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 List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

'', starting during the show's second season in the episode " The Pony Remark". Lesser was also known for his role as Garvin on ''

Everybody Loves Raymond ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' is an American sitcom television series created by Philip Rosenthal that aired on CBS from September 13, 1996, to May 16, 2005, with a total of 210 episodes spanning nine seasons. It was produced by Where's Lunch a ...

.''

Early life

Lesser was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

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

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

. 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 six ...

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 warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

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 Hawa ...

, 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 off ...

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 Brews ...

'', '' 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 ser ...

'', '' Mr. Lucky'', ''

The Outer Limits ''The Outer Limits'' or ''Outer Limits'' may refer to: Television * ''The Outer Limits'' (1963 TV series), a black-and-white science fiction series that aired from 1963 to 1965 * ''The Outer Limits'' (1995 TV series), a revival of the older series ...

'', ''

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 ''Kentucky Jones'' is an American comedy-drama television series starring Dennis Weaver which centers around a widowed Southern California veterinarian and rancher raising an adopted Chinese boy. Original episodes aired from September 19, 1964, u ...

'', ''

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 broad ...

'', ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the '' James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, ...

'', ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

'', ''

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 attempt ...

'', ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

'', '' 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 investigat ...

'', ''

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 Earth 616, mainstream continuity of the franchise, it began publication in 1963 as a bim ...

'', ''

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 Gl ...

'', ''

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 ''Boy Meets World'' is an American coming-of-age sitcom created by Michael Jacobs and April Kelly that aired on ABC for seven seasons between September1993 and May2000. The series centers on Cory Matthews ( Ben Savage) and his friends and f ...

'', ''

Smart Guy ''Smart Guy'' is an American sitcom television series centering on the exploits of child prodigy T.J. Henderson ( Tahj Mowry), who moves from being an elementary school student in the fourth grade to a high school student in the tenth grade, att ...

'', ''

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, totaling ...

'', ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anothe ...

'', 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'' (1962), ''

How to Stuff a Wild Bikini ''How to Stuff a Wild Bikini'' is a 1965 Pathécolor beach party film from American International Pictures. The sixth entry in a seven-film series, the movie features Mickey Rooney, Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Brian Donlevy, and Bev ...

'' (1965), ''

Kelly's Heroes ''Kelly's Heroes'' is a 1970 World War II comedy-drama heist film, directed by Brian G. Hutton, about a motley crew of American GIs who go AWOL in order to rob a French bank, located behind German lines, of its stored Nazi gold bars. The film ...

'' (1970), ''

Blood and Lace ''Blood and Lace'' is a 1971 American exploitation horror film directed by Philip S. Gilbert, written by Gil Lasky and starring Gloria Grahame, Melody Patterson, Len Lesser, and Milton Selzer. The film follows an orphaned teenager (Patterson ...

'' (1971), '' Dirty Little Billy'' (1972), '' Papillon'' (1973), '' Truck Stop Women'' (1974), ''

The Outlaw Josey Wales ''The Outlaw Josey Wales'' is a 1976 American Revisionist Western film set during and after the American Civil War. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood (as Josey Wales), with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Sam Bottoms, and Gerald ...

'' (1976), '' Supervan'' (1977), '' Moonshine County Express'' (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 sapp ...

'' (1977), '' Death Hunt'' (1981), '' Take This Job and Shove It'' (1981), ''

Grandmother's House Grandfather's House, also known as the Paul Curtis House, is a historic house in Medford, Massachusetts. It is claimed to be the original house named in the American poem "Over the River and through the Wood" by Lydia Maria Child. (Although ma ...

'' (1988) and ''

Baadasssss! ''Baadasssss!'' is a 2003 American biographical drama film, written, produced, directed by, and starring Mario Van Peebles. The film is based on the struggles of Van Peebles' father Melvin Van Peebles (played by Mario himself), as he attempts to ...

'' (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 ''

'' as Garvin, a friend of Frank Barone, 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 institu ...

'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, wh ...

, 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 Larr ...

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 ''Se ...

, 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'' (1955) - Perch *'' Somebody Up There Likes Me'' (1956) - Reporter at Sparring Session (uncredited) *'' Lust for Life'' (1956) - Cartoonist (uncredited) *''

The Rack The rack is a torture device consisting of a rectangular, usually wooden frame, slightly raised from the ground, with a roller at one or both ends. The victim's ankles are fastened to one roller and the wrists are chained to the other. As the in ...

'' (1956) - Officer (uncredited) *'' This Could Be the Night'' (1957) - Piano Tuner (uncredited) *''

Slaughter on Tenth Avenue ''Slaughter on Tenth Avenue'' is a ballet with music by Richard Rodgers and choreography by George Balanchine. It occurs near the end of Rodgers and Hart's 1936 Broadway musical comedy '' On Your Toes''. ''Slaughter'' is the story of a hoofer ...

'' (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! ''I Want to Live!'' is a 1958 American biographical film noir directed by Robert Wise and starring Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent and Theodore Bikel. It follows the life of Barbara Graham, a prostitute and habitual criminal wh ...

'' (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'' (1960) - Waiter at Sardi's (uncredited) *'' Bells Are Ringing'' (1960) - Charlie Bessemer (uncredited) *'' Birdman of Alcatraz'' (1962) - Burns (uncredited) *''Smog'' (1962) - Lelio Marpicati *'' McHale's Navy Joins the Air Force'' (1965) - NKVD commissar *''

'' (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'' (1967) - Ed - the Bartender (uncredited) *''

'' (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 *''

'' (1971) - Tom Kredge *'' Dirty Little Billy'' (1972) - Slits *''

Slither Slither may refer to: * Slithering, a form of limbless terrestrial locomotion Film and television * ''Slither'' (1973 film), a comedy directed by Howard Zieff * ''Slither'' (2006 film), a comedy horror film directed by James Gunn * "Slither" ...

'' (1973) - Jogger *'' Papillon'' (1973) - Guard *'' It's Good to Be Alive'' (1974) - Man at Accident *'' Truck Stop Women'' (1974) - Winter *’’ Kolchak: The Night Stalker’’(1974) - They Have Been, They Are..... *'' Death Wish'' (1974) - Cop at the Precinct (uncredited) *''

'' (1976) - Abe *'' Supervan'' (1977) - Banks *'' Moonshine County Express'' (1977) - Scoggins *''Joyride to Nowhere'' (1977) - Charlie *''

'' (1977) - Barney *'' Spider-Man'' (1977) - Henchman *'' House Calls'' (1978) - Waiter *'' Someone's Watching Me!'' (1978) - Burly Man *''

The Main Event In sports, a card lists the matches taking place in a title match combat-sport event. Cards include a main event match and the undercard listing the rest of the matches. The undercard may be divided into a midcard and a lower card, according to ...

'' (1979) - Trainer At Big Bear *'' Take This Job and Shove It'' (1981) - Roach *'' Death Hunt'' (1981) - Lewis *''Du-beat-e-o'' (1984) - Hendricks *''

'' (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 often ...

'' (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) *''

'' (1996-2004) - Garvin *''

'' (1997) - Arnie Heck (1 episode) *''

'' - (1997) Uncle Arnold (1 episode) *'' Life with Roger'' (1997) - Mr. Mitchell (1 episode) *''True Friends'' (1998) - Mr. Slotnick *'' Caroline in the City'' (1998) - Waiter (1 episode) *''The Werewolf Reborn!'' (1998) *''

'' (1998) - Sidney (1 episode) *'' The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer (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 appeared ...

'' - Eugene (1 episode) *''

Son of the Beach ''Son of the Beach'' is an American sitcom that aired from March 14, 2000, to October 1, 2002, on FX. The series is a spoof of ''Baywatch'', with much of the comedy based on sexual double entendres, puns, innuendo and the like. A major running ...

'' (2002) - Nick Pappasmearos Jr. (3 episodes) *''

Just Shoot Me! ''Just Shoot Me!'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from March 4, 1997, to November 26, 2003, with a total of 145 half-hour episodes spanning seven seasons. The show was created by Steven Levitan, the show's executive pr ...

'' (2003) - Uncle Jimmy (1 episode) *''

'' (2003) - Manny & Mort Goldberg *'' Rock Me, Baby'' (2003) - Harvey (1 episode) *''

Quintuplets ''Quintuplets'' is an American sitcom that aired 22 episodes on Fox from June 16, 2004 to January 12, 2005. The program starred Andy Richter and Rebecca Creskoff and shared some of their experiences parenting teenage quintuplets. Synopsis The ...

'' (2004) - Morty (1 episode) *''Raw Footage'' (2005) - Grampa Joey *'' ER'' (2005) - Woody Ebbots (1 episode) *''

The Wedding Belles ''The Wedding Belles'' is a Canadian lifestyle television series that airs primarily in British Columbia and Alberta on several Shaw Media channels. Launched in 2010, the series focused on Sarah Groundwater Law's engagement and wedding planning ...

'' (2007) - Peppy Miller (1 episode) *''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

'' (2007) - Elmer Gibbins '07 (1 episode) *''

'Til Death ''Til Death'' is an American sitcom which aired on the Fox network from September 7, 2006, to June 20, 2010. The series was created by husband and wife team Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa, who were also the writers and executive producers. The ...

'' (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