Great Television Characters

#3

George Costanzo

Played by Jason Alexander

in Seinfeld

Following on from last weeks Frank Burns is Seinfeld's George Costanza, another character lacking in nobility, Elaine (Julia Louis Dreyfuss) described him as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" and described as "Lord of the Idiots" by himself. He is very neurotic and self dominated.

Friends with Jerry Seinfeld (the character) since their middle school years. Episode plots frequently feature George manufacturing elaborate deceptions at work or in his relationships to gain or maintain some sort of small or imagined advantage. His relationships with women are always unsuccessful. His most disastrous was his engagement to Susan Ross, one of the few that ends "well" for George; he fears marriage and Susan's unexpected death saves him from the commitment and he was somewhat to blame for her by skimping on the cost of envelopes (watch the series if you don't know what I mean!)

Often desribed as dumb by his friends he is also considered an expert liar, and as often talked his way out of extraordinary situations (considered a useful skill by his friends).

George is primarily based upon co-creator Larry David and many of George's predicaments were based on the real life experiences of David. For example, when George quits his job in fury, he realizes his actions were a mistakes, he goes back to work the next day as if nothing happened, mirroring David's actions while working as a writer on Saturday Night Live.

George appeared in all but one of the Seinfeld episodes (season three's The Pen) and he goes down as one of the greatest television characters in history for his perfect self loathing and nuerosis.