Actor
Len Lesser who appeared in over 150 film and television productions and who was known primarily for his role as Uncle Leo on
Seinfeld has passed away from cancer related pneumonia at the age of 88, according to the
BBC. Lesser made fifteen appearances on Seinfeld which was comfortably the most popular American sitcom of the nineties. His Uncle Leo character was a loveable rogue who thought nothing to stealing from bookstores, making dodgy deals and had a recurring shtick where he was always bragging to Jerry about his cousin Jeffrey who worked in the parks department. Lesser brilliantly brought to life an old man who refused to act his age and was one of the most hilarious of the numerous recurring minor characters that featured on the show. One particularly brilliant moment involving Uncle Leo was a dream sequence that parodied Martin Scorsese's 1990 crime remake Cape Fear which
Jerry Seinfeld spoke fondly about to
The New Daily News today;
"I'll never forget when Uncle Leo was in prison and tattooed 'Jerry Hello' on his knuckles," Seinfeld said in the statement, adding that Lesser was "a very sweet guy" and that the cast "always loved having him on the show."
Jason Alexander whose portrayal of George Costanaza
was voted the third greatest sitcom character of all time added to Jerry Seinfeld's warm sentiments on
his twitter page:
Len was a tremendous guy. He was a smart actor/comedian who knew exactly what he was doing in the creation of Uncle Leo.
Alexander noted that he enjoyed many conversations with the actor and praised his humble behaviour on set.
Lesser made an impression recently with his critically acclaimed turn in the play
Awake and Sing! at the Los Angeles theatre A Noise Within. Hoyt Hilsman
wrote in his review for Backstage that "Lesser nearly steals the show several times." Lesser also made several appearances in feature films such as Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales and The Birdman of Alcatraz and in a string of popular television shows including ER, Everybody Loves Raymond, Mad About You and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He leaves behind a wife, two children and three grandchildren and a private funeral is currently being arranged. His daughter Michelle had the following to say about
her father's loss:
"Heaven got a great comedian and actor today. The outpouring of sympathy we've already received has been amazing and is so greatly appreciated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK7WXynpNDQ