Hey, Camp Enthusiasts!
So many people have gone to camp and we get really excited, here at Everything Summer Camp, when we find out about famous or successful people who are also former summer campers. That’s why I’ve posted about nearly 60 celebrities who were onc
e summer campers, just like you. Certainly don’t ‘curb your enthusiasm’ for Mr. Larry David—a summer camper himself, once upon a time.
That’s right! The man responsible for the classic ‘show about nothing’, went to camp when he was little. Full name: Lawrence Gene David—Larry was born and raised in Brooklyn. Long before the days of Seinfeld, when Larry was 13, he attended All-American Camp in New York—the same time (and age) of a fellow, contemporary comedian named Richard Lewis.
Finding it hard to get along with particular people all throughout life, summer camp taught Larry at a young age that even though you don’t see eye-to-eye with somebody, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get along. It took them both a long time to set their troubles aside, but they are friendly to another now as mature, grown men.
After his camp days, he enrolled in Sheepshead Bay High School. And after high school, he went to the University of Maryland, graduating with a Bachelor’s in History. Before he developed a talent for comedic scriptwriting, he did a lot of stuff between his college graduation and finding work as a writer.
In the meantime he did stand-up; during his time as a stand-up comic, he enlisted in the United States Army Reserve and found work as a store clerk, a limo driver, a television repairman, and more around midtown Manhattan. It was there, living in the Manhattan Plaza—across the hall, lived Kenny Kramer, the man who sparked the idea for the legendary sitcom character Cosmo Kramer from ‘Seinfeld’.
After his ‘odd jobs’, Larry found work as a writer for NBC’s Saturday Night Live. He only wrote there for about a year and, in that time, only one sketch of his was actually shown! After quitting the show in the middle of the season, Larry wasn’t the type to fret about his situation. Instead, he teamed up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld, and the two of them made one of the most acclaimed sitcoms ever made.
Continuing his work after ‘Seinfeld’, Larry wrote and starred in his own television series, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ which has been met with a similar applause and fandom.
So, enjoy your time at summer camp and see what it has to teach you! As always, thanks for reading.
- John