Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American comedy series starring Seinfeld writer, co-creator, and executive producer Larry David as himself. It is produced and broadcast by HBO. The show features a large cast of recurring characters.
Frequently recurring characters
Richard Lewis Richard Lewis (as a fictionalized version of himself, seasons 1–12) is a neurotic stand-up comedian who has recently recovered from alcohol and drug problems. Richard is one of Larry's oldest and closest friends, both having moved from New York City to Los Angeles to pursue careers in comedy. Despite this, his relationship with Larry is often volatile and complicated. Richard frequently becomes the victim of Larry's follies, causing Richard to blame Larry for almost everything wrong in his life. He is usually more sensible and moral than Larry. He has also had numerous very attractive girlfriends over the course of the show, which Larry tends to offend or clash with in some way. Lewis first appeared in the show's first episode (after the pilot), "The Pants Tent".
Ted Danson Ted Danson (as a fictionalized version of himself, seasons 1, 3–7, 9–12) is an old friend of Larry's despite the fact that Larry often insults him behind his back. When Cheryl and Larry separate, Ted chooses to side with Cheryl as the two often do charitable work with the NRDC. Danson often appears with his real life wife, Mary Steenburgen, who also plays a fictionalized version of herself. Ted invests in a restaurant with Larry and Jeff in season three, but he ends up leaving the project because he is upset with Larry. Larry and Ted constantly have problems exchanging gifts such as when Larry gives Ted a shirt with a hole in it, something Ted calls "a problem" rather than a gift. In the episode "The Freak Book", Larry gives Ted a book titled Mondo Freaks, which offends Ted and Mary, then crashes Ted's birthday party by bringing his driver in, who gets drunk and harasses Mary. In "The Hot Towel", Larry gives Ted and Mary a $300 gift certificate to a restaurant, but gets offended when he sees them using the gift certificate with Jeff and Susie instead of with him. In "Foisted!", he reveals that he and Mary have separated and are in the midst of getting a divorce (although in real life the two are still married) and later begins a relationship with Cheryl in spite of Larry's disapproval. In season 10, Larry and Cheryl begin a tryst behind Ted's back, but he later learns of the affair and breaks off with Cheryl. Out of spite for Larry, Ted also financially backs Mocha Joe in Larry's feud with the latter. Danson first appeared in the show's second episode, "Ted and Mary".
Sammi Greene Sammi Greene (Ashly Holloway, seasons 2–9) is Jeff and Susie's daughter, who is now an adult. Sammi was originally a boy, being only spoken of in the first episode of the series "The Pants Tent". She first appeared in the Season 2 episode "The Doll". In the closing credits, her name is sometimes spelled "Sammy" or "Sammie". She is at times the inadvertent victim of Larry and Jeff's scheme, such as them taking the head off her doll Judy and Larry accidentally getting her drunk when she drinks his wine thinking it to be grape juice. Sammi also shows interest in singing, which Susie takes pride in and often boasts about. When Sammi gave a performance as an anniversary present to Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, Larry stops her from singing after becoming annoyed by her singing. In season 9, Sammi becomes engaged to Victor Chesnick (Chet Hanks), an Afghan War veteran whom Larry upsets by refusing to thank him for his service. They marry in the season finale.
Nat David Nat David (Shelley Berman, seasons 3–7) is Larry's widowed father. He tends to make mistakes that Larry calls him out on. Nat has glaucoma and occasional hearing loss. He is not very confrontational, but he does have a high sensitivity for their Jewish culture. Nat calls bad drivers "Schmohawks". Nat first appeared in the Season 3 episode, "The Special Section".
Marty Funkhouser Martin Norton Funkhouser (Bob Einstein, seasons 4–9) is one of Larry's oldest friends. Despite this, he and Larry tend to disagree and argue over many topics. Funkhouser also frequently claims that Larry is his best friend, which Larry constantly tries to refute. He has a wife (later ex-wife), Nan, and a son, Joey (formerly Jodi), who is transgender and bisexual, as well as a mentally unstable sister named Bam Bam (Catherine O'Hara). Funkhouser also had a nephew named Kenny, an All-American high school baseball pitcher who died after being trampled to death by bulls in Spain. He is often very methodical and by-the-book about most of his actions and puts much emphasis on family first. Despite that, he has been known to take credit for things which may or may not necessarily apply to him. Funkhouser is an avid golfer, golfing at the same country club as Larry and Jeff. Funkhouser first appeared in the fourth-season episode, "The Weatherman". In season 7 he turns up to Seinfeld reunion rehearsals uninvited, much to Larry's dismay, and befriends Jerry Seinfeld. Funkhouser divorces his wife in the season 8 episode, "The Divorce" and returns to the dating scene, adopting a more free-wheeling attitude in the process. After Bob Einstein's death in 2019, Funkhouser is mentioned in season 10 as being away in China; following this, Funkhouser's absence is not addressed again.
Freddy Funkhouser Freddy Funkhouser (Vince Vaughn, seasons 10–12) is the half-brother of Marty Funkhouser. First appearing in Insufficient Praise (season 10), he owns a mattress company and is nicknamed 'The Mattress Champ'. He appears regularly as one of Larry's closest friends following Bob Einstein's exit from the show. Some of Freddy's storylines involve helping Larry open his spite store, opening a hotel and receiving suggestions from Larry for the mini bar, dating an optician who he is put off by after Larry catches her littering, getting in a foist battle between Larry for trading responsibilities over becoming a potential foster parent, and dating a Disney store worker using Larry's Groat's Disease scheme to get out of.
Other recurring characters
Throughout the series
Antoinette Antoinette (Antoinette Spolar, seasons 1–4, 6, 8) is Larry's inept assistant who predominantly appeared in the first four seasons. She first appeared in the very first episode, "The Pants Tent".
Nan Funkhouser Nan Funkhouser (Ann Ryerson, seasons 4–8) is Marty Funkhouser's wife and the mother of Joey Funkhouser. She first appeared in the Season 4 episode, "The Weatherman". She and Marty get a divorce in the episode, "The Divorce".
Joey Funkhouser
Joey Funkhouser (Mayim Bialik, seasons 5–6, Chaz Bono, season 10) is the bisexual transgender son of Marty and Nan Funkhouser. He first appeared as Jodi in the Season 5 episode, "The Bowtie". In the Season 9 episode, "Running with the Bulls" Marty announces Jodi is transgender and will go on as Joey. The role was recast to Chaz Bono, who is a trans man.
In "The Spite Store", Larry reunites with Joey, and notices the large penis he received. He later offers a job for Joey at Latte Larry's, but the clumsy Joey inadvertently knock over a custom, self-heating Latte Larry's mug over when closing shop, causing a fire that burns down both Latte Larry's and Mocha Joe's.
Dr. Saul Funkhouser Dr. Saul Funkhouser (Saul Rubinek, season 4) is Marty Funkhouser's cousin and Larry's dentist. He first appeared in the Season 4 episode, "The Weatherman". He returns a second time in the episode, "The 5 Wood", where he speaks at his uncle's (Leo Funkhouser's) funeral.
Wanda Wanda (Wanda Sykes, seasons 2–5, 7–8) is a friend of Cheryl's who rarely agrees with Larry. In "The Bowtie", (Season 5 Episode 2) Wanda tells Larry that she is "not his link into the black world" after he gets himself in an awkward racial incident. In "Funkhouser's Crazy Sister", Wanda and Cheryl use Larry's name to get a table at a crowded restaurant. She tends to 'appear' anytime Larry has a misunderstanding with a black person.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus Julia Louis-Dreyfus (as a fictionalized version of herself, seasons 1–2, 7) is an actress Larry worked with on Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live. They have known each other since 1984. Julia Louis-Dreyfus first appeared in the Season 1 episode, "The Wire". In the episode, Larry and Cheryl have been trying to convince their neighbors, the Weinstocks, to help get an electrical wire removed from their property. In order to sign off on it, the Weinstocks, who are big Seinfeld fans, wanted to meet Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In Season 2, Larry worked on a sitcom with Julia, but the project fell through with ABC, CBS, and HBO. Julia returned in Season 7 to star in a Seinfeld reunion episode. She later accuses Larry of leaving a ring stain on her coffee table at a party.
Cheryl's parents Cheryl's parents (Paul Dooley and Julie Payne, seasons 1–5) are the devoutly Christian parents-in-law of Larry, which often leads them to disagreements with him. Cheryl's father is often very loud and likes to sing Christmas carols. They first appeared in the season 1 episode, "Beloved Aunt".
Becky Becky (Kaitlin Olson, seasons 1–4, 6, 10) is Cheryl's sister who is often at odds with Larry for religious and personal reasons. Larry privately suggested to Becky's boyfriend in "Beloved Aunt" to break up with her, angering Becky. In "The Baptism", Becky prepares to marry a Jewish man who is in the process of converting to Christianity, however, Larry inadvertently interrupts his baptism (thinking of him to be drowning) and Becky's fiancé changes his mind to remain Jewish, causing the wedding to be called off. In season 6, after Cheryl leaves Larry, she begins to live at Becky's place.
In "Elizabeth, Margaret, and Larry", Cheryl reveals that she and Becky have become estranged over the years, and that Becky plans to sell the house Larry and Cheryl bought for her. Larry attempts to convince Becky to not sell the house, but finds her depressed and dependent on alcohol. After Larry tells Becky she can sell the house, Becky has sex with him and the two began a relationship, much to Cheryl's chagrin. However, when Becky is injured on a ski trip in Colorado, Larry refuses to visit her in Denver without a first-class seat, causing her to break up with him.
Norm Norm (Paul Mazursky, seasons 4, 7) first appeared in the Season 4 episode, "Mel's Offer" as an assistant of Mel Brooks who advised against casting Larry as Max Bialystock in The Producers. Throughout the rest of the season, his strong disdain for Larry is evident. Norm was a member of the same country club that Larry, Jeff, Ted Danson, and Funkhouser belong to. In "The 5 Wood", Larry blames Norm when he receives a reprimand by the club for having a messy locker. In "The Black Swan," Norm was the slowest golfer on the course, so others dreaded golfing behind him, until Larry, not knowing Norm had high blood pressure, yells at him and tells him off for his slow golfing. As a result, Norm later dies of a heart attack, and Larry is more or less blamed for his death.
Jerry Seinfeld Jerry Seinfeld (as a fictionalized version of himself, seasons 4, 7, 12) co-created the hit sitcom Seinfeld with Larry. Jerry Seinfeld attends the opening night of Larry David's play The Producers, grimacing after Larry failed to remember his lines. Jerry returned in season 7 to star in a Seinfeld reunion episode. Throughout the season, Jerry writes and produces the reunion show with Larry, often spending time with him outside of working on the show. Jerry pushes Larry to hire Meg Ryan for the role of George Costanza's ex-wife Amanda, but Larry wants to hire his own ex-wife Cheryl. Jerry first appeared in the season four finale, "Opening Night".
Mary Steenburgen