“HELLO!”, A Tribute To Len Lesser, Seinfeld’s Uncle Leo
One of the most consistently hilarious recurring characters on Seinfeld was Jerry’s Uncle Leo, played by veteran actor Len Lesser, who sadly passed away on February 16 at age 88. As I knew him only as Uncle Leo (and also from his occasional appearances on Everybody Loves Raymond), I couldn’t possibly do justice to an overview of his entire career, but I can take you through some of the greatest Uncle Leo moments.
The Pony Remark, Season 2
In his first appearance, Leo is introduced as the very annoying and talkative brother of Jerry’s mother, Helen. At a family dinner, we are also introduced to the unseen character of Cousin Jeffrey, Leo’s son who works for the New York City Parks Department. Very proud of his son but unaware that his job may not be interesting to others, most of the humour from this appearance comes from Jerry’s reactions to the boring conversation. Still, Leo is here and what could have been a one-time character became a regular who would appear right to the very end.
The Wallet/The Watch, Season 4
The first to feature Leo as part of the proper plot was this two-part episode, in which Jerry throws a watch his parents gave him in a trash can on the street, only for Leo to fish it out again. Jerry fears his parents reaction and eventually, through a series of classic sitcom situations, he has to buy the watch back from Leo in the toilets of a restaurant. I’m also fairly sure this is the first time he says his catchphrase “JERRY! HELLO!” complete with the physical “hello squat” that always goes with it.
The Glasses, Season 5
“Your cousin Jeffrey loves to watch the Discovery Channel. Do you know what his favourite animal is? It’s the leopard! He likes the spots!”
The Pledge Drive, Season 6
It’s a long story but the image of Uncle Leo interrupting a live TV pledge drive and yelling into the camera “STOP THE SHOW!!” is one of my very favourite Seinfeld moments, and one that I always remember laughing hysterically at when I was young.
The Doodle, Season 6
It’s a long story but Jerry’s parents, Nana and Uncle Leo all get to use a hotel room at the expense of a company Elaine is being interviewed by, and when Elaine walks into the room towards the end to see the room completely trashed, she finds Uncle Leo lying on the bed.
Leo: “I thought they said they were sending an Asian woman?”
The Shower Head, Season 7
Perhaps Uncle Leo’s finest episode, The Shower Head saw Jerry make a joke on The Tonight Show about Leo always calling everybody an anti-semite whenever things don’t go his way, like the chef at Monk’s Cafe who overcooked his burger. Leo is offended by this but his girlfriend finds it hilarious, so he calls her an anti-semite and they break up.
The Package, Season 8
The Bookstore, Season 9
Jerry accidentally gets his Uncle into trouble over shoplifting in a bookstore, and when Leo finds out he isn’t happy. When Jerry attempts to apologise all he can say is “Hello?”, repeating Leo’s catch phrase in a tone that is too funny for me to explain in words. Later, when he runs down the street after Leo trying to say sorry again: “Uncle Leo, wait! Hello!”
Take a moment of your time today to say hello to someone (and don’t forget the hello squat), in memory of Len Lesser.
