Michael Richards

For other people named Michael Richards, see Michael Richards (disambiguation).

Michael Richards
Richards at the 45th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 19, 1993
Born
Michael Anthony Richards

(1949-07-24) July 24, 1949 (age 75)
Culver City, California, U.S.[1]
Alma materLos Angeles Valley College
California Institute of the Arts
Evergreen State College (BA)
Occupation(s)Actor, comedian
Years active1979–2007 (Stand up)
1980–present (Acting)
Spouses
  • Cathleen Lyons
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1974; div. 1993)​
    [2][3]
  • Beth Skipp
    ​
    (m. 2010)​
    [4][5]
Children2
Military career
Allegiance United States
Service / branch U.S. Army
Years of service1970–1972

Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor and former stand-up comedian. He achieved global recognition for starring as Cosmo Kramer on the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998. He 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, and went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays.

From 1989 to 1998, he played Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld, three times receiving the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. During the run of Seinfeld, he made a guest appearance in Mad About You, reprising his role as Kramer. Richards also made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as Cheers. His film credits include So I Married an Axe Murderer, Airheads, Young Doctors in Love, Problem Child, Coneheads, UHF, and Trial and Error, one of his few starring roles. In 2000, he starred in his own sitcom, The Michael Richards Show, which was canceled after only two months.

Afterwards, Richards returned to stand-up. In 2006, he was filmed going on a racist tirade against hecklers while performing at the Laugh Factory in California. After the tape was obtained and released by TMZ,[6] significant backlash and media coverage led to Richards retiring from stand-up in early 2007. In 2009, he appeared as himself in the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm alongside his fellow Seinfeld cast members for the first time since the show’s finale. In 2013, he portrayed Frank in the sitcom Kirstie, which was canceled after one season.[7] He most recently played Daddy Hogwood in the 2019 romantic comedy Faith, Hope & Love.

  1. ^ McDermid, Charles (July 13, 2007). "Richards finds solace in Cambodia". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference People was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Lipton, Michael A. (March 8, 1993). "Man Overboard!". People. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  4. ^ Lacher, Irene (December 1, 2013). "Michael Richards goes for a drive". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  5. ^ Falls, Michelle (December 6, 2013). "First Look at Michael Richards' Adorable Son Antonio—See the Precious Pics!". E!. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  6. ^ TMZ Staff (2006). ""Kramer's" Racist Tirade – Caught on Tape". In The Zone. TMZ.com. Retrieved November 20, 2006.
  7. ^ Goldberg, Lesely (February 15, 2013). "TV Land Orders Kirstie Alley-Michael Richards Comedy to Series". The Hollywood Reporter.