Kramer may refer to:

People

Kramer (musician), a musician and record producer.

;Fictional

Cosmo Kramer, a character from the American sitcom ''Seinfeld'', usually referred to as just "Kramer".

For other people, real or fictional, with the last name of "Kramer", see Kramer (surname)

Places

Kramer, North Dakota, USA

Kramer, Indiana, USA

Others

Kramer Electronics, Ltd., An international electronics company.

Kramer of New York (1943–1980) jewellery company based in New York City.

''Kramer vs. Kramer'', 1979 American film, Academy Award winner for Best Picture.

''Shelley v. Kraemer'' (334 U.S. 1) (1948), important United States Supreme Court civil rights case.

Kramer Guitars, Kramer Musical Instruments, an American guitar company.

Kramer graph, Two-stroke engine port area graph.

See also

Krämer

Kraemer

Cramer

Kremer

Cremer (disambiguation)

cs:Kramer de:Kramer fr:Cramer it:Kramer he:קרמר nl:Kramer ja:クレーマー (曖昧さ回避) pl:Kramer (ujednoznacznienie) pt:Kramer ru:Крамер fi:Cramer vo:Kramer

name	Michael Richards
birth name	Michael Anthony Richards
birth date	July 24, 1949
birth place	Culver City, California, U.S.
occupation	Actor/Comedian
years active	1979–present
spouse	Cathleen Lyons (1974-1992; 1 child)
partner	}}

Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, comedian, writer and television producer, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom ''Seinfeld''.

Richards began his career as a stand up comedian, first stepping into a national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special. He went on to become a series regular on ABC's ''Fridays''. Prior to ''Seinfeld'', he made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows including ''Cheers'', ''Night Court'', ''Miami Vice'' and ''St. Elsewhere''. His film credits include ''So I Married an Axe Murderer'', ''Airheads'', ''Young Doctors in Love'', ''Problem Child'', ''Coneheads'' and ''UHF''. During the run of ''Seinfeld'', he made a guest appearance in ''Mad About You''. After ''Seinfeld'', Richards starred in his own sitcom, ''The Michael Richards Show'', which lasted less than one season.

After his series was cancelled, Richards returned to his roots performing stand up comedy. After inciting some media furor in late 2006 over explosively addressing audience members at a comedy show with repeated racial epithets, Richards announced his retirement from stand-up in 2007. Most recently, Richards appeared as himself in the seventh season of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' in 2009, acting alongside his fellow ''Seinfeld'' cast members for the first time since ''Seinfeld'''s finale.

Early life

Richards was born in Culver City, California, the son of Phyllis (née Nardozza), a medical records librarian, and William Richards, an electrical engineer. Richards was brought up with no specific religious tradition. He was drafted during the Vietnam War, was in the U.S. Army for two years, and was stationed in Germany as one of the co-directors of the V Corps Training Road Show. "This was a successful, educational operation, boosting the morale of our men and incorporating the arts into the service."

He attended the California Institute of the Arts, and received a BA degree in drama from The Evergreen State College in 1975. He also had a short-lived improv act with Ed Begley, Jr. during this period. Enrolled at Los Angeles Valley College, he continued to appear in student productions. He later said: "I am grateful that the public schools introduced me to the performing arts."

He also spent a few years "finding himself" at a commune in the Santa Cruz Mountains. In 1979 he drove a bus and developed his own nightclub act.

Career

Richards got his big TV break in 1979, appearing in Billy Crystal's first cable TV special. In 1980, he began as one of the cast members on ABC's ''Fridays'' television show, including a famous instance in which guest Andy Kaufman refused to deliver his scripted lines, leading Richards to bring the cue cards on screen to Kaufman causing him to throw his drink into Richards' face, before a small riot ensued (Richards later claimed he was in on the joke). The film ''Man on the Moon'' featured a re-enactment of the Andy Kaufman incident in which Richards was portrayed by actor Norm Macdonald (although he is never referred to by name so he could be seen as a composite character taking the place of Richards).

He was also famous for a brief sketch that he did on the show, during which he simply improvised with a large pile of dirt and some army toys. In 1989, Richards had a strong supporting role in "Weird Al" Yankovic's comedy film ''UHF''. On television, Richards also appeared in ''Miami Vice'' (as an unscrupulous bookie), ''Cheers'' (as a character trying to collect on an old bet with Sam Malone), and made several guest appearances with Jay Leno as an accident-prone fitness expert.

According to an interview with executive producer David Hoberman, ABC first conceived the series ''Monk'' as a police show with an Inspector Clouseau-like character suffering from obsessive–compulsive disorder. Hoberman said that ABC wanted Richards for the Monk role, but Richards turned it down.

''Seinfeld''

In 1989, he was cast as Cosmo Kramer in the NBC television series ''Seinfeld'', which was created by fellow ''Fridays'' cast member Larry David and comedian Jerry Seinfeld. Although it got off to a slow start, by the mid-1990s, the show had become one of the most popular sitcoms in television history. The series ended its nine-year run in 1998 at #1 in the Nielsen ratings. In the setting of ''Seinfeld'', Kramer is usually referred to by his last name only and is the neighbor of the show's eponymous character. Kramer's first name Cosmo was revealed in the sixth season episode "The Switch".

Richards won more Emmys than any other cast member on ''Seinfeld''. He took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 1993, 1994 and 1997.

Starting in 2004, he and his fellow ''Seinfeld'' cast members provided interviews and audio commentaries for the ''Seinfeld'' DVDs, but Richards stopped providing audio commentary after Season 5. He continued to provide interviews.

''The Michael Richards Show''

In 2000, after the end of ''Seinfeld'', Richards began work on a new series for NBC, his first major project since ''Seinfeld'''s high-profile finale. ''The Michael Richards Show'', for which the actor received co-writer and co-executive producer credits, was originally conceived as a comedy/mystery starring Richards as a bumbling private investigator. However, after the first pilot failed with test audiences, NBC ordered that the show be retooled into a more conventional, office-based sitcom before its premiere. After a few weeks of poor ratings and negative reviews, it was canceled.

Cameo roles, guest appearances, and film roles

Richards played himself in Episode 2 of Season 1 "The Flirt Episode" (1992) of the HBO series, ''The Larry Sanders Show''. Richards also played a cameo role in ''So I Married an Axe Murderer'' where he was an "insensitive man". Richards played radio station employee Doug Beech in Airheads. He also made guest appearances on ''Miami Vice'', ''Night Court'' and ''Cheers''. In 2007, Richards voiced character Bud Ditchwater in the animated film ''Bee Movie'', which starred, and was produced by, Jerry Seinfeld. In 2009, Richards and the other main ''Seinfeld'' cast members appeared in the seventh season of ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''.

Laugh Factory Incident

On November 17, 2006, during a performance at the Laugh Factory in West Hollywood, California, a camera phone video captured Richards shouting "Shut up! Fifty years ago we'd have you upside down with a fucking fork up your ass!" to a heckler in the audience, followed by repeated shouts of "He's a nigger!" to the rest of the audience (using the racial epithet six times altogether and making a reference to lynching). He was addressing a pair of black hecklers. Another black member of the audience who was offended by the remarks retorted by calling Richards a "cracker" and "fucking white boy."

Richards made a public apology for his racist remarks, during a telephoned appearance on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'', when Jerry Seinfeld was the guest. He described going into a rage and said, "For me to be at a comedy club and to flip out and say this crap, I'm deeply, deeply sorry." He said he was trying to defuse heckling by being even more outrageous, but that it had backfired. Richards later called civil rights leaders Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in order to apologize. He also appeared as a guest on Jackson's syndicated radio show.

Kyle Doss, one of the members of the group that Richards had addressed, gave his explanation to CNN of the events prior to the cell phone video. He said that they had arrived in the middle of the performance and that, "I guess we're being a little loud, because there was 20 of us ordering drinks. And Richards said, 'Look at the stupid Mexicans and blacks being loud up there.'" Richards then continued with his routine. Doss added, "And, then, after a while, I told him, my friend doesn't think you're funny," which triggered Richards' outburst.

The incident was later parodied on several TV shows, including ''MadTV'', ''Family Guy'', ''South Park'', ''Extras'' and ''Curb Your Enthusiasm''; in the last, he appeared as himself.

Personal life

In July 2007, partly due to the incident at the Laugh Factory club in November 2006, Richards announced that he has retired from stand-up comedy for "spiritual healing" purposes and would be traveling with his fiancée to Cambodia, where they would visit Angkor Wat, as well as more remote temples, on a tour sponsored by the Los Angeles-based Nithyananda Foundation.

Richards is a Freemason and also a 33° member of the Scottish Rite. He has been very active in preservation of Masonic research.

TV

1980–1982 ''Fridays'' (54 episodes) – Various

1982–1984 ''Faerie Tale Theatre'' (2 episodes) – King Geoffrey, Vince

1983 ''Herndon'' – Dr. Herndon P. Stool

1984 ''At Your Service'' – Rick the Gardener

1984 ''Night Court'' (1 episode) – Eugene Sleighbough

1984 ''The Ratings Game'' – Sal

1985 ''Tall Tales & Legends'' (1 episode) – Sneaky Pete

1984–1985 ''St. Elsewhere'' (5 episodes) – Bill Wolf

1985 ''Cheers'' (1 episode) – Eddie Gordon

1985 ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King'' (1 episode) – Petronus

1985 ''Slickers'' – Mike Blade

1985 ''It's a Living'' (1 episode) – Hager

1985 ''Hill Street Blues'' ( 1 episode) – Special Agent Dupre

1986 ''Miami Vice'' (1 episode) – Pagone

1986 ''Fresno'' (TV miniseries) – 2nd Henchman

1987 ''Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge'' – Various Characters

1987–1988 ''Marblehead Manor'' (10 episodes) – Rick the Gardener

1989 ''Camp MTV'' – Stanley Spadowski

1989–1998 ''Seinfeld'' (177 episodes) – Kramer

1992 ''Dinosaurs'' (voice 1 episode) – Director

1992 ''Mad About You'' (1 episode) – Kramer

1996 ''Ellen's Energy Adventure'' (uncredited) – Caveman discovering fire

1996 ''London Suite'' – Mark Ferris

2000 ''David Copperfield 2000'' – Mr. Wilkins Micawber

2000 ''The Michael Richards Show'' (7 episodes) – Vic Nardozza

2009 ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' – with the entire cast of ''Seinfeld''

Filmography

1982 ''Young Doctors in Love'' - Malamud Callahan

1984 ''The House of God'' - Dr. Pinkus

1985 ''Transylvania 6-5000'' - Fejos

1986 ''Whoops Apocalypse'' - Lacrobat

1989 ''UHF'' - Stanley Spadowski

1990 ''Problem Child'' - Martin Beck

1993 ''Coneheads'' - Motel Clerk

1993 ''So I Married an Axe Murderer'' - Newspaper reporter

1994 ''Airheads'' - Doug Beech

1995 ''Unstrung Heroes'' - Danny Lidz

1997 ''Redux Riding Hood'' (voice) - The Wolf

1997 ''Trial and Error'' - Richard 'Ricky' Rietti

2007 ''Bee Movie'' (voice) - Bud Ditchwater

2010 ''Cat Tale'' (voice) - Ace - release date pending, possible no-release.

References

External links

Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:Obscenity controversies Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:The Evergreen State College alumni Category:People from Los Angeles County, California Category:United States Army soldiers Category:Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners

de:Michael Richards es:Michael Richards fr:Michael Richards hr:Michael Richards is:Michael Richards it:Michael Richards he:מייקל ריצ'רדס la:Michael Richards nl:Michael Richards ja:マイケル・リチャーズ no:Michael Richards pl:Michael Richards pt:Michael Richards ro:Michael Richards simple:Michael Richards sh:Michael Richards fi:Michael Richards sv:Michael Richards tl:Michael Richards

Birth name	David Khari Webber Chappelle
Birth date	August 24, 1973
Birth place	Washington, D.C., U.S.
Medium	Stand-up, television, film
Nationality	American
Religion	Islam
Active	1987–present
Genre	Satire/political satire, improvisational comedy, observational comedy, surreal humor, sketch comedy, black comedy, blue comedy
Subject	Racism, race relations, American politics, African American culture, pop culture, recreational drug use, human sexuality, morality
Influences	Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Mel Blanc, Chris Rock
Signature	Dave Chapelle Signature.svg
Spouse	Elaine Chappelle (2001-present) 3 children
Notable work	Himself and Various in Chappelle's ShowHimself in Dave Chappelle's Block PartyAchoo in Robin Hood: Men in TightsThurgood Jenkins in Half Baked }}

David Khari Webber "Dave" Chappelle (; born August 24, 1973) is an American comedian, screenwriter, television/film producer, actor, and artist. Chappelle began his film career in the film ''Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' in 1993 and continued to star in minor roles in the films ''The Nutty Professor'', ''Con Air'', and ''Blue Streak''. His first lead role in a film was in ''Half Baked'' in 1998. In 2003, he became widely known for his popular sketch comedy television series, ''Chappelle's Show'', which ran until 2006. He is ranked forty-third in Comedy Central Presents: 100 Greatest Stand-Ups of All Time.

Early life

Chappelle was born in Washington D.C. His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His mother, Yvonne (née Reed), was a professor at Howard University, Prince George's Community College, and the University of Maryland and is also a Unitarian Universalist minister. Chappelle has stated in his stand-up performances that his mother is half-white. Chappelle grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland and attended Woodlin Elementary School. During young Chappelle's formative years, his comic inspiration came from various comedians, particularly Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor.

After his parents separated, Chappelle stayed in Washington with his mother while spending summers with his father in Ohio. In 1991, he graduated from Washington's Duke Ellington School of the Arts where he studied theatre arts.

2003 - 2006 standup and ''Chappelle's Show''

In 2003, Chappelle debuted his own weekly sketch comedy show on Comedy Central called ''Chappelle's Show''. The show parodied many aspects of American culture including racial stereotypes, politics and pop culture. Along with comedy skits, the show also featured musical performances by mostly hip-hop and soul artists. Chappelle's pointed social and political commentary quickly helped the show garner critical and commercial success as well as controversy. Richard Pryor, one of Chappelle's comedic influences, was a fan of the show and stated that he had "passed the torch" to Chappelle. Chappelle received two Emmy nominations for the show. Additionally, the DVD set became the best-selling DVD of a television show to date, overtaking the previous best-selling, ''The Simpsons'' first season DVD. It had sold over 3 million copies. Due to the show's popularity, Comedy Central's parent company Viacom reportedly offered Chappelle a $55 million contract (giving Chappelle a share of DVD sales) to continue production of ''Chappelle's Show'' for two more years while allowing him to do side projects. Chappelle had stated that sketches are not his favorite form of comedy, and that the characteristics of the show's format were somewhat like short films.

In June 2004, based on the popularity of the "Rick James" sketch, it was announced that Chappelle was in talks to portray Rick James in a biopic from Paramount Pictures (also owned by Viacom). James's estate disagreed with the proposed comical tone of the film and put a halt to the talks.

In 2004, Chappelle recorded his second comedy special, this time airing on Showtime - ''Dave Chappelle: For What It's Worth'', at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium.

Season three turbulence

In a June 2004 stand-up performance in Sacramento, California, Chappelle walked off the stage after berating his audience for constantly shouting "I'm Rick James, bitch!," which became a catchphrase from the popular "Rick James" sketch. After a few minutes, Chappelle returned and continued by saying, "The show is ruining my life." He stated that he disliked working "20 hours a day" and that the popularity of the show was making it difficult for him to continue his stand-up career, which was "the most important thing" to him. He also told the audience:

}}

Season 3 was scheduled to air on May 31, 2005, but in that month, Chappelle stunned fans and the entertainment industry when he abruptly left during production of the third season of ''Chappelle's Show'' and took a trip to South Africa. Chappelle has since stated that he was unhappy with the direction the show had taken.

}}

Return

In June 2005, Chappelle performed impromptu stand-up shows in Los Angeles. He then went on a tour that began in Newport, Kentucky, not far from his Ohio home. He also made a surprise appearance on HBO's ''Def Poetry'' where he performed two poems, titled ''Fuck Ashton Kutcher'' and ''How I Got the Lead on "Jeopardy!."'' He was interviewed for ''Inside the Actors Studio'' on December 18, 2005 at Pace University's Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts. The show premiered on February 12, 2006. Chappelle stated that the death of his father in 1998 had an impact on his decision to go to South Africa. By throwing himself into his work, he had not taken a chance to mourn his father's death. He also said the rumors that he was in drug or psychiatric treatment only persuaded him to stay in South Africa.

He continued:

Chappelle also said that he felt some of his sketches were "socially irresponsible." He singled out the "pixie sketch" in which pixies appear to people and encourage them to reinforce stereotypes of their races. In the sketch, Chappelle is wearing blackface and is dressed as a character in a minstrel show. According to Chappelle, during the filming of the sketch, a crew member was laughing in a way that made him feel uncomfortable and made him rethink the show. Chappelle said, "it was the first time I felt that someone was not laughing with me but laughing at me."

During these interviews, Chappelle did not rule out returning to ''Chappelle's Show'' to "finish what we started," but promised that he would not return without changes to the production, such as a better working environment. He also stated he would like to donate half of the DVD sales to charity. Chappelle expressed disdain at the possibility of his material from the unfinished third season being aired, saying that to do so would be "a bully move," and that he would not return to the show if Comedy Central were to air the unfinished material. On July 9, 2006, Comedy Central aired the first episode of ''Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes''. An uncensored DVD release of the episodes was made available on July 25.

2006 - ''Dave Chappelle's Block Party''

Chappelle was the star and producer of the Michel Gondry-directed documentary ''Dave Chappelle's Block Party'', which chronicles a Chappelle-hosted concert in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn on September 18, 2004. Several musical artists, including Kanye West, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Dead Prez and Jill Scott are featured in the movie both performing in the concert and in conversation off-stage. The most surprising highlight of the event was the "last minute" reunion of popular '90s hip hop group The Fugees. Chappelle toured several cities in February and March 2006 to promote the film under the moniker "Block Party All-Stars featuring Dave Chappelle". Universal Pictures' genre division Rogue Pictures released the film in the United States on March 3, 2006.

2007 - present

In April 2007, Chappelle set a stand-up endurance record at the Laugh Factory Sunset Strip comedy club, beating comedian Dane Cook's record of 3 hours and 50 minutes. In December of the same year, Chappelle broke his own record with a time of 6 hours and 12 minutes. Cook took the record again in January 2008, with a time of 7 hours. On November 19, 2009 Chappelle performed at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, where it was speculated that he would aim to take back the record. However, he was disqualified according to the club owner, after he left the stage, five hours into his routine.

Chappelle again appeared on ''Inside the Actors Studio'' and in celebration of the show's 200th episode, he humorously interviewed the show's usual host, James Lipton. The episode aired on November 11, 2008.

Personal life

Chappelle lives with his wife Elaine, two sons, Sulayman and Ibrahim, and daughter Sonal, on a farm, just outside Yellow Springs, Ohio. He also owns several houses in Xenia, Ohio. Regarding his home in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Chappelle says, "Turns out you don't need $50 million to live around these parts, just a nice smile and a kind way about you. You guys are the best neighbors ever," he stated at a blues and jazz festival in the town in mid-September 2006. "That's why I came back and that's why I'm staying."

Chappelle is a Muslim, having converted to Islam in 1998. He told ''Time Magazine'' in a May 2005 interview, "I don’t normally talk about my religion publicly because I don’t want people to associate me and my flaws with this beautiful thing. And I believe it is beautiful if you learn it the right way."

Filmography

+ Actor
! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes
1992	''Def Comedy Jam''	Himself
1993	''Robin Hood: Men in Tights''	Ahchoo
1995		Dave	One episode
1996		Reggie Warrington
1997	''Con Air''	Pinball
1998	''Half Baked''	Thurgood Jenkins / Sir Smoke-a-Lot
1998	''You've Got Mail''	Kevin Jackson
1999	''200 Cigarettes''	Disco Cabbie
1999	''Blue Streak''	Tulley
2000	''Screwed''	Rusty P. Hayes
2002	''Undercover Brother''	Conspiracy Brother
2003-2006	''Chappelle's Show''	Himself and others
2005	''Inside the Actor's Studio''	Himself
2006	''Dave Chappelle's Block Party''	Himself	Documentary
2007		Himself	Documentary
2008	''Inside the Actor's Studio''	Himself

Discography

+ Actor
! Year	! Album	! Role	Notes
2000	Killin' Them Softly	Executive Producer	TV Documentary
2004	''For What It's Worth''	Executive Producer	TV Movie/Showtime Special

References

External links

Video of Anderson Cooper 360 Interview

Fresh Air Interview in 2004

Category:1973 births Category:American Muslims Category:African American actors Category:African American comedians Category:African American television actors Category:American buskers Category:American film actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American television actors Category:Psychedelic drug advocates Category:American people of Ivorian descent Category:Living people Category:People from Silver Spring, Maryland Category:People from Washington, D.C. Category:People from Yellow Springs, Ohio Category:Converts to Islam from Christianity Category:African American Muslims Category:Converts to Islam Category:African American Muslims

da:Dave Chapelle de:David Chappelle es:Dave Chappelle fr:Dave Chappelle it:Dave Chappelle he:דייב שאפל nl:Dave Chappelle no:David Chappelle pl:Dave Chappelle ru:Шапелл, Дэйв sq:Dave Chappelle fi:Dave Chappelle sv:David Chappelle

name	Jana Kramer
birth date	December 02, 1983
birth place	Detroit, Michigan, USA
occupation	Actress, singer
yearsactive	2002–present
othername	Jana Rae
spouse	Johnathon Schaech (July 4th, 2010–August 9, 2010) separated }}

Jana Rae Kramer (born December 2, 1983) is an American actress and country music singer.

Career

Kramer played Noelle Davenport on ''Friday Night Lights'' and Portia Ranson on ''90210''. She played a sorority girl interested in Turtle in ''Entourage''. In 2009, Kramer signed on to become a series regular in The CW's ''One Tree Hill'' as Alex, an actress who becomes the new face of Brooke's fashion line, "Clothes Over Bros". In February 2011, Kramer signed with Warner Bros. Nashville Records. Her first single, "I Won't Give Up", was released to country radio in February 2011 and was featured on an episode of ''One Tree Hill''. Despite failing to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart, the song reached number 75 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Personal life

On December 22, 2009, Kramer got engaged to Johnathon Schaech. The couple met on the set of the movie ''Prom Night'' and appeared as a couple in ''Laid to Rest''. They wed on July 4, 2010 in Michigan. On August 9, 2010, it was announced that Kramer and Schaech had divorced after a little over a month of marriage.

Filmography

''All My Children'' ''Blue Demon'' ''Click (2006 film) ''Boxboarders!'' ''Prom Night (2008 film) ''90210 (TV series) ''One Tree Hill (TV series)

Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
2002	''Dead/Undead''	Alice St. James
rowspan="3"	2003	|	Unknown	(Unknown episodes, Uncredited)
''The Passage''	Bartender at Alvin's
''Blood Games''	Mistress Tiamat
rowspan="2"	2005	|	Carrie
''Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis''	Katie Williams
rowspan="3"	2006	Click''||	Julie
''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation''	Unknown
''CSI: NY''	Paige Rowand
rowspan="2"	2007	|	Victoria
''Friday Night Lights (TV series)	Friday Night Lights''	Noelle Davenport
rowspan="6"	2008	Prom Night''||	April
''Approaching Midnight''	Aspen
''Can You Duet''	Herself
''Bar Starz''	Ryann
''Grey's Anatomy''	Lola
''The Poker Club''	Trudy
2008–2009	90210''||	Portia Ranson	(6 episodes-"The Jet Set", "That Which We Destroy", "Hello, Goodbye, Amen", "Love Me or Leave Me", "Between a Sign and a Hard Place", "The Party's Over")
rowspan="5"	2009	One Tree Hill''||	Alex	(2009–present)
''Private Practice (TV series)	Private Practice''	Lyla
''Laid to Rest''	Jamie
''Spring Breakdown''	Seven #2
''Entourage (TV series)	Entourage''	Brooke Manning

Discography

Singles

Year	Single	Chart Positions	Album
!width=45
		75
	99

References

External links

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:American television actors Category:American country singers Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

de:Jana Kramer fr:Jana Kramer it:Jana Kramer no:Jana Kramer pt:Jana Kramer sv:Jana Kramer

title	The Soup Nazi
series	Seinfeld
season	7
episode	6
airdate	November 2, 1995
production	706
writer	Spike Feresten
director	Andy Ackerman
guests	Larry ThomasAlexandra WentworthAna Gasteyer
episode list	List of ''Seinfeld'' episodes
season list
next	}}

"The Soup Nazi" is the title of the 116th episode of the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld'', which was the 6th episode of the 7th season. It first aired in the United States on November 2, 1995.

The Soup Nazi is also the nickname of the titular character played by Larry Thomas. The term "Nazi" is used as an exaggeration of the excessively strict regimentation he constantly demands of his patrons.

Plot

Jerry, George and Elaine go out to a new soup stand Kramer has been raving about; its owner is referred to as the "Soup Nazi" due to his temperament and insistence on a strict manner of behavior while ordering. Jerry explains the procedure for ordering which George accepts, but Elaine rejects. En route, Elaine notices a sidewalk furniture dealer with an armoire for sale and decides to stop and buy it. However, when she returns to her building with it, the building superintendent tells her there is no moving allowed on Sundays.

When Jerry and George get to the soup stand, George follows the procedure but notices that he did not get the free bread with his soup order. Jerry tells him to let it go, but George asks for some, and is told he will have to pay $2 for it. When George objects, claiming that everybody in front of him got free bread, he is told that the price for bread is now "THREE dollars!" When George continues to protest, he quickly has his money returned and his soup is brusquely taken back, with the catchphrase "No soup for you!"

Over the past weeks, Jerry has been annoying George and Elaine with his open affection and baby talk (calling each other "Schmoopie") with his new girlfriend Sheila (Alexandra Wentworth). During another visit to the soup stand, when Sheila will not stop kissing Jerry in the line of customers, the Soup Nazi orders her out of the line, and Jerry is forced to pretend he does not know her. When George finds out, he admits his annoyance with their "baby talk" romantic behavior to Jerry. Jerry later tells Sheila he was just joking at the soup stand and makes up with her. When George finds out, he begins to act similarly with Susan to make a point. Susan misinterprets George's intentions and thinks that George is finally enjoying showing his feelings in public, continuing to act that way after Jerry again breaks up with Sheila.

Elaine, still awaiting the chance to move her new armoire upstairs, asks Kramer to guard the piece of furniture on the street overnight. When he arrives, she goes to the soup stand to get him soup. While she is gone, some "street toughs" intimidate Kramer and steal the armoire. At the soup stand, Elaine ignores everyone's prior advice and annoys the Soup Nazi with her behavior. He refuses her soup and bans her from coming to his restaurant for one year. She returns to her building to find Kramer without the armoire.

Later, Kramer, who has become friends with the Soup Nazi, tells him the story of the stolen armoire in passing. The Soup Nazi offers Kramer an antique armoire he has in storage in his basement. Kramer gives the armoire to Elaine as a replacement for her stolen one. Elaine goes to thank the Soup Nazi for the armoire, but the Soup Nazi angrily declares that he never would have given it to Kramer if he knew it was for her—instead, he would have smashed it to pieces with a hatchet. Offended, Elaine returns home, where she and Jerry subsequently discover the Soup Nazi's secret soup recipes, which have been left behind in a drawer of the old armoire. She returns to his shop, recipes in hand, and declares that she is going to destroy him and his business by exposing the recipes, gleefully revealing this in an ironically similar way he brushed her off earlier. Feeling ruined, the Soup Nazi decides to close the business and move to Argentina and starts giving away his remaining soup, which Newman and Jerry hurriedly try to take advantage of.

Production

"The Soup Nazi" was Spike Feresten's first credited ''Seinfeld'' episode as a writer. The idea for the episode arose when Feresten told Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David about New York soup vendor Al Yeganeh, who was nicknamed "The Soup Nazi." Seinfeld and David laughed and said "That's a show. Do that as your first show." Feresten's inspiration for the armoire subplot was a New York apartment building in which he had lived, which forbade moving furniture on certain days. The armoire thieves were written as homosexual because Larry David decided that "only gay guys would steal an armoire." The first cast table reading for "The Soup Nazi" was held on September 28, 1995, and it was filmed before a studio audience on October 3. In the episode, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) imitates Al Pacino in ''Scent of a Woman''. This was done at Jerry Seinfeld's suggestion, even though Louis-Dreyfus had never seen the film.

The character

The Soup Nazi was portrayed by Larry Thomas, who was nominated for a 1996 Emmy for the role. Thomas, who did not realize that the character was based on a real person, received the inspiration for his portrayal from watching ''Lawrence of Arabia'' and studying Omar Sharif's accent.

A stone-faced immigrant chef with a thick Stalin-esque moustache, he is renowned throughout Manhattan for his soups. He demands that all customers in his restaurant meticulously follow his strict queuing, ordering, and payment policies. Failure to adhere to his demands brings the stern admonition ("No soup for you!") whereupon the customer is refunded and denied his or her order. He will then yell at the top of his lungs to the next person in line, "Next!" Elaine parodies this when she reveals that she has his recipes. She says to him, "You're through, Soup Nazi. Pack it up. No more soup for you. NEXT!"

The Soup Nazi has a cameo in the ''Seinfeld'' series finale, in which his name is revealed to be Yev Kassem. He also reacts as he always does when Elaine insults his soup at the court.

Inspiration

The character was inspired by Al Yeganeh, a New York City soup vendor who runs Soup Kitchen International in midtown Manhattan at 259A West 55th Street, near 8th Avenue, and The Original Soup Man chain of restaurants throughout the United States.

According to an Associated Press article published April 29, 2005, Yeganeh planned to open a chain of soup stores called The Original Soup Man. The first franchise opened in Princeton, New Jersey, on October 24, 2005. His company, Soup Kitchen International, plans to open 1,000 outlets nationwide. Soup Kitchen International's original West 55th Street location was closed for many years but re-opened July 20, 2010. Al was not at the location on opening day.

Before the episode was written, much of the cast of ''Seinfeld'' (including Wayne Knight) had been to Soup Kitchen International. After "The Soup Nazi" had aired, Seinfeld and several writers went to Yeganeh's soup stand for lunch. Upon recognizing Seinfeld, Yeganeh launched into a profanity-laced rant about how "The Soup Nazi" episode had "ruined his life," and he demanded an apology. Seinfeld gave what show writer Spike Feresten described as "the most sarcastic, insincere apology" he'd ever heard. Yeganeh bellowed "No soup for you!" and ejected Seinfeld and his friends from the restaurant.

According to Nora Ephron's DVD commentary, the first pop culture reference to Yeganeh (though not by name) seems to have come years before the ''Seinfeld'' episode, in the 1993 movie ''Sleepless in Seattle''. In the film, a magazine writer discusses writing a story: "This man sells the greatest soup you have ever eaten, and he is the meanest man in America. I feel very strongly about this, Becky; it's not just about the soup."

Cosmo Kramer's inspiration, Kenny Kramer, mentions on his own website that he agrees that Yeganeh's nickname is unfair. He jokingly suggests his nickname be changed to "Al, The Soup Rat Bastard."

References

External links

Soup Nazi Fan Site

Seinfeld - Official Site

Larry Thomas, ''Seinfeld'' actor, audio interview at MrMedia.com

Soup Nazi, The Soup Nazi, The Category:Comparisons to Nazism and the Holocaust Category:1995 television episodes

fr:Le Nazi de la soupe