Jason Alexander as Duckman 

   

Jason Alexander lends his voice to portray the title role as the irascible family man/private eye with a personality part Ralph Kramden from The Honeymooners and part Maxwell Smart of Get Smart in Duckman, the new USA Network animated adult comedy series from Klasky Csupo, Inc. and Reborn Productions in association with Paramount Domestic Television.

Born and raised in New Jersey and a longtime New York resident, Alexander focused his efforts early in entertainment by joking with classmates to steer them away from teasing him about his chubbiness. He amused them with impressions, comedy album bits and film dialogue. From that display of comic flair, Alexander broadened his scope by taking singing and dancing lessons. By 13, he performed at his Bar Mitzvah, which he considers his "first paid gig." And at 17, he earned his first professional job when he was spotted in a childrens theater group and invited to perform on a local New York kid's program.

His first role came while studying at Boston University when he took a part in a horror film entitled The Burning, which also featured newcomers Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens. Subsequent films have been more auspicious, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Mosquito Coast, Jacob's Ladder, White Palace, and the attention-grabbing role as Richard Gere's friend and villianous lawyer in Pretty Woman. In 1991, Alexander landed his first film lead in I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore, a romantic comedy with Nia Peeples about a man who loses weight to win over the girl of his dreams.

Alexander is continuing his success in feature films with three very different characters in recent films. He can be seen in a small but significant role as a beleagered commisioner of parking in Ron Howard's The Paper with Michael Keaton and Glenn Close. In North, directed by Rob Reiner, he portrays the father of a boy (Elijah Wood) who takes his parents to court in hopes of trading them in for new ones. And in Blankman starring Damon Wayans, Jason has a cameo as a hard-crusted TV News/Magazine Producer.

Alexandre's equally impressive Broadway credits began with a debut in Merrily We Roll Along, a Hal Prince/Stephen Sondheim collaboration. He has also starred in Rupert Holmes' Accomplice, Neil Simon's Broadway Bound, and The Rink with Liza Minelli and Chita Rivera. His crowning theatrical achievement came with Jerome Robbins' Broadway, giving him the 1989 Tony, Outer Critics and Drama Desk awards for Best Actor in a Musical. Beyond his acting abilities in the show, he also wrote the narration for the musical, which itself nabbed the Tony for Best Musical. More recently, Alexander has appeared on the Los Angeles stage, portraying Harry Truman in the one-man play Give'Em Hell Harry, which garnered unanimous rave reviews from theatre critics and audiences alike.

Alexander has collected two Emmy nominations and two Golden Globe nominations, as well as two American Comedy Awards for his current role in Seinfeld. He also starred in his own series, Everything's Relative, was a series regular on the Elliot Gould sitcom E.R., and co-starred in the lauded Harry Hamlin miniseries Favorite Son.

Alexander also aspires to direct theater, and received a Directors Guild Award nomination for helming a Seinfeld episode in the 1992-93 season.

Although he longs for the New York theatre community, he and his wife reside in Los Angeles with their son.

More Jason Alexander Information

Biography for
Jason Alexander (I)
advertisement Date of Birth
23 September 1959, Newark, New Jersey, USA

Birth Name
Jason Scott Greenspan

Nickname
Jay

Height
5' 5" (1.65 m)

Mini Biography
Jason Greenspan adopted the stage name Jason Alexander while still in high school in New Jersey. He was soon appearing in Broadway plays and movies, then in the hit TV series, "Seinfeld" (1990), from 1990 to 1998. Alexander also directs and produces films.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anna Kasper

Spouse
Daena E. Title (31 May 1981 - present) 2 children

Trivia
Was a 1977 graduate of Livingston High School in Livingston, New Jersey. One of his classmates was Julia Montgomery. They co-starred in numerous high school productions.

Played flute and also percussion in the Livingston Lancer's Marching Band.

High school acting credits include the shows "Guys and Dolls", "The Odd Couple" and "Oliver".

Tony Award winner for "Best Performance as a leading actor in a musical" - Jerome Robbins' "Broadway".

Has two sons, Gabriel and Noah.

Parents Ruth and Alex Greenspan; half-sister Karen Van Horn, half-brother Michael Greenspan.

Attended Boston University and left a year early because he was able to find acting work in New York City during the summer before his senior year. Later given an honorary degree.

Two children (Gabriel, born August 1991, and Noah, born February 1996)

Has an extensive knowledge of the classic original "Star Trek" (1966) episodes and had perfectly passed a series of "Star Trek" (1966) skill testing questions on "Howard Stern" (1994). Which "backfired" on his "Bob Patterson" (2001) ABC-TV series when William Shatner guest stars on an episode and Jason Alexander's title character is traumatized.

Set to teach acting on the faculty of the University of Southern California as the first-ever "George Burns Distinguished Visiting Professor in Performance" in the Fall, 2002.

Started losing his hair at the age of 16.

For his birthday one year, his friends took him to a diner and sat him down. They told him to close his eyes and open them when they told him. When he opened them, William Shatner, aka Captain James T. Kirk, was in front of him. Captain Kirk was Jason's childhood hero.

While filming "Seinfeld" (1990), was always fitted with a suit one size too small, to make his character look "uncool"

Says he took on the role of Duckman because Duckman was "the anti George Costanza".

Won Broadway's 1989 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for "Jerome Robbins' Broadway".

Being a great fan of "Star Trek" (1966), he was finally given the opportunity to play a "Trek" role himself in 1999: he played the character "Kurros" in the "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995) episode "Think Tank". That same year, he was the host for the "Star Trek Viewers' Choice" VHS, notably for his Capt. Kirk impersonations.

Celebrity Judge for UCLA Spring Sing 2005

Not only took the last name "Alexander" because of his father's first name, but it also helped him in auditions since the call backs were done in alphabetical order and thus he knew immediately if he was still in the running, or not, for parts.

The only of the four main actors (Michael Richards, Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus) from "Seinfeld" (1990) not to win an Emmy for their work on the show

Got his start off-Broadway appearing in "Forbidden Broadway".

Debuted as a "professional magician" at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, April 30th 2006. His magic act is based on studying and predicting behavioral patterns with his subjects.

Personal Quotes
"I'm not really bald. I shave my head to keep in character with George."

Where Are They Now
(March 2003) Rehearsing to play Max Bialystock in The Producers at the Pantages Theatre in LA beginning May 2.

(February 2004) A leader of "One Voice", an organization which tries to propose peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Visited Tel Aviv, Israel for a few weeks.