# Larry David
**Larry David** (born 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, playwright, and television producer, born in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, New York, best known as co-creator of the sitcom *Seinfeld* and as the creator and star of HBO's *Curb Your Enthusiasm*, in which he plays a semi-fictionalized version of himself[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/larry-david) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/50ded1e44b6e4fba2b543d1a6dd9ac29).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1947, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, New York[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/larry-david) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/50ded1e44b6e4fba2b543d1a6dd9ac29) |
| *Seinfeld* role | Co-creator with Jerry Seinfeld; head writer and executive producer from 1989[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/larry-david) |
| Emmy Awards | Two Primetime Emmys in 1993, for Outstanding Comedy Series and for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode "The Contest"; the Television Academy lists 31 nominations and 2 wins[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/larry-david) • [3](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621214480) |
| *Curb Your Enthusiasm* | Premiered on HBO October 15, 2000, developed from a 1999 one-hour special; ran 12 seasons and 120 episodes, ending in 2024[4](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/curb-your-enthusiasm) • [5](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/larry-david-announced-wildly-different-follow-up-curb-your-enthusiasm-hbo-involves-obamas) |
| Method | Episodes are built from outlines written by David, with dialogue largely improvised by the actors[4](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/curb-your-enthusiasm) |
| *Seinfeld* earnings | More than $200 million from the series[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-david-curb-your-enthusiasm-19-01-2004/) |
| Current series | *Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness*, a six-episode HBO sketch series made with Barack and Michelle Obama's company Higher Ground, premiering June 26, 2026[2](https://apnews.com/article/50ded1e44b6e4fba2b543d1a6dd9ac29) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2026-04-19/larry-david-talks-seinfeld-curb-your-enthusiasm-new-hbo-series) |
## Early career
David attended the University of Maryland, studying history, and embarked on a career as a stand-up comedian in 1974[8](https://www.sonyclassics.com/whateverworks/_pdf/whateverworks_presskit.pdf) • [9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jun/26/larry-david-interview). He then drifted for several years, working briefly as a bra salesman, an episode that has supplied him with material in the years since[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jun/26/larry-david-interview).
By the end of the 1980s he was a stand-up comic in trouble: middle-aged, single, and living in a building with subsidized housing for artists on the West Side of Manhattan, scraping by after more than a decade of mixed success[10](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/01/19/larry-david-profile-angry-middle-aged-man). He had written for and acted on the short-lived ABC variety show *Fridays*, and had been on the writing staff of *Saturday Night Live* in the 1984-85 season, though only one of his sketches aired[10](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/01/19/larry-david-profile-angry-middle-aged-man). He describes his reputation at the time as a "comic's comic," adding, "which means I sucked"[10](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/01/19/larry-david-profile-angry-middle-aged-man). In a 2004 interview he recalled planning for homelessness, having picked out an alcove on a New York street as a future spot[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-david-curb-your-enthusiasm-19-01-2004/).
## Seinfeld
In 1989 fellow New York comedian [Jerry Seinfeld](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-seinfeld) called David while working with NBC to develop a comedy pilot; the result, *Seinfeld*, was not initially successful but became one of the most successful and influential shows in television history[11](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45861059/larry-david). David was head writer and executive producer from 1989 to 1997[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/larry-david).
The show's tone came from David's sensibility. One of its directors, [Larry Charles](https://www.edgepedia.org/larry-charles), described the guiding motto as "No Hugging, No Learning"; by the standards of the day the show was considered dark simply because it was not saccharine[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jun/26/larry-david-interview). David's work on the series won him a [Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series](https://www.edgepedia.org/primetime-emmy-award-for-outstanding-comedy-series) in 1993, and he received a second Emmy that year for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode "The Contest"[1](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/larry-david) • [3](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621214480). He made over $200 million from the show[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-david-curb-your-enthusiasm-19-01-2004/).
During the original run, David stayed behind the scenes. On *Seinfeld*, one account notes, "David was in the wings"; the general public did not know the man writing the show's material, even as the industry did[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-david-curb-your-enthusiasm-19-01-2004/).
## Curb Your Enthusiasm
After leaving *Seinfeld* in 1996, David wrote and starred in *Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm*, a one-hour HBO special in 1999, which spawned the series the following year[8](https://www.sonyclassics.com/whateverworks/_pdf/whateverworks_presskit.pdf). The special was shot as a mockumentary in which the characters were aware of the cameras; the series itself is not a mock documentary but is shot in a somewhat similar cinéma vérité-like style[4](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/curb-your-enthusiasm). David's initial concept had been a documentary-style program following him as he prepared to return to stand-up, but as he wrote the pilot he concluded it had to be improvised to work and feel like a documentary[12](https://knowledge.lancashire.ac.uk/id/eprint/52562/1/DAMiddleton%20PhD%202024%20Resub%20FINAL.pdf).
The series follows David as a semi-retired television writer and producer, first in Los Angeles and later New York City, with [Cheryl Hines](https://www.edgepedia.org/cheryl-hines) as his wife Cheryl, Jeff Garlin as his manager Jeff, and [Susie Essman](https://www.edgepedia.org/susie-essman) as Jeff's wife Susie[4](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/curb-your-enthusiasm). Plots revolve around his faux pas, his problems with social conventions and expectations, and his refusal to let annoyances go unexpressed[4](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/curb-your-enthusiasm). David has said the television character emerged as "not quite me but a version of me," and that playing him is a release, letting him say what the real David painfully withholds[6](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-david-curb-your-enthusiasm-19-01-2004/).
**The writing process.** David has kept a notebook of petty grievances, unusual social dynamics, and upsetting mundane interactions for decades; one idea sat in it for roughly 15 years before becoming a story in the final season, in which fictional Larry realizes he can hear people in the next therapist's office through a thin wall[13](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/larry-david-interview-curb-your-enthusiasm-finale-awards-insider). Executive producer [Jeff Schaffer](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-schaffer) describes the engine as constant: "He walks in and something's happened to him and he goes, 'I wish I had said that.' And I go, 'Well, real Larry didn't say it, but TV Larry's gonna!'"[13](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/larry-david-interview-curb-your-enthusiasm-finale-awards-insider). A season takes about 18 months to complete, according to HBO CEO Richard Plepler[14](https://laist.com/news/entertainment/interview-jeff-schaffer-curb-your-enthusiasm).
The series ran for nearly a quarter-century, ending in 2024 after 12 seasons and 120 episodes[5](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/larry-david-announced-wildly-different-follow-up-curb-your-enthusiasm-hbo-involves-obamas). Its finale recreated the infamous *Seinfeld* finale, with Larry on trial facing witnesses he had offended across the series[13](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/larry-david-interview-curb-your-enthusiasm-finale-awards-insider).
## Other work
David's feature work includes writing and directing *Sour Grapes* (1998); Roger Ebert gave the film a zero-star review, and David answered it in *Curb*, with a dodgeball game in which a thumbs-up/thumbs-down food critic has his thumbs broken[15](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202970/?showAllCredits=true). He also appeared in the HBO film *Clear History* and in [Woody Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/woody-allen)'s *[Whatever Works](https://www.edgepedia.org/whatever-works)*, telling Allen, "You know, I'm not really an actor!"[9](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jun/26/larry-david-interview). He made his Broadway debut on March 5, 2015, in *Fish in the Dark*, a play he wrote about a family mourning the death of its patriarch[16](https://time.com/3723600/the-culture-15/). During the 2016 election cycle he made recurring *Saturday Night Live* guest appearances impersonating [Bernie Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/bernie-sanders)[17](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/julia-louis-dreyfus-snl-difficulties-happily-being-miserable-with-larry-david).
## Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness
In July 2025, HBO announced that David would team with Barack and [Michelle Obama](https://www.edgepedia.org/michelle-obama)'s production company Higher Ground for a limited sketch comedy series about American history, timed to the nation's 250th anniversary in 2026[2](https://apnews.com/article/50ded1e44b6e4fba2b543d1a6dd9ac29). David serves as executive producer, writer, and star of the six half-hour episodes, with his *Curb* showrunner Jeff Schaffer co-writing and directing[2](https://apnews.com/article/50ded1e44b6e4fba2b543d1a6dd9ac29). It was Higher Ground that approached David about the project[18](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/global/larry-david-barack-obama-hbo-trumps-white-house-ufc-fight-37948/).
The series, titled *Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America*, premiered June 26, 2026, on HBO[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2026-04-19/larry-david-talks-seinfeld-curb-your-enthusiasm-new-hbo-series). It revisits pivotal moments in United States history, including the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, the Civil War, the invention of the telephone, and the moon landing, with [Barack Obama](https://www.edgepedia.org/barack-obama) appearing as a guest[19](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/06/29/life-larry-and-the-pursuit-of-unhappiness-on-hbo-max-an-irreverent-take-on-key-moments-in-us-history_6754967_30.html). Schaffer has said the historical figures David plays "didn't change history. In fact, they were largely ignored by history"[20](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/larry-david-teams-with-the-obamas-for-new-hbo-comedy-series/).
## References
1. [Larry David, Television Academy bio](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/larry-david)
2. [Larry David teams with the Obamas for HBO US history sketch show for the nation's 250th, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/50ded1e44b6e4fba2b543d1a6dd9ac29)
3. [Larry David, Apple Snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621214480)
4. [Curb Your Enthusiasm, Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/shows/curb-your-enthusiasm)
5. [Larry David Has Announced A Wildly Different Follow-Up To Curb Your Enthusiasm At HBO, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/larry-david-announced-wildly-different-follow-up-curb-your-enthusiasm-hbo-involves-obamas)
6. [Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, CBS News (2004)](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/larry-david-curb-your-enthusiasm-19-01-2004/)
7. [Larry David talks 'Seinfeld,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' new HBO series, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2026-04-19/larry-david-talks-seinfeld-curb-your-enthusiasm-new-hbo-series)
8. [Whatever Works press kit, Sony Pictures Classics](https://www.sonyclassics.com/whateverworks/_pdf/whateverworks_presskit.pdf)
9. [Larry David: 'I'm cranky', The Guardian (2010)](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2010/jun/26/larry-david-interview)
10. [Angry Middle-Aged Man, The New Yorker (2004)](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/01/19/larry-david-profile-angry-middle-aged-man)
11. [Larry David, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45861059/larry-david)
12. [D. Middleton PhD thesis (2024), University of Central Lancashire](https://knowledge.lancashire.ac.uk/id/eprint/52562/1/DAMiddleton%20PhD%202024%20Resub%20FINAL.pdf)
13. [Larry David on Ending Curb Your Enthusiasm and Staying True to His Roots, Vanity Fair (2024)](https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/larry-david-interview-curb-your-enthusiasm-finale-awards-insider)
14. [Interview: Jeff Schaffer Explains Larry David's Process, LAist](https://laist.com/news/entertainment/interview-jeff-schaffer-curb-your-enthusiasm)
15. [Larry David, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202970/?showAllCredits=true)
16. [The Culture, Time (2015)](https://time.com/3723600/the-culture-15/)
17. [Julia Louis-Dreyfus on SNL and Larry David, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/julia-louis-dreyfus-snl-difficulties-happily-being-miserable-with-larry-david)
18. [Larry David on Barack Obama's 'Perfect' Comedic Timing in New HBO Show, Variety](https://au.variety.com/2026/tv/global/larry-david-barack-obama-hbo-trumps-white-house-ufc-fight-37948/)
19. ['Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness' on HBO Max, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/culture/article/2026/06/29/life-larry-and-the-pursuit-of-unhappiness-on-hbo-max-an-irreverent-take-on-key-moments-in-us-history_6754967_30.html)
20. [Larry David Teams With the Obamas for New HBO Comedy Series, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/larry-david-teams-with-the-obamas-for-new-hbo-comedy-series/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Producers, studio executives, and showrunners › Television producers and showrunners › Comedy and sitcom creators*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license