A Beloved Seinfeld Actor Has Died
An actor whose acting resume spans decades, and one who was a fan-favorite on Seinfeld, has sadly passed away at the age of 93.
This article is more than 2 years old
Estelle Harris, who is known for playing George Costanza’s mother in Seinfeld, has sadly passed away. Harris’s son, Glen Harris, broke the news. Estelle was 93 years old and passed away in her son’s arms at her home in Palm Desert, California just weeks before she would turn 94. Though the actress was well-known for her time on the popular sitcom, Seinfeld, but she was also a highly recognized voice actor. She is most recognizable in voice acting for her time portraying Mrs. Potato Head in the Toy Story franchise. Jason Alexander, who famously portrayed George Costanza in Seinfeld, paid tribute to Estelle on his Twitter. You can see the tribute below:
Estelle Harris was known by all to be an extremely hard worker. On top of having one of the recognizable voices in show business, she was known as the “Queen of Commercials.” Estelle had apparently booked 25 national commercials in one single year. The actress had a staggering number of acting credits that stretched decades, with her last being that of appearing in Toy Story 4 in 2019. Some of her acting credits include The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, iCarly, ER, Mind of Mencia, Phil of the Future, Dave the Barbarian, Kim Possible, The Proud Family, House of Mouse, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Godzilla: The Series, The Wild Thornberrys, Hercules, Cybill, Living Single, Moesha, and The Mask. She also appeared in a ton of films that include Promoted, CBGB, Playing Mona Lisa, Dancing in September, What’s Cooking?, Lost & Found, My Giant, The Odd Couple II, Chairman of the Board, Out to Sea, Downhill Willie, and Perfect Alibi.
Since starting her acting career in the late 1970s, Estelle Harris has been cast in some form of film, television series, commercial, or video game every year since then. She stopped for a brief period in 2015, after appearing in the TV series, Captain Jack and the Never Land Pirates. From 2015 to 2019, Estelle was only part of voicing Mrs. Potato Head in the Pixar Short Film Collection 3 in 2018, and then her appearance in Toy Story 4. She is survived by three children, three grandsons, and one great-grandson. Though her acting career has spanned decades, she was the funniest when it came to the sitcom Seinfeld. Estelle Harris portrayed Estelle Costanza alongside Jerry Stiller, Ben Stiller’s father. The pair combined for some of the funniest moments in television as they continually hounded their son, George (Jason Alexander). You can see a collection of the best moments below:
Estelle Harris was hilarious in everything that she appeared in, but she was best when pairing up with other comedic actors. Jason Alexander, Jerry Stiller, and the legendary Don Rickles all shared screen time with the actress, and she always found ways to elevate herself above the rest of everyone in scenes. Though her voice was shrill and exaggerated, the comedic persona she created through that was one of the best across all mediums of entertainment. For anyone not familiar with her genius, go and stream Seinfeld on Netflix, so that you can see just how hilarious she was in scenes. Though she is more famous for being Mrs. Potato Head, she will forever be cemented as one of the most hilarious actresses on television. Rest in peace, Estelle Harris.
