Seinfeld had quite a few memorable supporting characters who, time and time again, would cross paths with Jerry. And, for the most part, the interactions were more awkward or adversarial than pleasant. For instance, rival comedian Kenny Bania. Or Jack Klompus, his parents’ neighbor at Del Boca Vista. Then there’s Bryan Cranston’s Tim Whatley, dentist and re-gifter extraordinaire. Other examples include the vengeful Joe Davola and…Newman! And outside the aforementioned postal worker slash neighbor of Mr. Seinfeld, the best of these recurring characters is none other than Uncle Leo.
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Uncle Leo is the type who is always there when you don’t feel like getting into a conversation. A long conversation, at that. But if you try to depart that droning, mostly one-sided conversation early, you’re rude. So where did this character originate? With a “Pony Remark.”
What Makes Uncle Leo Such an Important Seinfeld Character?
First off, Len Lesser brought such a gentleness to Uncle Leo that it was impossible to hate him, but it was easy to be annoyed by him. And it’s easy to see why, after Season 2’s “The Pony Remark,” he made at least one appearance per season up to and including the divisive “The Finale Part II” in Season 9. He’s the most endearing character outside the core four and Newman.
As mentioned in the intro, Uncle Leo (his preferred full name, going so far as to sign it on a package meant for Jerry) is a conversationalist. He’s just not a particularly interesting conversationalist, oscillating between pointless blathering gossip and complaints about mundane issues that are typically solved with ease. That is when he’s not talking about “Cousin Jeffrey,” who apparently is such an overachiever in the Parks Department he never even gets a chance to pop up in the show.
Uncle Leo is also extremely sensitive. If you see him coming down the street you need to be prepared to have a stop-and-chat, because otherwise he’s going to call your mother and complain. Then there’s his reaction to one of Jerry’s jokes about him. In Season 7’s “The Shower Head,” Jerry goes on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and talks about how Uncle Leo throws the term anti-Semite around. This joke makes Uncle Leo’s new girlfriend laugh so, hilariously enough, he calls her an anti-Semite and ends their relationship.
It also seems as though Uncle Leo has a criminal record. In Season 9’s “The Bookstore,” Jerry witnesses him stealing a book. Uncle Leo says he can get away with it because he’s a senior but also chides Jerry for not walking up and saying hello even though the man was in the middle of a crime. There are no situational exceptions, you must always say hello. So, the next time he tries to steal a book, Jerry rats on him. But he makes up for his earlier perceived rudeness by saying hello as Uncle Leo is dragged off. Not to mention, it’s in “The Bookstore” that we learn how, somewhere in Uncle Leo’s past, he committed a “crime of passion.” Those typically transcend misdemeanors, but we never learn more.
The episode most people consider to be Uncle Leo’s best comes in Season 8. In “The Package,” Jerry thinks a package he has received is a bomb. It was actually an insured package filled with the parts of Jerry’s now-broken stereo, a part of his and (mostly) Kramer’s attempt at a mail fraud scheme. The package ultimately ends up in the hands of Jerry’s uncle, who does accept it (and, again, hilariously signs for it as “Uncle Leo”). At first Jerry doesn’t want Uncle Leo to open the package but, when he invites him to Cousin Jeffrey’s Parks Department production of The Mikado over the phone, Jerry tells him to go ahead and open it. We and Jerry hear an explosion, but thankfully it was just Uncle Leo’s stove, not the package. Even still, it was enough to singe of his eyebrows, which elaine then replaces with eyeliner.
Of Seinfeld‘s 180 episodes, Uncle Leo appeared in 15. “The Pony Remark” in Season 2, “The Pen” in Season 3, three episodes in Season 4, two episodes in Season 5, three episodes in Season 6, “The Shower Head” in Season 7, “The Package” in Season 8, and “The Bookstore” and both parts of the finale in Season 9. That’s what happens when an actor and a character are such a great fit in an already amazing show, even the most annoying of characters become fan favorites.
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Image Courtesy of Toei Animation -
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