Jason Alexander's Real Name: Jay Scott Greenspan

Quick answer: Jason Alexander was born Jay Scott Greenspan on September 23, 1959, in Newark, New Jersey. He adopted the stage name Jason Alexander early in his career and is best known as George Costanza on Seinfeld.

Jason Alexander's real name

Alexander was born Jay Scott Greenspan and grew up in Livingston, New Jersey (Britannica). He began working professionally as a teenager and took the name Jason Alexander as his stage name; "Alexander" came from his father's first name.

Early life and Broadway

Alexander studied theater at Boston University before heading to New York. He made his Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along (1981). His biggest stage triumph came in Jerome Robbins' Broadway, for which he won the 1989 Tony Award for best actor in a musical (Britannica; Tony Awards).

Seinfeld and George Costanza

Also in 1989, Alexander was cast as George Costanza, Jerry Seinfeld's neurotic best friend, on NBC's Seinfeld. The show ran for nine seasons until 1998 and became one of the most acclaimed sitcoms in history. George was loosely based on co-creator Larry David. Alexander received seven Emmy nominations for best supporting actor in a comedy for the role (Television Academy).

He later reunited with the cast on Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2009.

Film and other work

On film, Alexander played the slick lawyer Philip Stuckey in Pretty Woman (1990). He also appeared in Jacob's Ladder (1990), voiced Hugo in Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and played Boris in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000).

He went on to star in the sitcoms Bob Patterson (2001) and Listen Up (2004–2005) and has directed for both stage and screen.

Alexander is also an accomplished amateur magician and a serious poker player who has played in televised tournaments.

Personal life

He married Daena E. Title in 1982, and they have two sons.

Seinfeld: The Complete Series DVD/Blu-ray Pretty Woman (1990) Blu-ray