Estelle Harris Dies: Seinfeld’s Estelle Costanza Was 93

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https://deadline.com/2022/04/estelle...93-1234993091/

By Matt Grobar

April 2, 2022 7:16pm

Estelle Harris, who played George Costanza’s (Jason Alexander) mother Estelle on the iconic NBC sitcom Seinfeld, died Saturday evening of natural causes in Palm Desert, California, just weeks before her 94th birthday.

“It is with the greatest remorse and sadness to announce that Estelle Harris has passed on this evening at 6:25pm,” her son Glen Harris, who held her as she drew her final breath, told Deadline. “Her kindness, passion, sensitivity, humor, empathy and love were practically unrivaled, and she will be terribly missed by all those who knew her.”

Born in New York City on April 4, 1928, Harris appeared on 27 episodes of Seinfeld between 1992 and 1998. (The character had been named Estelle before she landed the part.) She began pursuing acting at assorted amateur community theaters as a young mother, and went on to find incredible success both on stage and on screen, also featuring in such series as Futurama, The Looney Tunes Show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 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, The Mask, Night Stand, Star Trek: Voyager, The Tick, Aladdin, Good Advice, Mad About You, Married… with Children and Night Court.

Harris is also known for voicing Mrs. Potato Head in three installments of Pixar’s Toy Story franchise (2, 3 and 4) and a number of additional shorts. Other film credits included 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, Perfect Alibi, This Is My Life, Stand and Deliver, Once Upon a Time in America, Summerdog and Looking Up.

Boasting comedic gifts and a unique voice, Harris was at one point known on Madison Avenue as the “Queen of Commercials,” having been known to book as many as 25 national TV spots in a single year. “Her passion was her work,” said Glen Harris, “and her work was her passion.”

Harris is survived by a total of three children, as well as three grandsons and a great-grandson. Plans for a memorial have not been disclosed.

[80sTrivia]

Sad to hear of her passing...

[Zoneboy]

I was going to post this, but couldn't.

[Bonniegirl]

Sorry to read this!! She was so funny as George's Mom !

May she rest in peace !

[Hawkee]

I remember Estelle Harris best when she appeared on a Mother's Day themed episode of Whammy The All-New Press Your Luck and she played with Mimi Kennedy and Karen Grassle for charity and when Estelle got whammied she was so funny. I always liked her as Mrs. Potato Head from Toy Story 2 because she was funny and I don't know how Disney cast her in Toy Story 2 but it seemed that the Mrs. Potato Head role was tailor made for her
Bestie

[Willbo]

Loved Estelle as George's mother. She was so perfect as that character. A lot of chemistry with her on screen husband and son. RIP.

[SarahBellum]

"I go out for a quart of milk, I come home, and find my son treating his body like it was an amusement park!" RIP Estelle.

[AB]

Rest in peace.

[Caroline13]

Funny Lady

https://deadline.com/2022/04/estelle...93-1234993091/

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Estelle Harris was perfectly cast as Seinfeld's Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld -- visually and temperamentally

"She was a yeller, which made her half of a perfect team with Jerry Stiller as her husband, Frank, who could also work up a good tirade," says Matthew Gilbert in an appreciation of the actress who died Saturday at age 93. He adds: "In looking over Youtube clips from Harris’s tenure on Seinfeld, her magic is clear. She was doing the thing that Susie Essman later took on and mastered on Curb Your Enthusiasm, with direct, unedited expressions of frustration and judgment and the ever-scanning eye looking for slights. It’s the kind of comic effrontery that’s at the core of Seinfeld."

[king of comedy]

R.I.P. Estelle

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Seinfeld Star Estelle Harris' Character Name Was A Complete Coincidence

BY COREY HOFFMEYER/JAN. 31, 2023 9:25 PM EST

"Seinfeld" is arguably one of the biggest sitcoms of the 1990s. if not one of the biggest of all time. The show consistently drew high ratings throughout its nine-season run, with its finale attracting a staggering audience of over 76 million viewers (per Los Angeles Times). The series primarily focused on Jerry Seinfeld, who played a fictional version of himself, and the various hilarious but mundane shenanigans he would get into with his friends George Costanza (Jason Alexander), Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards).

The series also introduced several recurring characters throughout its lifespan, including George's mother Estelle, who was portrayed by the legendary character actress Estelle Harris. She appeared on several episodes throughout, often in plotlines centering on George's interaction with his family, and is probably known for her various memorably quotable lines. Fans may notice, however, that, much like Seinfeld himself, Estelle shares the same name as her actress, which could be mistaken as a deliberate choice by the creative forces behind the show. According to Harris herself, however, this naming choice was actually nothing more than a happy coincidence.

Harris says the character was named Estelle before she ever auditioned

During an interview with KISS 92.5 in 2012, Estelle Harris spoke at length about her time on "Seinfeld" and revealed several interesting tidbits. Perhaps one of the most interesting factoids that she talked about, however, came down to her character name sharing the same name as her. The interviewer was curious if this was done so she wouldn't forget her character name, but according to Harris, it was one big coincidence.

"They named her Estelle before they cast her," Harris said. "So when I came to audition and they said, 'What's your name?' I said 'Estelle Harris.' And they all looked at each other, 'Yeah, like my name is Pinocchio.' But they found out that my name was Estelle Harris and that was a coinkydink-y."

This revelation doesn't seem outside the realm of believability. After all, when it came to main cast members, the only one who actually portrayed any version of themself was Jerry Seinfeld himself. Everyone else was given fictional names. So discovering that Estelle's name choice boils down to nothing more than fun little happenstance tracks with Seinfeld really remaining the only character rooted in some kind of connection to the real world, even if it's a fictional version of that reality. Whatever the reasons behind her name, Estelle is definitely one of the more memorable side characters for "Seinfeld," and the late Harris was a big part of why.