%geni

Agency in New York for
$38 a week. Six years
later he was off to L.A.
with West; the two
soon started their own
talent firm, Shapiro-
West and Associates.
As Jerry
Oppenheimer explains
in his book Seinfeld•
The Making of American
Icon, it was in
Left to right: Bronx Boys George Shapiro, Carl Reiner
Hollywood that Shapiro and Howard West.
made a name for him-
self, "handling deals for
Steve Allen; introducing
new talent like Bill
(Jose Jiminez) Dana;
overseeing the creation
of That Girl, the long-
running Mario Thomas
sitcom; and discovering
a range of talent from
Jim Nabors to Andy
Kaufman."
He later went on to
Jerry Seinfeld and George Shapiro: It's "almost like a
manage a menagerie of
marriage relationship," says Shapiro.
show biz successes,
including Carl Reiner
and the guy who creat-
behind some of television's most
ed Scooby-Doo.
revered sitcoms (the Dick Van Dyke
But these days, people can't chat
Show, the Mary Tyler Moore Show,
with Shapiio without bringing up his
Seinfeld), Shapiro is, quite surprising-
most famous client, Jerry Seinfeld.
ly,
a big fan of reality TV and admits
"It was 1980 when I saw Jerry for
to
the
guilty pleasures of Last Comic
the first time," Shapiro recalls. "I saw
Standing,
American Idol and For Love
him in a comedy club. I liked him
or Money.
immediately because he had such
"It's like watching an accident," he
clever stuff.
says.
"A young kid in the office, Jimmy,
With frazzled hair, an L.A. tan and
spotted him, and then we went in.
a
Bronx
accent, Shapiro may look
We signed him to management and
like
your
grandfather, but he's every
the rest is history. He did the Tonight
bit
the
proverbial
Hollywood agent.
Show about a year after that — May
The 70-something Shapiro acts like
6, 1981.
a man half his age. Having just
"Some days you never forget. That
returned from the Montreal Comedy
was probably the most significant
Festival, he's now promoting the
show of his life because, at that time,
Bronx Boys documentary and working
the Tonight Show so impacted a
on
at least a dozen more projects,
comedian's life. Johnny Carson gave
including
a Dick Van Dyke reunion
him the 'OK' sign, and he was off to
show.
the races."
"I'm over 70 years old, and I'm still
Shapiro says his association with
shooting hoops and playing singles
Seinfeld is "almost like a marriage
tennis," Shapiro says.
relationship." A father-son relation-
Hey, even a legend has to keep up
ship is more like it.
his
stamina.
When Jerry's dad, Kalmen, passed
away in 1985, Shapiro stepped in to
— A version of this article originally
nurture the young comic, escorting
appeared on www.. j ewsweek. corn.
him to almost every performance and
audition. For years, the two were
inseparable.
Even now, with a wife and two
Get up early or set your VCRs.
kids, Seinfeld still brings Shapiro
The hour-long documentary
along for comedy concerts and family
Bronx Boys airs 6:30 a.m.
vacations.
Thursday, Aug. 14, on Cinemax.
Despite being the mastermind

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