As I mentioned last week, I recently purchased a pair of tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld in a few weeks. My wife and I have an anniversary coming up and it is our gift to each other. We saw Jerry live about three years ago when we were living in Huntsville, Alabama, and it was a great show. We can’t wait to see him again.

So, this weeks Seinfeld list is my favorites of the recurring characters. These are the folks who really made this show. The foursome were great, and with them alone it would’ve been a great show. But these folks added to the show a little something from week to week that made it possibly the best ever.

Favorite Recurring Characters

1. Newman (Wayne Knight)
   First appeared in episode “The Revenge” (1991)
   There’s just nobody else that could top this list besides Newman. As Jerry’s nemisis, he appeared in more episodes than any other recurring character (over 40 episodes), and was always hilarious. One of my favorite Newman scenes is the JFK-like re-enactment of he and Kramer allegedly being spit on by Keith Hernandez in “The Boyfriend”.
2. Morty Seinfeld (Barney Martin)
   First appeared in episode “The Pen” (1991)
   I loved Barney Martin as Morty. He just cracked me up nearly every time he appeared on the show. Morty actually appeared in the show’s second episode, but was played by a different actor. Martin was Morty for the rest of the series and he was just fantastic.
   Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller)
   First appeared in episode “The Puffy Shirt” (1993)
   Like Morty, a different actor was used in Frank’s first appearance, after which Jerry Stiller played the role for the rest of the series. Stiller is just hilarious, and it was hard to choose between him and Martin for #2, so I chose them both. I remember him fondly every December 23rd - “a Festivus for the rest of us!”
3. David Puddy (Patrick Wharburton)
   First appeared in episode “The Fusilli Jerry” (1995)
   Puddy is the dimwitted mechanic and off-and-on boyfriend of Elaine. Known for answering questions with “Yeah, that’s right”, a few of my favorite moments included the face-painting, the 8-ball jacket, and the entire episode when Elaine finds out he’s religious. When Elaine describes hell, attempting to convince him he should be trying to save her, he responds with an expressionless “It’s gonna be rough.”
4. J Peterman (John O’Hurly)
   First appeared in episode “The Understudy” (1995)
   Peterman plays Elaine’s rather eccentric boss in the latter years of the show. He temporarily flees to Burma (”You most likely know it as Myanmar, but it will always be Burma to me”) and later returns to save his company from Elaine’s mismanagement.
5. Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris)
   First appeared in episode “The Maestro” (1995)
   Phil Morris also did a tremendous job as lawyer Jackie Chiles. He appeared in several episodes and was a parody of attorney Johnny Cochran, who rose to national fame during the show’s run. Jackie was Kramer’s lawyer on several occasions, being known for his vocabulary and being unaware of the “Good Samaritan Law” (”You don’t have to help anybody. That’s what this country’s all about. That’s deplorable, unfathomable, improbable.”)
6. Mickey Abbot (Danny Woodburn)
   First appeared in episode “The Stand-in” (1994)
   I loved Woodburn’s “Mickey”. He and Kramer provided some funny moments in the show, among my favorites being in “The Burning” when they are hired to act out various diseases for medical students to diagnose. “Cirrhosis of the liver with jaundice! Alright, I get to wear make-up!”
7. Kenny Bania (Steven Hytner)
   First appeared in episode “The Soup” (1994)
   Jerry’s fellow-comedian Kenny Bania appeared in several episodes and always provided a few laughs for me. Steven Hytner did a great job with this role, and in one episode Jerry actually becomes his mentor. “Why do they call it Ovaltine? The mug is round. The jar is round. They should call it round-tine. That’s gold, Jerry! Gold!”
8. Poppie (Reni Santoni)
   First appeared in episode “The Pie” (1994)
   Restaurant owner Poppie appears in a few episodes and his no-hands-washing, anti-abortion, couch-urinating ways provide a number of laughs. Santori was hilarious as Poppie, who was known for his strong views on abortion and his lack of hygiene (as Jerry said, “Poppie’s a little sloppy.”)
9. Uncle Leo (Len Lesser)
   First appeared in episode “The Pony Remark” (1991)
   Len Lesser appears earlier than any other of the supporting/recurring characters (along with Liz Sheridan as Helen Seinfeld). One of my favorite episodes with Leo is “The Bookstore” where he’s stealing books from Brentano’s. Leo’s response to Jerry’s confronting him regarding his theft? “You still say ‘hello.’”
10. Cedric and Bob (Yul Vasquez as Bob)
    First appeared in episode “The Soup Nazi” (1995)
    Cedric and Bob appear in 3 episodes, most notably as the armoire-stealing “street toughs” in “The Soup Nazi” . Actually, Cedric is not particularly funny, sort of boring - it’s Bob and his Puerto Rican accent that get all of the laughs. “Was you talking to him, or was you talking to me? Who?!? Who was you talking to?!?”

Honorable Mentions

• Jack Klompus (Sandy Baron) 2001
  First appeared in episode “The Pen” (1993)
  The Jack Klompus character was in many ways to Morty Seinfeld what Newman was to Jerry. I loved every Klompus appearance.
• Babu Bhatt (Brian George)
  First appeared in episode “The Cafe” (1991)
  The Pakistani restaurant owner who Jerry first drives out of business and later gets deported. Initially says Jerry is a “very good man”, but later switched to “very bad man”.
• Helen Seinfeld (Liz Sheridan)
  First appeared in episode “The Pony Remark” (1991)
  Jerry’s mom, done perfectly by Liz Sheridan. I thought her best was in “The Pen”. She was great in that episode.
• Tim Whatley (Brian Cranston)
  First appeared in episode “The Mom and Pop Store” (1994)
  Dentist friend of the foursome, who Jerry claimed converted to Judaism for the jokes. Also known for “re-gifting.”
• Justin Pitt (Ian Abercrombie)
  First appeared in episode “The Chaperone” (1994)
  Elaine’s second boss on the show, to whom she was a personal assistant. He had his own quirks, though not as many as Peterman. Favorite Mr. Pitt moment was, of course, when gets the ink on his upper lip and ends up looking like Hitler at his stockholder’s meeting.
• Kruger (Daniel von Bargen)
  First appeared in episode “The Slicer” (1997)
  George’s clueless boss during the final season. This guy was hilarious.
• Mike Moffit (Lee Arenberg)
  First appeard in episode “The Parking Space” (1992)
  Friend of Kramer’s and Jerry’s who argues in the street with George over a parking space for the entire episode. He once told Kramer he thought Jerry was a phony. And, in a later episode, has his thumbs broken by Jerry.