Editing Jason Alexander (section)

===1980–1999: Broadway debut and ''Seinfeld'' ===
Alexander began his acting career on the New York stage and is an accomplished singer and dancer. Alexander made his film debut in 1981 in the summer camp [[slasher film]] ''[[The Burning (1981 film)|The Burning]]''. On [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] he appeared in [[Stephen Sondheim]]'s ''[[Merrily We Roll Along (musical)|Merrily We Roll Along]]'' in 1981, [[John Kander|Kander]] & [[Fred Ebb|Ebb]]'s ''[[The Rink (musical)|The Rink]]'' in 1984, [[Neil Simon]]'s ''[[Broadway Bound]]'' in 1986, ''Accomplice'' in 1990, and ''[[Jerome Robbins' Broadway]]'' in 1989, for which he garnered the 1989 [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical]]. [[Frank Rich]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote of his performance "Jason Alexander, the evening's delightful narrator, accomplishes the seemingly impossible: he banishes the memory of [[Zero Mostel]] from the role of [[Pseudolus]] in ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]''".<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/27/theater/review-theater-from-jerome-robbins-20-years-of-broadway-the-way-it-was.html|title= Review/Theater; From Jerome Robbins, 20 Years of Broadway the Way It Was|work= The New York Times|date= February 27, 1989|accessdate= June 8, 2024|last1= Rich|first1= Frank}}</ref>

In addition to his roles as an insensitive, money-hungry lawyer in ''[[Pretty Woman]]'' in 1990, Alexander has appeared in ''[[Jacob's Ladder (1990 film)|Jacob's Ladder]]'' in 1990, ''[[Coneheads (film)|Coneheads]]'' in 1993, ''[[The Paper (film)|The Paper]]'' and ''[[North (1994 film)|North]]'' in 1994, ''[[The Last Supper (1995 film)|The Last Supper]]'' in 1995, ''[[Dunston Checks In]]'' in 1996, ''[[Love! Valour! Compassion! (film)|Love! Valour! Compassion!]]'' in 1997, ''[[Denial (1998 film)|Denial]]'' in 1998, and ''[[Love and Action in Chicago (film)|Love and Action in Chicago]]'' in 1999. Alexander starred in several commercials during the 1980s. Among them were commercials for [[Hershey's Kiss]]; Delta Gold [[potato chips]]; [[Miller Lite]] beer; [[McDonald's]] [[McDLT]] hamburger; [[Pabst Blue Ribbon]] beer; [[Levi's]] 501 jeans; [[Sony Watchman]] TV; and [[Western Union]] wire transfer.<ref>{{cite web | last = Efrem | first = Maia | url = https://forward.com/schmooze/346229/jason-alexander-had-hair-when-he-starred-in-these-8-hilarious-80s-commercia/ | title = Jason Alexander Had Hair When He Starred in These 8 Hilarious '80's Commercials | via = Forward.com | date = July 27, 2016 | access-date = July 15, 2020 | archive-date = July 16, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200716034830/https://forward.com/schmooze/346229/jason-alexander-had-hair-when-he-starred-in-these-8-hilarious-80s-commercia/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Before ''Seinfeld'', Alexander appeared in commercials for John Deere and McDonald's and in the short-lived [[CBS]] sitcom ''[[Everything's Relative (1987 TV series)|Everything's Relative]]'' (1987).

Alexander is best known as one of the key cast members of the award-winning television sitcom ''[[Seinfeld]]'', where he played the bumbling [[George Costanza]] ([[Jerry Seinfeld]]'s character's best friend since childhood). He was nominated for seven [[Primetime Emmy Awards]] and four [[Golden Globe Awards]] for the role, but did not win any, mainly due to his co-star [[Michael Richards]] winning for his role as [[Cosmo Kramer]]. He did, however, win the 1995 [[Screen Actors Guild Award|Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/inaugural-screen-actors-guild-awards|title=The Inaugural Screen Actors Guild Awards &#124; Screen Actors Guild Awards|website=sagawards.org|access-date=August 18, 2022|archive-date=July 27, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727231454/https://www.sagawards.org/awards/nominees-and-recipients/inaugural-screen-actors-guild-awards|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000598/1995/1/|title = Screen Actors Guild Awards (1995)|publisher = IMDb|access-date = March 28, 2020|archive-date = August 18, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200818031908/https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000598/1995/1/|url-status = live}}</ref>

Concurrently with his ''Seinfeld'' role, he had a part in the ABC sitcom ''[[Dinosaurs (TV series)|Dinosaurs]]'' as Al "Sexual" Harris (who frequently engaged in [[sexual harassment]]) as well as other characters from 1991 to 1994. For his role in an episode of ''[[Dream On (TV series)|Dream On]]'', Alexander was nominated for a [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series]] in 1994. Alexander voiced the lead character in the animated series ''[[Duckman]]'' (1994–1997) and voiced [[Catbert]], the evil director of human resources, in the short-lived animated series ''[[Dilbert (TV series)|Dilbert]]'' from 1999 to 2000, based on the then-popular comic strip.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dilbert (1999-2000) Full Cast & Crew|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118984/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast|access-date=June 20, 2020|publisher=IMDb|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112024350/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118984/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Catbert|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Dilbert/Catbert/|access-date=2021-10-04|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|archive-date=October 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211004153918/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Dilbert/Catbert/|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 1995, he did a commercial for [[Rold Gold]] pretzels to be broadcast during the [[Super Bowl]]. The commercial depicts him with ''[[Frasier]]'' dog Eddie jumping out of an airplane with a parachute over the stadium. After the commercial, the audience is brought back to a supposedly live feed of the playing field hearing startled sports commentators as Alexander and the dog land in the field to wild applause.

Alexander appeared in the 1995 TV version of the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical ''[[Bye Bye Birdie (1995 film)|Bye Bye Birdie]]'', as Conrad Birdie's agent, Albert Peterson. He guest-starred in episode 8 of the 1996 variety show ''[[Muppets Tonight]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/muppets-tonight/season-1/episode-8-jason-alexander|title=Muppets Tonight|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=August 18, 2022|archive-date=August 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818092638/https://www.metacritic.com/tv/muppets-tonight/season-1/episode-8-jason-alexander|url-status=live}}</ref> He voiced the [[gargoyle]] Hugo in [[Disney]]'s 1996 [[animated film]] ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' and its direct-to-video sequel, ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame II]]''. Alexander voiced the character [[List of Aladdin characters#Abis Mal|Abis Mal]] in the 1994 film ''[[The Return of Jafar]]'' and the 1994-1995 [[Aladdin (animated TV series)|TV series]] based on the 1992 film ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]''.

In 1997, he appeared in ''[[Cinderella (1997 film)|Cinderella]]'', a remake of ''Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella,'' alongside [[Whitney Houston]], [[Brandy Norwood]], and [[Whoopi Goldberg]]. His other Disney voice work includes ''[[House of Mouse]]'' in 2001 and the 2012 video game ''[[Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://i.imgur.com/SPgIW.jpg|title=Jason Alexander to debut in ''Kingdom Hearts''|publisher=I.imgur.com|access-date=February 20, 2013|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110101411/http://i.imgur.com/SPgIW.jpg|url-status=live}}</ref> He has dabbled in directing, starting with 1996's ''[[For Better or Worse (film)|For Better or Worse]]'' and 1999's ''[[Just Looking]]''. In 1999, Alexander presided over the ''New York Friars Club Roast'' event honoring [[Jerry Stiller]], who played his father on ''Seinfeld''; it featured appearances by [[Kevin James]] and [[Patton Oswalt]], both Stiller's costars on ''[[The King of Queens]]''. Alexander appeared in the 1999 ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'' episode "[[Think Tank (Star Trek: Voyager)|Think Tank]]" as Kurros, a genius alien trying to get [[Seven of Nine]] to serve on his ship.

In 1999, he provided narration for the documentary film ''[[Sideshow: Alive on the Inside]].''<ref>{{Citation |last=Dougherty |first=Lynn |title=Sideshow: Alive on the Inside |type=Documentary |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1934391/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |others=Percilla Bejano, Ronnie Galyon, Donnie Galyon}}</ref>