Which real person inspired the character Cosmo Kramer?

Which real person inspired the character Cosmo Kramer? The answer is Kenny Kramer.

Kenny Kramer was a real-life New York comedian who lived across the hall from Seinfeld co-creator Larry David at Manhattan Plaza in Hell’s Kitchen. David drew on Kramer’s eccentric personality and unusual stories when developing the sitcom’s famously unpredictable neighbor.

The television character is only loosely based on Kenny Kramer. Michael Richards created his own performance and famously did not meet the real Kramer to study him. The character’s physical comedy, explosive entrances, odd business schemes and distinctive wardrobe became Richards’s trademarks.

A common mix-up concerns the name. Kramer was initially called “Kessler” in the pilot because David worried about using Kenny Kramer’s real name. Jerry Seinfeld later felt “Kramer” was too good to lose, and Kenny eventually became associated with the show through his Kramer’s Reality Tour in New York.