Len Lesser, American actor (Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond), died from cancer-related pneumonia, he was , 88

Leonard King "Len" Lesser  was an American actor died from cancer-related pneumonia, he was , 88. He was known for a key role in the Clint Eastwood movie Kelly's Heroes and his recurring role as Uncle Leo on Seinfeld,^[1] which began during the show's second season in "The Pony Remark" episode.


(December 3, 1922 – February 16, 2011)

Early life

Lesser was born in The Bronx in 1922, and received his bachelor's degree from the City College of New York in 1942 at the age of 19.^[2] Lesser enlisted in the United States Army the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and served in the China Burma India Theater during World War II.^[3]

Career

Lesser worked for years in film, TV and on stage. His résumé included projects with Clint Eastwood, Barbra Streisand, Lee Marvin, Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen. Lesser appeared on American television steadily since 1955 on scores of TV classics such as The Monkees, The Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Get Smart, Quincy, The Rockford Files, Mad About You, Seinfeld,^[4] All in the Family, Boy Meets World, Smart Guy, The Munsters, and, most recently, Castle. He appeared in a variety of films such as The Outlaw Josey Wales.

Later years

He had a recurring role on Everybody Loves Raymond as "Garvin", a friend of Frank Barone, who always lifted his arms in excitement whenever he saw Ray (as Lesser did in Seinfeld as "Uncle Leo" whenever he saw his nephew, Jerry). He was most recently on stage in Jeff Seymour's critically acclaimed stage production of Cold Storage at the University of Toronto's George Ignatieff Theatre. ^[5]

Death

On February 16, 2011, Lesser died of cancer-related pneumonia^[6] in Burbank, California, at the age of 88.^[7]

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