Jerry
Seinfeld (played by
Jerry
Seinfeld)—Jerry is the "passive central player" in the
show, a figure who is "able to observe the chaos
around him but not always be a part of it." Jerry works as a
comedian in the show. Plot lines involving Jerry often
concern his various relationships—Jerry often finds "stupid reasons
to break up" with women, something which according to Elaine occurs
"every week." While seemingly the normal one in the
group, his character is made neurotic by his obsessive
cleanliness and his steadfast devotion to immaturity.
George
Costanza (played by
Jason
Alexander)—Once succinctly described by
Elaine as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man", George is
neurotic and self-loathing. Paranoid, selfish, abrasive, a
flagrant coward and an expert liar, George is arguably
the show's most immoral character. He has been best
friends with Jerry since their middle school years.
Elaine Benes
(played by
Julia
Louis-Dreyfus)—Intelligent and assertive, but
superficial and short-tempered, Elaine is frequently a
victim of fate. She may get caught up in the machinations of the
other characters, or come into conflict with boyfriends or the arbitrary requirements of her eccentric
employers. She used to date Jerry, and remains close friends with
him.
Cosmo Kramer
(played by
Michael Richards)—Kramer
is the archetypal "wacky
neighbor" and friend of Jerry. His trademarks
include his humorous upright bouffant hairstyle and vintage
wardrobe, a combination which led a former girlfriend to characterize
him as a 'hipster doofus'; his energetic sliding bursts through Jerry's
apartment door; his assortment of comic pratfalls; and his penchant for
nonsensical, percussive outbursts of noise to indicate
alarm, skepticism, agreement, or annoyance. Although one of the more
fascinating characters on the show, he was the only one not to have had
an internal monologue even once, this is most likely because he always
says what is on his mind.