Michael Richards

Seinfeld trivia - who is the only one of Jerry's friends who wasn't born in the New York City area? That'd be Michael Richards, a native of Los Angeles. While Kramer may be a bumbling neighbor (and what is his job, anyway?), Michael Richards took a more traditional route to Hollywood -- earning a degree in theater arts from Evergreen State College in Washington and then working at the prestigious San Diego Repertory Theatre.

Eventually, all roads lead to Kramer. But on the way, Richards was a recurring TV guest with stints on "Cheers," "St. Elsewhere," "Miami Vice," "Hill Street Blues" and "Night Court." He starred in the late-night sketch comedy series "Fridays." Richards made his feature film debut in the Garry Marshall comedy Young Doctors in Love, and has also starred in Diane Keaton's critically acclaimed Unstrung Heroes, Airheads, So I Married an Axe Murderer, and more.

During the 2000-2001 season, Richards returned to series television in "The Michael Richards Show," starring as an offbeat private investigator. That season, he also starred opposite Sally Field in a cable television adaptation of Charles Dickens' drama "David Copperfield."