Obituaries
Obituaries from page 60
Seinfeld's 'Uncle Leo'
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
D
espite a vast acting resume, Len
Lesser had a career as a char-
acter actor that probably didn't
prepare him for his late-career fame as
Jerry Seinfeld's annoying but lovable
Uncle Leo on the 1990s sitcom Seinfeld.
Lesser died Feb. 16, 2011, at 88.
Lesser's "hawklike profile and Noo
Yawk accent" saw him through 15 epi-
sodes of Seinfeld and won him lasting
fame that even carried over to Israel, the
New York Times wrote.
In an interview available online, Lesser
described what happened on his first
visit to the Western Wall: "I was standing
there, and I was quite taken with what
was going on. People going up to the Wall
and praying. Putting notes into the Wall.
And I'm feeling very religious. Very quiet.
"And all of a sudden, I hear, 'Uncle Leo,
where is the watch?: which is from one of
the shows. It's like sacrilege at the Wall."
Actor Jason Alexander, who portrayed
George Costanza on Seinfeld, said in a
post on Twitter: "He was a smart actor/
comedian who knew exactly what he
was doing in the creation of Uncle Leo.
`Hell000' Uncle Leo. And goodbye. Sleep
well. Much love'
Lesser's acting career started long before
Seinfeld and continued after it, notably
as a recurring character on Everybody
Loves Raymond. He appeared in numer-
ous major Hollywood films, including The
Outlaw Josey Wales and Kelly's Heroes, both
with Clint Eastwood, Papillon, Lust for Life
and Birdman of Alcatraz.
His small-screen resume is a veritable
history of American television, with
appearances from the 1950s through the
2000s. Here are some of the more notable
shows on which Lesser appeared: ER,
Everybody Loves Raymond, Just Shoot Me!,
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Mad About
"I go home every night feeling
good about staying in this community."
Meet Josh Tobias
In his second year with The Ira Kaufman
Chapel, Josh feels fulfilled by a career that
enables him to create lasting bonds in the
community. A resident of Farmington Hills,
he lives with his wife and children in the
same neighborhood where he grew up.
Josh is part of The Ira Kaufman Chapel's
fourth generation of professionals who
have chosen to stay in Metro Detroit's
Jewish Community to live and work.
THE IRA KAUFMAN CHAPEL
Bringing Together Familv, Faith Community
18325 IV. Nine Mile Road Southfield, MI 48075
248.569.0020 • IraKaufinan.com
62
March 10 2011
Obituaries
You, thirtysomething, Falcon Crest,
Remington Steele, Quincy M.E.,
Police Story, McMillan & Wife, The
Rockford Files, Medical Center,
Kojak, The Bob Newhart Show, The
Mod Squad, Bonanza, Ironside,
Len Lesser on Seinfeld
All in the Family, Green Acres,
Judd for the Defense, The Monkees,
Get Smart, My Favorite Martian, The
Express, Supervan, Truck Stop Women
Munsters, Ben Casey, The Wild Wild West,
and 1965's camp classic How to Stuff a
The Outer Limits, The Untouchables, Bat
Wild Bikini, which also featured Mickey
Masterson, Peter Gunn, Have Gun — Will
Rooney, Annette Funicello, Frankie
Travel, Gunsmoke and Dragnet.
Avalon and Buster Keaton.
In 2002, Lesser appeared as a
Lesser was born in the Bronx, N.Y., in
Holocaust survivor in an award-winning
1922. His immigrant father was a grocer.
short film Today You Are A Fountain Pen,
Lesser told a Jewish newspaper in 2003
in which he teaches his grandson about
that he had a bar mitzvah from hell when
the true meaning of a bar mitzvah.
he forgot the text and started singing
Lesser was a working actor who also
instead. He graduated City College in
appeared in films of lower quality. Other
New York at 15, spent World War II in the
titles on his resume include Frankenstein
China-Burma-India theater and began
& the Werewolf Reborn!, Sorority Girls and acting on his return. He continued to per-
the Creature from Hell, Moonshine County form on stage and on TV until 2010. I
'