Richards
2.
Michael Richards began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering the national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special.
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Michael Richards went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays.
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Michael Richards made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as Cheers.
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When Seinfeld ended in 1998, Richards returned to stand-up comedy.
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Michael Richards incited controversy in 2006 after a video was obtained by TMZ of him going on a racist tirade against hecklers while performing at the Laugh Factory.
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Michael Richards was born in Culver City, California, to a Catholic family.
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Michael Richards is the son of Phyllis, a medical records librarian of Italian descent, and William Richards, an electrical engineer of Scottish and English descent.
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Michael Richards's father died in a car crash when Michael was two and his mother never remarried.
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Michael Richards was drafted into the United States Army in 1970.
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Michael Richards trained as a medic and was stationed in West Germany where he was a member of a theatrical group called The Training Road Show.
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Michael Richards became interested in performing after taking a theatrical class in seventh grade.
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Michael Richards had a short-lived improv act with Ed Begley Jr.
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Michael Richards got his big TV break in 1979, appearing in Billy Crystal's first cable TV special.
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The film Man on the Moon featured a re-enactment of the Andy Kaufman incident where Michael Richards was portrayed by actor Norm Macdonald.
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In 1986, Michael Richards had a minor role in the cult satirical TV miniseries Fresno, playing one of a pair of inept criminal henchmen.
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In 1989, Michael Richards had a supporting role in "Weird Al" Yankovic's comedy film UHF as janitor Stanley Spadowski.
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In 1989, Michael Richards was cast as Cosmo Kramer in the NBC television series Seinfeld, created by fellow Fridays cast member Larry David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
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Michael Richards won more Emmys than any other Seinfeld cast member, taking home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1993,1994, and 1997.
20.
Michael Richards stepped down from providing audio commentary after Season5, though he continued to provide interviews.
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In 2000, after the end of Seinfeld, Michael Richards began work on a new series for NBC, his first major project since Seinfelds finale.
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Kyle Doss, a member of the group that Michael Richards addressed, said the group had arrived in the middle of the performance and were "being a little loud".
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Michael Richards later called civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson to apologize.
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Michael Richards appeared as a guest on Jackson's syndicated radio show.
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Michael Richards apologized on camera just because the tape got out.
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Michael Richards played himself in Episode2 of Season1 "The Flirt Episode" of the HBO series The Larry Sanders Show.
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Michael Richards had a cameo role in the comedy thriller film So I Married an Axe Murderer, credited as "insensitive man".
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In 1996, Michael Richards made a cameo in Epcot's Ellen's Energy Adventure, where he portrayed a caveman discovering fire.
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Michael Richards played radio station employee Doug Beech in Airheads, and co-starred with Jeff Daniels as an actor pretending to be a lawyer in 1997's Trial and Error.
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Michael Richards made guest appearances on Miami Vice, Night Court and Cheers.
31.
In 2012, Michael Richards appeared in comedy web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, hosted by Jerry Seinfeld.
32.
Michael Richards played Frank in the sitcom Kirstie, costarring Kirstie Alley and Rhea Perlman.
33.
Michael Richards was married to Cathleen Lyons, a family therapist, for 18 years.