Leonard King Lesser (December 3, 1922 – February 16, 2011) was an American character actor. He was known for his recurring role as Uncle Leo in a total of 15 episodes of ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as a fictionalized version of himself and ...

'', starting during the show's second season in the episode "

The Pony Remark "The Pony Remark" is the second episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom '' Seinfeld'', and the seventh episode overall. The episode was written by series co-creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, based on a remark David once made. In ...

". Lesser was also known for his role as Garvin on '' Everybody Loves Raymond.''

Early life

Lesser was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1922. His father, a grocer, was a Jewish immigrant from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. Lesser received his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

from the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

in 1942 at the age of 19.Weber, Bruce
"Len Lesser, Uncle Leo on 'Seinfeld', Dies at 88"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. 2011-02-17. Lesser enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

the day after the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

, and served in the

China Burma India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was offi ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

.Obituary
latimes.com, February 17, 2011. While there, he was promoted to sergeant.

Career

Lesser was a prolific character actor in film, TV and on stage. He appeared on American television steadily since 1955 on programs such as ''

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster ...

'', '' The Untouchables'', ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, Edie Hart. The series aired on NBC from September 22, 1958, to 1960 and on ABC in 1960–1961. The seri ...

'', '' Mr. Lucky'', '' The Outer Limits'', ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was r ...

'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

'', '' Kentucky Jones'', ''

Green Acres ''Green Acres'' is an American television sitcom starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor as a couple who move from New York City to a country farm. Produced by Filmways as a sister show to '' Petticoat Junction'', the series was first broadc ...

'', '' Get Smart'', '' Bat Masterson'', ''

Family Affair ''Family Affair'' is an American sitcom starring Brian Keith and Sebastian Cabot that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966, to March 4, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do engineer and bachelor Bill Davis (Keith) as he attemp ...

'', '' The Monkees'', '' Quincy, M.E.'', ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

'', ''

The Amazing Spider-Man ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man as its main protagonist. Being in the mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bimonthly per ...

'', ''

Mad About You ''Mad About You'' is an American television sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as a married couple in New York City. It initially aired on NBC from September 23, 1992, to May 24, 1999, winning numerous awards including four Golden Glob ...

'', ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS for nine seasons, from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979. Afterwards, it was continued with the spin-off series ''Archie Bunker's Place'', which picked up where ''All in ...

'', '' Boy Meets World'', '' Smart Guy'', ''

My Favorite Martian ''My Favorite Martian'' is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 29, 1963, to May 1, 1966, for 107 episodes. The show stars Ray Walston as "Uncle Martin" (the Martian) and Bill Bixby as Tim O'Hara. The first two seasons, totalin ...

'', '' The Munsters'', and ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

''. He appeared in a variety of films such as ''

Birdman of Alcatraz Robert Franklin Stroud (January 28, 1890 – November 21, 1963), known as the "Birdman of Alcatraz", was a convicted murderer, American federal prisoner and author who has been cited as one of the most notorious criminals in the United S ...

'' (1962), '' How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' (1965), '' Kelly's Heroes'' (1970), '' Blood and Lace'' (1971), '' Dirty Little Billy'' (1972), '' Papillon'' (1973), ''

Truck Stop Women ''Truck Stop Women'' is a 1974 film, directed by Mark L. Lester and partly financed by Phil Gramm. Plot A mother (Lieux Dressler) runs a brothel for truckers on the New Mexico highways and her stable includes her daughter (Claudia Jennings) ...

'' (1974), '' The Outlaw Josey Wales'' (1976), '' Supervan'' (1977), ''

Moonshine County Express ''Moonshine County Express'' is a 1977 action film from New World Pictures. Producer Roger Corman always thought one of the reasons the film was so popular was because it did not put down Southern people.Ed. J. Philip di Franco, ''The Movie Worl ...

'' (1977), ''

Ruby A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called ...

'' (1977), '' Death Hunt'' (1981), '' Take This Job and Shove It'' (1981), '' Grandmother's House'' (1988) and '' Baadasssss!'' (2003). He also guest starred on the ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' episode "Tick Tock Hilda's Clock."

Later years

Lesser had a recurring role on '' Everybody Loves Raymond'' as Garvin, a friend of

Frank Barone This is a list of fictional characters from ''Everybody Loves Raymond'', an American sitcom, originally broadcast on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005. The show revolves around the life of Italian-American Ray Barone, a sportswriter ...

, who always lifted his arms in excitement whenever he saw Ray (just as Lesser did in his recurring role on ''Seinfeld'' as "Uncle Leo" whenever he saw his nephew Jerry). He also appeared in Jeff Seymour's stage production of ''Cold Storage'' at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

's George Ignatieff Theatre.

Death

On February 16, 2011, Lesser died of cancer-related pneumonia in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...

, at the age of 88. After learning of Lesser's death,

Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He is best known for playing a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the sitcom '' Seinfeld'', which he created and wrote with La ...

said of him,

Len was one of our favorites. We always loved having him on the show. I'll never forget when Uncle Leo was in prison and tattooed "Jerry Hello" on his knuckles. He was a very sweet guy.

Another ''Seinfeld'' castmate,

Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, host and director. An Emmy and Tony winner, he is best known for his role as George Costanza in the television series '' ...

, tweeted,

Thanks to all of you for your kind remarks re: Len Lessor '' ic'. Tonight was the opening of '' Gigi'' at my beloved Reprise Theater Company and I've only returned at this late hour to hear the news. ... "Hellooo" Uncle Leo. And goodbye. Sleep well. Much love. Jason.

Selected filmography

*''

Shack Out on 101 ''Shack Out on 101'' is a 1955 American film noir crime film directed by Edward Dein and starring Terry Moore, Frank Lovejoy, Keenan Wynn and Lee Marvin. Plot Slob (Marvin), the lecherous short-order cook at the seaside greasy-spoon diner of ...

'' (1955) - Perch *'' Somebody Up There Likes Me'' (1956) - Reporter at Sparring Session (uncredited) *'' Lust for Life'' (1956) - Cartoonist (uncredited) *'' The Rack'' (1956) - Officer (uncredited) *'' This Could Be the Night'' (1957) - Piano Tuner (uncredited) *'' Slaughter on Tenth Avenue'' (1957) - Sam (uncredited) *''

The Brothers Karamazov ''The Brothers Karamazov'' (russian: Братья Карамазовы, ''Brat'ya Karamazovy'', ), also translated as ''The Karamazov Brothers'', is the last novel by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. Dostoevsky spent nearly two years writing '' ...

'' (1958) - Jailer (uncredited) *'' I Want to Live!'' (1958) - Charlie, Newspaperman (uncredited) *'' Some Came Running'' (1958) - Indianapolis Poker Player (uncredited) *''

Crime and Punishment U.S.A. ''Crime and Punishment U.S.A.'' (1959) is an American feature film directed by Denis Sanders, written by Walter Newman and starring George Hamilton in his first screen role. The film was released on November 1, 1959. ''The New York Times'' cal ...

'' (1959) - Desk Officer *''

Please Don't Eat the Daisies ''Please Don't Eat the Daisies'' (New York: Doubleday, 1957) is a best-selling collection of humorous essays by American humorist and playwright Jean Kerr about suburban living and raising four boys. The essays do not have a plot or through-sto ...

'' (1960) - Waiter at Sardi's (uncredited) *'' Bells Are Ringing'' (1960) - Charlie Bessemer (uncredited) *''

'' (1962) - Burns (uncredited) *''Smog'' (1962) - Lelio Marpicati *'' McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force'' (1965) - NKVD commissar *'' How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' (1965) - North Dakota Pete *''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels ...

'' (1965) - Mason *'' Fireball 500'' (1966) - Man in Garage *''

The Last Challenge ''The Last Challenge '' is a 1967 American Western in Panavision, produced and directed by Richard Thorpe (marking his final film). The film starred Glenn Ford and Angie Dickinson and centered around a town sheriff contending with his reputati ...

'' (1967) - Ed - the Bartender (uncredited) *'' Kelly's Heroes'' (1970) - Sergeant Bellamy *''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on ...

'' (1970, TV Series) - Fred Gaskell *''

'' (1971) - Billy Prendegast *'' Blood and Lace'' (1971) - Tom Kredge *'' Dirty Little Billy'' (1972) - Slits *'' Slither'' (1973) - Jogger *'' Papillon'' (1973) - Guard *'' It's Good to Be Alive'' (1974) - Man at Accident *''

'' (1974) - Winter *’’ Kolchak: The Night Stalker’’(1974) - They Have Been, They Are..... *''

Death Wish Death Wish or Deathwish may refer to: Common meanings *Suicidal ideation, term for thoughts about killing oneself *Death drive, term in Freudian psychiatry Arts and entertainment Radio *"Death Wish", a 1957 episode of the radio series ''X Minus ...

'' (1974) - Cop at the Precinct (uncredited) *'' The Outlaw Josey Wales'' (1976) - Abe *'' Supervan'' (1977) - Banks *''

'' (1977) - Scoggins *''Joyride to Nowhere'' (1977) - Charlie *''

'' (1977) - Barney *''

Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Si ...

'' (1977) - Henchman *'' House Calls'' (1978) - Waiter *'' Someone's Watching Me!'' (1978) - Burly Man *'' The Main Event'' (1979) - Trainer At Big Bear *'' Take This Job and Shove It'' (1981) - Roach *'' Death Hunt'' (1981) - Lewis *''Du-beat-e-o'' (1984) - Hendricks *'' Grandmother's House'' (1988) - Grandfather *''

Faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

'' (1990) - Uncle Sal *''Sorority Girls and the Creature from Hell'' (1990) - Tex *''Ain't No Way Back'' (1990) - Papa Campbell *''

'' (1991-1998) - Uncle Leo *''Rave Review'' (1994) - Al *'' The John Larroquette Show'' - (1996) Preacher (1 episode) *'' Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996-2004) - Garvin *'' Boy Meets World'' (1997) - Arnie Heck (1 episode) *''

'' - (1997) Uncle Arnold (1 episode) *''

Life with Roger ''Life with Roger'' is an American sitcom television series created by Howard Adler and Robert Griffard, that aired on The WB from September 8, 1996 to March 30, 1997, as part of its 1996–97 schedule. Synopsis ''Life with Roger'' starred Mike ...

'' (1997) - Mr. Mitchell (1 episode) *''True Friends'' (1998) - Mr. Slotnick *'' Caroline in the City'' (1998) - Waiter (1 episode) *''The Werewolf Reborn!'' (1998) *'' Smart Guy'' (1998) - Sidney (1 episode) *''

The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer ''The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer'' ( ) is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from October 5 to October 26, 1998. Before it was even debuted, the series set off a storm of controversy because of a perceived light-hearted take on the issue ...

(1998) - Tailor (1 episode) *''

Sabrina the Teenage Witch ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch'' is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeare ...

'' - Eugene (1 episode) *'' Son of the Beach'' (2002) - Nick Pappasmearos Jr. (3 episodes) *'' Just Shoot Me!'' (2003) - Uncle Jimmy (1 episode) *'' Baadasssss!'' (2003) - Manny & Mort Goldberg *'' Rock Me, Baby'' (2003) - Harvey (1 episode) *'' Quintuplets'' (2004) - Morty (1 episode) *''Raw Footage'' (2005) - Grampa Joey *'' ER'' (2005) - Woody Ebbots (1 episode) *'' The Wedding Belles'' (2007) - Peppy Miller (1 episode) *'' Cold Case'' (2007) - Elmer Gibbins '07 (1 episode) *'' 'Til Death'' (2008) - Gus (1 episode) *''Turbo Dates (2008) *''

'' (2009) - Neighbour (1 episode) (Final role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lesser, Len 1922 births 2011 deaths Male actors from New York City American male film actors American male television actors Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from pneumonia in California Jewish American male actors American people of Polish-Jewish descent United States Army personnel of World War II People from the Bronx United States Army soldiers 21st-century American Jews