Larry Hankin

In the season 4 Seinfeld episode, "The Pilot," he portrayed an actor playing a character based on Cosmo Kramer. In real life, Hankin auditioned for the role of Kramer and was series co-creator Larry David's first choice during casting, as he felt Hankin was most similar to his friend Kenny Kramer who the character was based on; however, Michael Richards was ultimately cast.