Free Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia by Dennis Bjorklund Page B

received increased feature film exposure in JFK (1991) and Dead Again (1991), and became a cast member in FOX's short-lived series "The Edge" (1992-93).  Although rejected for the role of George Costanza, it was the “Seinfeld” gig as Newman that opened the door as a regular on "The Second Half" (1993-94) and the pilot for "Against the Grain" (1993) with then unknown Ben Affleck.
    Knight became more adept as a recurring regular and had his biggest success on"3rd Rock From the Sun" (1996-2001).  On the silver screen he earned many roles, including the mega-hits Basic Instinct (1992) and Jurassic Park (1993), as well as the animated features Space Jam (1996), Tarzan (1999), and Toy Story 2 (1999).
    Although his 1995 developmental deal with Warner Bros. never reached fruition, Knight recently inked a similar deal with Carsey-Werner.  The cumulative effect of genuine talent, great comedic timing, and vast public exposure made Knight a hot commodity in the advertising world.  In 1996 he signed a deal with AT&T as their product spokesperson.
    Since the death of his father in 1992, Knight began taking a healthier approach to his weight problem, and lost 117 pounds of his bulging 327-pound frame, though he currently weighs around 280.  As a hobby, he enjoys working with computers, watching baseball (especially the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves), and is earning a pilot license to fly a fixed-wing aircraft.
    On May 26, 1996 Knight married makeup artist Paula Sutor (b. 1952), in a first-time marriage for both.  They met on the set of NBC's sitcom "The Second Half," and when the 17-episode series ended, Knight grabbed and kissed her.  They spent the wrap party making out in the corner, which commenced a three-year courtship.  The ceremony was held at Michael Richards' Pacific Palisades home.

Jerry Stiller
    Best remembered for his five-year stint on "Seinfeld" in a recurring regular role, Jerry Stiller (b. 1928) is a veteran actor with a long history of stage performances.  His notoriety first came when he revamped the role of George's father, but he nearly declined the offer.  After an unimpressive performance by John Randolph, in "The Handicap Spot," Stiller was asked to audition for the part, but declined because he made a career decision to focus on the theater, and was appearing in the Broadway production of Three Men on a Horse , starring Tony Randall.  When the play closed three months later, the "Seinfeld" creators re-extended the offer, and this time Stiller accepted.
    When Stiller was cast as George Costanza's father, Frank, the character was supposed to be meek, soft-spoken and Milquetoast.  However, Stiller single-handedly transformed the scripted character by ad-libbing lines.  Upon realizing that his television wife was supposed to scream vociferously, Stiller knew his character would pale in comparison and was destined to become nothing more than an indistinguishable background prop.  In response, he decided to wail at his wife during an argument, but withheld the improvisation until the taping segment to monitor audience reaction.  When the viewers exhibited overwhelming approval for the cantankerous confrontation, the character known as Frank Costanza changed overnight to become new and improved.
    From that day on George's father became a boisterous curmudgeon hell-bent on matching vociferousness with his marital counterpart.  Rather than being a wallflower, the duo quickly developed into two of the most popular recurring regular actors.  In an unprecedented move, "Seinfeld" re-shot "The Handicap Spot" episode to have Stiller replace John Randolph.  The creators were interested in preserving quality, and avoiding viewer concern regarding the switching of actors in mid-series.  (However, when Phil Bruns was replaced with Barney Martin, the creators did not re-shoot "The Stakeout" episode.)

    Figure 2 The Costanzas: Estelle (Estelle Harris) and Frank (Jerry Stiller) in their living room.
    In 1954