For Jason Alexander, eight seasons as hapless schlep George Costanza on NBCΓÇÖs "Seinfeld" have been the crowning glory to a 20-year career on stage, screen and television. With looks that can be pitiful, sympathetic, charming, devious, even unscrupulous - combined with an equally malleable talent- this multi-Award-winning actor is in little danger of being stereotyped, however. For his portrayal of George, Alexander has earned five Emmy and three Golden Globe nominations, an American Television Award and two American Comedy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series. The Screen Actors Guild went one step higher and knighted him Best Actor in a Comedy Series despite his role as a supporting actor.
Alexander continues to defy an easy pigeonhole. In the realm of film he stars in next year's LOVE! VALOUR! COMPASSION! (Fine Line), a comedy based on Terrence McNally's Tony Award-winning play about eight gay friends who gather for three summer wekends to love, laugh and care for one another. "When I'm deciding on a script, I tend to look for a few choice moments," Alexander explains. This film happens to have a lot of them." In the crossover realm between stage and televsion, Alexander was the featured artist in a live performance this summer with The Boston Pops Orchestra which aired on PBS.
One of the most versatile actors around, Alexander is also making waves as a director. His first efforts behind the camera, for an episode of "Seinfeld," was nominated for a DGA Award in 1993. Alexander's film directing debut was Castle Rock's romantic comedy FOR BETTER OR WORSE, in which he also starred opposite Lolita Davidovich and James Woods. Also filling the shoes of a producer, Alexander has a two-year, first- look deal with Fox's family films unit which enables him to produce, direct and act in feature films. In addition to comedic and dramatic projects, Alexander's production company Daeson Entertainment, hopes to revive live-action musicals on the big and small screen.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Jason Alexander first found an audience among his classmates, entertaining them in an effort to distract from his chubbiness. At sixteen, he earned his first professional job when he was spotted in a children's theater group and was asked to perform on a local New York children's program. Two years later he landed his first film - THE BURNING, a horror yarn produced by Harvey Weinstein - while studying acting at Boston University. In 1995, Alexander returned to Boston University to receive an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts.
Alexander has appeared on the big screen in BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS, MOSQUITO COAST, JACOB'S LADDER, WHITE PALACE, CONEHEADS and BLANKMAN. His most memorable roles include those in Rob Reiner's NORTH, Ron Howard's THE PAPER, and as Richard Gere's villainous lawyer in PRETTY WOMAN. Last year he was seen in the ensemble cast of THE LAST SUPPER, a dark comedy directed by Stacy Title, who also directed Alexander and Edward Asner in the Academy Award-nominated live-action short film DOWN ON THE WATERFRONT. As a leading man he has brought his comedic flair to starring roles in I DON'T BUY KISSES ANY MORE and DUNSTON CHECKS IN.
A lover of theater, Alexander made his Broadway debut in the Hal Prince/Stephen Sondheim show ΓÇ£Merrily We Roll AlongΓÇ¥. He later starred on Broadway in Rupert Holmes' ΓÇ£AccompliceΓÇ¥, Neil Simon's ΓÇ£Broadway BoundΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£The RinkΓÇ¥ with Liza Minnelli and Chita Rivera. In 1989, his theatrical capstone came in Jerome Robbins' ΓÇ£BroadwayΓÇ¥, for which he won a Tony, an Outer Critics and Drama Desk Awards for Best Actor in a Musical. Alexander also authored the narration of the show, which itself won a Tony for Best Musical. In Los Angeles, he received unanimous kudos and a Dramalogue Award for his portrayal of Harry Truman in the one-man play ΓÇ£Give 'Em Hell HarryΓÇ¥. In 1994, as a loving tribute to Gilda Radner, Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus performed benefit readings of Alan Zweibel's ΓÇ£Bunny BunnyΓÇ¥, which garnered exceptional reviews and donated its profits to Gilda's Club.
Among his television work, Alexander starred in the CBS series "Everything's Relative", was a regular on the Elliot Gould comedy series "E.R.", co-starred in the mini-series "Favorite Son", hosted "Saturday Night Live" with musical guest Peter Gabriel and earned an Emmy nomination for supporting guest spot on HBO's "Dream On". Alexander never ceases to surprise us, revealing an even broader range with song-and-dance numbers for "The Comedy Hall of Fame", "The Kennedy Center Honors", "The 1994 Emmy Awards" (for which he was nominated for an American Comedy Award) and as co-host of "The 1995 Emmy Awards" with Cybill Shepherd. Most recently, Alexander returned to his first love, musicals, starring in the ABC mini-series "Bye Bye Birdie" opposite Vanessa Williams.
For the fourth season, Alexander stars in USA Network's critically acclaimed adult animation series "Duckman". His animation career also includes several popular series, guest chores in "Aladdin", featured voice work in "The Return of Jafar" and as Hugo the gargoyle in Disney's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME. In the commercial realm, the actor has lent his image to numerous campaigns, most notably as "The Amazing Pretzel Boy", for Frito Lay's award-winning Rold Gold spots.
Donating his time to many charitable causes, the one closest to his heart is serving as spokesman for the United Scleroderma Foundation, given his own sister suffers from scleroderma, a life threatening disease of the vascular and immune systems that primarily afflicts women. Admittingly, he misses the New York theatre community, but he now calls Los Angeles his home, where this multi-talented actor/director/producer/writer/singer/dancer lives with his wife Daena and their sons Gabriel and Noah.
