20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Seinfeld
17. George Was Based On Three People
When Jason Alexander auditioned for George Costanza, he knew he had to play it as neurotic as possible. Alexander claimed he won the role by emulating the most neurotic person possible; Hollywood director, Woody Allen.
After working on five or six episodes, Alexander realised that the character was actually based on another neurotic; the show's head-writer, Larry David. He learned this when he approached David because of an unresolved issue George had in a storyline. When Alexander told him "no one would react like this", David retorted with, "This happened to me, this is exactly what I did."
Although it's common knowledge the character is based on Allen and David, a lot of people don't realise it was based on another person (but only in name). George's name was taken from Seinfeld's college friend, Michael Costanza.
Because George isn't based on Michael Costanza's personality, you'd assume using the name wasn't a big deal. But one year after the show ended, Michael Costanza filed a $100 million lawsuit against the studio, claiming the character used his likeness, which led to emotional distress and an invasion of privacy. Sadly, the judge dismissed the case.