The Unforgettable Co-Stars of Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm

1. Leon Black

The lengthy run of Curb Your Enthusiasm can be separated into two distinct eras: pre-Leon and post-Leon. Going back to watch pre-Leon episodes now, it feels like something is missing. J.B. Smoove brought a whole new energy to the series and scored some of the show’s biggest laughs. Leon is the polar opposite of Larry: he’s much younger, he’s much more streetwise, and he’s not consumed by neurosis. Smoove is an ideal scene partner for David, because he sticks to the beats of the plot outline while also taking each scene in totally unexpected directions.

Leon drinking a Slurpee in Curb Your Enthusiasm

2. Cheryl Hines

In the early seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, before the divorce, Cheryl Hines was the perfect 'straight man' opposite Larry. Cheryl continued to be a hilarious reactionary character after she left Larry, especially because she was no longer bound by marriage vows to take his side. Whenever Larry thinks he’s in the right (and, of course, he isn’t), Cheryl is the best character to put him in his place. She always tries to give Larry the benefit of the doubt, and it almost always ends up being a mistake.

Cheryl talking to Larry in Curb Your Enthusiasm

3. Jeff Garlin

In the role of Larry’s manager and partner-in-crime Jeff Greene, Jeff Garlin was Larry’s original sidekick in Curb Your Enthusiasm. David and Garlin are a comic duo for the ages. They have the snappy repartee of Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy. Any situation that the two of them are thrown into, whether they’re decapitating a doll to appease a major TV executive or swapping out a dead man’s golf club at a funeral, is bound to be hilarious.

Jeff Garlin as Jeff Greene in Curb Your Enthusiasm

4. Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes hasn’t appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm for a few years, likely because her character is friends with Cheryl and has no patience for Larry, so she had no reason to spend time with Larry after the divorce. But Wanda is one of the show’s funniest characters. No one can tear down Larry quite like Wanda. Whether Larry makes an inappropriate remark from the window of his car or tries to use Wanda as his 'link into the Black world,' she won’t stand for any of his nonsense and takes the time to give him a hilariously stern talking-to.

Wanda Sykes looks at Larry David who stands with arms crossed in Curb Your Enthusiasm

5. Ted Danson

Throughout his tenure on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Ted Danson has hilariously upended his on-screen persona as an affable sitcom star. Almost every conversation Ted has with Larry ends up escalating into a screaming match. Their scenes together will start with something simple, like Ted offering Larry a piece of pie in a restaurant, and within a couple of minutes, they’re yelling at each other. Ted always tries to keep things civil, but Larry has a way of pushing Ted’s buttons and bringing him down to his level.

Ted Danson talking to Larry in Curb Your Enthusiasm

6. Susie Essman

David has a ton of hilarious co-stars in Curb Your Enthusiasm, and it’s a delight to see him share the screen with all of them, but Susie Essman is his funniest scene partner by far. Despite inexplicably continuing to be his close friend, Jeff’s wife Susie Greene can barely stand to be around Larry. Whether Larry has removed the head of her daughter’s doll or stolen her dog and given him to another family, Susie always has plenty of reasons to yell at this 'four-eyed f**k,' and it’s always hysterical.

Susie in the kitchen in Curb Your Enthusiasm

7. Richard Kind

Richard Kind plays Larry’s naively optimistic cousin, Andy, whose niceness provides a hilarious counterpoint to Larry’s cynicism. Larry has no patience for anyone, but he’s particularly short with Cousin Andy. Whether Andy is demanding crispy onions with his breakfast or he’s 'tainted' a magazine by bringing it into the bathroom, he always gives Larry a reason to yell at him – and Kind makes all those scenes so much funnier by playing Andy as totally oblivious to what he’s done wrong.

Cousin Andy and Larry argue in the kitchen in Curb Your Enthusiasm

8. Shelley Berman

The legendary Shelley Berman appeared in the early seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm as Larry’s father, Nat David. Most sitcom dads are characterized as an older, more exaggerated version of their kids, but Nat has nothing in common with Larry. He’s surprisingly kind, warm, friendly, and wholesome. Berman’s interactions with David were always a joy to watch, whether Nat was chastising his son for sitting down to pee, watching porn at full volume in his nursing home, or smoking a joint to cure his glaucoma.

Larry and Nat playing bingo in Curb Your Enthusiasm

9. Bob Einstein

The late, great Bob Einstein was a perfect scene partner for David. The humor of Curb Your Enthusiasm comes from the socially inept Larry persona crashing into dignified social situations. The more civilized everyone else is, the funnier Larry will be. Einstein provided a perfect deadpan foil as Marty Funkhouser, because he never tried to be funny; he just reacted to the reality of each situation, thoroughly unimpressed with Larry’s antics, which made each scene even funnier.

Marty Funkhouser hugging Larry in Curb Your Enthusiasm