Michael Richards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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.
Alma mater	Los Angeles Valley College California Institute of the Arts Evergreen State College (BA)
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1979–2007 (stand up) 1980–present (acting)
Spouse(s)	Cathleen Lyons ​ ​ (m. 1974; div. 1993)​ Beth Skipp ​ (m. 2010)​
Children	2
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	U.S. Army
Years of service	1970–1972

Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor and former stand-up comedian. He is best known for playing the funny and quirky character Cosmo Kramer on the popular TV show Seinfeld. This show aired on NBC from 1989 to 1998.

Richards started his career as a stand-up comedian. He first became well-known after appearing on Billy Crystal's TV special. Later, he became a regular on the ABC show Fridays. For his role as Kramer on Seinfeld, he won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series three times. After Seinfeld, he appeared in other TV shows and movies.

Early Life and Education

Richards as a senior at Thousand Oaks High School, Thousand Oaks, California (1967)

Michael Richards was born in Culver City, California. His mother, Phyllis, worked as a medical records librarian. His father, William, was an electrical engineer who passed away when Michael was only two years old. His mother never remarried.

Richards went to Thousand Oaks High School. In 1968, he was a contestant on a TV show called The Dating Game. However, he was not chosen for the date. In 1970, he joined the United States Army. He trained as a medic and was stationed in West Germany. There, he was part of a theater group called The Training Road Show.

After leaving the Army, Richards used his G.I. Bill benefits to study drama. He attended the California Institute of the Arts and later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Evergreen State College in 1975. He also performed in a short-lived comedy act with actor Ed Begley Jr.. During this time, he also studied at Los Angeles Valley College.

Career Highlights

Starting Out: Early TV Roles (1979–1989)

Richards in 1983

Michael Richards got his first big TV break in 1979 on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special. In 1980, he joined the cast of ABC's Fridays TV show. Larry David, who later co-created Seinfeld, was also a cast member and writer on Fridays. One famous moment on the show involved Andy Kaufman throwing a drink at Richards as part of a planned joke.

In 1986, Richards had a small role in the TV miniseries Fresno. He also tried out for the role of Al Bundy in the TV series Married... with Children, but Ed O'Neill got the part instead. In 1989, Richards played the janitor Stanley Spadowski in the comedy film UHF, starring "Weird Al" Yankovic. He also made guest appearances on shows like Miami Vice, St. Elsewhere, and Cheers. He even appeared with Jay Leno as a clumsy fitness expert.

Interestingly, ABC once wanted Richards to play the main character, Adrian Monk, in the TV series Monk. This character had obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, Richards turned down the role.

Becoming a Star: Seinfeld Years (1989–2005)

Richards with Jerry Seinfeld at the 44th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1992

In 1989, Richards was cast as Cosmo Kramer in the NBC TV series Seinfeld. The show was created by Larry David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Seinfeld started slowly but became one of the most popular TV shows ever by the mid-1990s. It ended in 1998 as the number one show in the Nielsen ratings. On Seinfeld, Kramer is the funny, eccentric neighbor of Jerry Seinfeld's character. His first name, Cosmo, was revealed later in the show.

Richards won more Emmy Awards than any other Seinfeld cast member. He won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1993, 1994, and 1997 for his role as Kramer. People wondered if he would make a spin-off show about Kramer, but Richards was not interested. While Seinfeld was on, Richards also appeared in other TV shows and movies. He had a small part in the comedy film So I Married an Axe Murderer. In 1997, he co-starred with Jeff Daniels in the movie Trial and Error, where he played an actor pretending to be a lawyer.

After Seinfeld ended, Richards started a new show for NBC in 2000 called The Michael Richards Show. He helped write and produce the show, which was about a clumsy private investigator. However, the show did not do well and was canceled after only a few weeks. Critics felt the show was too similar to his Kramer character.

Later Career and Public Incident (2006–2012)

In November 2006, during a stand-up comedy performance, Michael Richards had a difficult moment with some audience members. This event was filmed and shared online, leading to a lot of public discussion. Richards later apologized for his behavior. He explained that he was trying to deal with hecklers but that his actions were wrong. He also apologized to civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

This incident led Richards to stop performing stand-up comedy in 2007. One year later, he voiced a character in the animated movie Bee Movie, which starred Jerry Seinfeld. In 2009, Richards reunited with the other main Seinfeld cast members for the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2012, he appeared on Jerry Seinfeld's web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. During this episode, Richards talked about the 2006 incident and how it affected him, leading to his decision to retire from stand-up comedy.

Recent Years (2013–Present)

In 2013, Richards was cast as Frank in the sitcom Kirstie, alongside Kirstie Alley and Rhea Perlman. The show aired on TV Land but was canceled after one season. In 2019, Richards played Daddy Hogwood in the romantic comedy movie Faith, Hope & Love.

In June 2024, Michael Richards released a book about his life called Entrances and Exits.

Personal Life

Michael Richards was married to his first wife, a family therapist, for 18 years. They have one daughter, born in 1975. They divorced in 1993. Through his daughter, Richards has two grandchildren.

In 2010, Richards married his girlfriend of eight years, Beth Skipp. They have one son, born in 2011.

Richards is also a Freemason. In his 2024 memoir, he shared that he had prostate cancer in 2018 and recovered after surgery.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Michael Richards para niños