Thread: Oh NO! Not Uncle Leo! Recurring 'Seinfeld' Guest Star Len Lesser Passes Away

Recurring 'Seinfeld' Guest Star Len Lesser Passes Away
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/recurring-s...ses-away--2389
It takes a pretty spectacular character actor to make a catchphrase out of a word as banal as "Hello," but Len Lesser may be more closely linked to the greeting than anyone since Lionel Richie. Lesser — who uttered his famous "Hello!" dozens of times as Jerry's Uncle Leo on the long-running sitcom "Seinfeld" — died of cancer-related pneumonia at the age of 88; he is survived by two children.



Lesser started his career in the earliest days of television, with a role on "Studio One in Hollywood" back in 1949. From there, he racked up appearances in classic TV series, from "Dragnet" to "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" to "Gunsmoke," among many others. Here's a look at Lesser in a 1985 episode of "Airwolf," playing against Uncle Leo type as an Old West villain in a theme-park stunt show.

All told, Lesser booked 167 credits on his CV, including post-"Seinfeld" appearances on "Cold Case," "ER," and "Castle" — though, as his daughter Michele noted in a statement, it was as a comic actor that Lesser really shone: "Heaven got a great comedian and actor today." Lesser's "Seinfeld" co-stars agreed: Jason Alexander (who played George) Tweeted, "Len was a tremendous guy. He was a smart actor/comedian who knew exactly what he was doing in the creation of Uncle Leo." In a statement, Jerry Seinfeld said that Lesser was "a very sweet guy" the cast "always loved having...on the show."



Prolific as Lesser was, none of his roles was as iconic as Uncle Leo. Here's an affectionate fan-made video of Lesser's appearances on "Seinfeld." Stay to the end for a montage of some of Uncle Leo's most memorable "hello"s.