In the setting of Seinfeld, Kramer is usually referred to by his last name only and is the neighbor of the show's eponymous character. Kramer's first name, Cosmo, was revealed in the sixth-season episode " The Switch ".
In 1989, Richards was cast as Cosmo Kramer in the NBC television series Seinfeld, which was created by fellow Fridays cast member Larry David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Although it got off to a slow start, by the mid-1990s the show had become one of the most popular sitcoms in television history.
Richards was born in Culver City, California, to a Catholic family. He is the son of Phyllis (née Nardozzi), a medical records librarian of Italian descent, and William Richards, an electrical engineer of Scottish and English descent. His father died in a car crash when Michael was two and his mother never remarried.
Richards was recorded shouting "He's a nigger !".
Cameo roles, guest appearances, and film roles. Richards played himself in Episode 2 of Season 1 "The Flirt Episode" (1992) of the HBO series The Larry Sanders Show. He also had a cameo role in the comedy thriller film So I Married an Axe Murderer, credited as "insensitive man".
This included a famous instance in which guest Andy Kaufman refused to deliver his scripted lines, leading Richards to bring the cue cards on screen to Kaufman, causing him to throw his drink into Richards's face before a small riot ensued (Richards later claimed he was in on the joke).
In 2012, Richards appeared in comedy web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, hosted by Jerry Seinfeld. In 2014, Richards appeared as the president of Crackle in a trailer for Season 5. Seinfeld said the storyline of the trailer would be expanded on in one of the episodes.
Male. Occupation. Attorney at law. Jackie Chiles is a fictional character portrayed by American actor Phil Morris in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. He appears in the series' seventh through ninth seasons as Cosmo Kramer 's lawyer.
Chiles is a parody of famed attorney Johnnie Cochran; both are bespectacled, mustachioed, well-dressed, African American lawyers with the same initials and penchants for grandiose vocabulary. According to the diplomas in his office, Chiles attended Dartmouth College and Stanford Law School. Morris also emulates Cochran's distinctive enunciation and delivery. After appearing in several episodes during the series' later years, Chiles, along with many other minor characters from the show's past, appeared again in the program's finale and was crucial in failing to achieve acquittal of the characters on charges of violating a duty to rescue law. Jackie's catchphrase is saying several adjectives in succession for added emphasis, such as "lewd, lascivious, salacious, outrageous!"
" The Maestro " — Kramer sneaks a cafe latte into a movie theatre and burns himself while trying to climb over the legs of another patron — a satire of the 1994 lawsuit Liebeck v. McDonald's Restaurants. Jackie describes having to sneak the coffee in as a violation of Kramer's rights as a consumer: "It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous." Kramer uses a balm to treat his burn, causing it to be healed. Furthermore, the coffee company offers a settlement of a lifetime of free coffee at all of their stores throughout North America and Europe. Kramer accepts the offer before the executive had finished speaking and mentioned any money, much to Jackie's dismay.
This meme is derived from "The Soup Nazi." Elaine leaves Kramer to guard her armoire that she's just bought. She's not allowed to move the armoire in her home by the building supervisor. The rules don't allow moving on Sundays. So Kramer sits by the sidewalk to watch the armoire.
In the episode "The Strike" audiences are told Frank Costanza invented a holiday- The Festivus. This is a family holiday in which the members have gathered around. Frank tells them all the ways they have disappointed him over the past year.