Curb Your Enthusiasm is set to return to HBO for a 10th season on January 19. And while that series mostly takes place in Los Angeles, Larry David grew up and began his career in New York City—where he had many experiences that ended up on
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David grew up in Sheepshead Bay, a residential neighborhood in South Brooklyn. While he claimed to
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Before he hit it big, David lived in this West 43rd Street building that provided subsidized housing for artists. Kenny Kramer was his across-the-hall neighbor in those days, though he says
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Some of the clubs where David performed stand-up back in the day are gone (farewell, Catch a Rising Star and the Improv), but Comic Strip Live survives. As a stand-up, David was known to storm off the stage and, to hear former owner Lucien Hold tell it,
Rockefeller Center. Photo: Joe Buglewicz
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The Seinfeld episode in which George Costanza quits his job, only to return to the office the following workday as if nothing had happened, was based on an actual incident in Larry David’s life. The office in question was that of Saturday Night Live, at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where David was a writer. He
Tom's Restaurant. Photo: Molly Flores
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The exterior of Monk’s Café in Seinfeld comes from this real Upper West Side diner. The restaurant owes its fame to the sitcom, but owner Mike Zoulis, busy running the place,
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Larry David is a longtime Yankees fan, and in Seinfeld he supplied the voice of then-owner—and George Costanza’s boss—George Steinbrenner; Lee Bear played the body, always with his back to the camera. While the old Yankee Stadium is gone, the new version shares many architectural touches with the one where George Costanza worked.
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During season 4 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry travels to New York City to star as Max Bialystock in The Producers on Broadway. The St. James Theatre, where The Producers ran from 2001 to 2007, is now home to Disney musical
Cort Theatre. Photo: Mark E. Swartz
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Art imitated life in 2015, as Larry David played the lead in Fish in the Dark, a Broadway show he also wrote (and which was inspired by the real Lloyd Braun, who’s best known for lending his name to a character on Seinfeld). David earned praise for his performance, which was fueled by
Curb Your Enthusiasm airs Sunday nights at 10:30pm on HBO.