Top ten guest spots on Seinfeld before they were famous

[Brian Damage]

10. Jon Gries as Rusty
You might not recognize the name, but Gries played Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite. You might also recognize his face from several Seinfeld episodes as homeless guy Rusty. In '98's "The Bookstore," for instance, Rusty runs off with the rickshaw that Kramer and Newman were hoping he might pull for them. Still, Gries might not even be the best-known Rusty in Seinfeld lore. As Kramer notes when meeting him, "I once knew a horse named Rusty. No offense."

[Brian Damage]

9. Courteney Cox as Jerry's girlfriend Meryl
Some might argue that Cox doesn't belong on this list because Ace Ventura opened six weeks before her '94 Seinfeld appearance in (and as) "The Wife." Still, surprise hit Ace was just building momentum at that point and its buzz focused on leading man Jim Carrey; it would still be several months before Cox herself rocketed to stardom as part of the Friends cast. As Meryl, Cox posed as Jerry's wife so they could receive a dry-cleaning discount, only to discover that they weren't ready for the demands of a fake marriage. Still, they'd always have pancakes.

[Brian Damage]

8. Peter Krause as Tim
Well before SportsNight and Six Feet Under, Krause played Tim the Neo-Nazi in '92's "The Limo." George and Jerry pretend that George is someone named O'Brien to "borrow" a limo at JFK Airport, except O'Brien turns out to be a famed Neo-Nazi on his way to give a hate-mongering speech at Madison Square Garden. Tim/Krause is in the limo along with the lovely Eva, who makes a pass at George when she still thinks he's O'Brien. Curiously, Eva (Suzanne Snyder) has barely been heard from since, with her last role coming in the '97 Matthew Perry-Salma Hayek film Fools Rush In.

[Brian Damage]

7. Christine Taylor as Jerry's girlfriend Ellen
Taylor was still several years from becoming Mrs. Ben Stiller when she appeared on the show of Ben's dad Jerry, aka Frank Costanza. In '97's "The Van Buren Boys," Taylor plays a woman who seems terrific to Jerry but suspect to his friends, with the discrepancy becoming so glaring that Jerry doubts his ability to judge. He finally flies his parents in for another opinion, but when they agree with his positive assessment, he just becomes more convinced that she's a dud. One reason some might not recognize Taylor is that her hair in the episode is much darker than the blonde locks she currently sports.

[Brian Damage]

6. Catherine Keener as Jerry's girlfriend Nina
Long before she came to prominence in films such as Being John Malkovich and The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Keener played the artist who painted a memorable portrait of Kramer in '92's "The Letter." When Jerry broke up with her after Elaine refused to take off her Orioles hat in the owner's box at Yankees Stadium (long story), Nina got him back by penning an eloquent and seemingly heartfelt letter. Alas, it turned out that she cribbed the sentiments from a Neil Simon movie.

[Brian Damage]

5. Jennifer Coolidge as Jerry's girlfriend Jody
Her role as Jody in '93's "The Masseuse" is actually the first listed credit on imdb.com for Coolidge, far better known as Stifler's mom from the American Pie series. In the episode, Jody is the masseuse of the title who frustrates Jerry by refusing to give him a massage. George also falls for her because, "She just dislikes me so much ... It's irresistible."

[Brian Damage]

4. Michael Chiklis as Steve Pocatillo
In '91's "The Stranded," a surprisingly hirsute Chiklis played a man who hosted a party on Long Island that Jerry and Elaine become stranded at when Kramer gets lost while picking them up. Later, Steve visits a reluctant Jerry in Manhattan and proceeds to get drunk with Kramer before calling (but refusing to pay for) a prostitute. Chiklis's career wouldn't really take off, of course, until he started shaving his head as The Shield's Det. Vic Mackey.

[Brian Damage]

3. Megan Mullally as George's girlfriend Betsy
While nearly everyone recalls "The Implant" for Hatcher's chest, few recall the same episode as the lone guest appearance of Will & Grace's Karen. Maybe that's because Mullally didn't speak like she'd just sucked down helium. Instead, she's the rather meek girlfriend whom George accompanies home for the funeral of her Aunt Clarice. That's where George infamously double-dips a chip, which doesn't escape the watchful eye of Betsy's brother, Timmy. I must confess, I had never realized that Betsy was played by Mullally until readers pointed it out. Indeed, if I can learn just one Seinfeld tidbit, then writing this column four days a week is worth it (at least for me).

[Brian Damage]

2. Mariska Hargitay as Melissa Shannon
Blink and you might have missed her, thanks to an angry George. In '93's "The Pilot," Law & Order: SVU's Hargitay played an actress auditioning for the role of Elaine on the show-within-the-show. Intrigued by Hargitay's looks, Jerry agrees to read for the role with her. But George cuts the scene off quickly, upset that Melissa had entered the room by noting all the actors waiting outside to portray George with the comment, "It's like a bald convention out there!"

[Brian Damage]

1. Teri Hatcher as Jerry's girlfriend Sidra
Hatcher barely qualifies for this list because her turn in 1993's "The Implant" episode came just months before the premiere of her series Lois & Clark. Still, her "spectacular" guest turn was by far the most often cited by readers as their favorite. Before displaying her assets as Sidra, Hatcher's biggest acting gig was a six-episode arc on MacGyver, in which MacGyver used a tooth pick, baling wire and a paper clip to determine if her breasts were real. At least, he should have.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...pot/index.html

[kramer]

Originally Posted by Brian Damage

10. Jon Gries as Rusty
You might not recognize the name, but Gries played Uncle Rico in Napoleon Dynamite. You might also recognize his face from several Seinfeld episodes as homeless guy Rusty. In '98's "The Bookstore," for instance, Rusty runs off with the rickshaw that Kramer and Newman were hoping he might pull for them. Still, Gries might not even be the best-known Rusty in Seinfeld lore. As Kramer notes when meeting him, "I once knew a horse named Rusty. No offense."

That is interesting I would of never recognized "Rusty" as being the same guy as "Uncle Rico"

[rusyd]

A lot of them I realized but some of them were new to me. Thanks, that was interesting.