Over the course of Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s eight-season run (which is currently available for streaming on HBO Now), numerous famous faces would make guest appearances in what would end up being legendary run-ins with Larry. Some of them were playing slightly modified versions of their real selves, while others were merely acting(!) in a fictional role. Today, we honor the latter by looking back at the best fictional supporting characters that Curb has given us.
Bob Odenkirk, “Porno Gil”
In the series’ third episode, Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk guest-starred as the title character, Gil Bang, a retired porn star who hosted a party at his house. Much to Cheryl’s chagrin, they were not aware that it was a dinner party, so they unwittingly ate already on their way there, then had to sit through dinner with the rest of the party and act like they hadn’t. Meanwhile, Porno Gil couldn’t stop telling former war stories at the dinner table. “Pounding, pounding, for hours, hours, hours.” Good, wholesome fun.
Anton Yelchin, “The Blind Date”
Three years before he would get kidnapped by Emile Hirsch and Justin Timberlake, then enjoy a bit of pool-time with Amber Heard and Amanda Seyfried in Alpha Dog, Yelchin played a teenage boy named Stewart on Curb. As an annoying card-trick performer in a Superman costume, Stewart gets badgered by Larry to fill him in on how he was doing his tricks, but no can do. After all, Larry is not a magician.
Tim Meadows, “The Rat Dog”
Larry offended Meadows’ character, Hal, and his deaf wife by making fun of their “rat-looking dog” and he accidentally called Hal a cocksucker in sign language. Meanwhile, Larry also unknowingly switched cellphones with Leon. So, when Hal called Larry to clear the air over their prior misunderstanding, he got Leon on the phone instead of Larry.
“Oh, I get it. You’re doing a black guy character because I’m a black guy, right?” asked Hal. “Black guy doing his thing, baby! Barack Obama, motherf*cker!” replied Leon, as only he can.
Chris Williams, “Krazee-Eyez Killa”
For many Curb fans, the “Krazee-Eyez Killa” episode from season three is the one that brought them fully on board as a diehard fan of the show. Some would even go so far as to call it their favorite episode of all-time. Featuring Chris Williams, who, up to that point, was not yet “one of those dudes from Dodgeball,” this episode allowed its talented cast to improvise a half-hour of incredible dialogue, such as Larry calling information and asking the operator for Krazee-Eyez’ address (“Try two E’s. Or maybe ‘eyes’ with a ‘z.’ Can you try ‘eyes’ with a ‘z’ at the end?”), as well as Krazee-Eyez giving Larry a tour of his house (“This is the floor. It’s made out of… floor sh*t.”). It is truly a television classic.
Robert Smigel, “Mister Softee”
When giving a pep-talk to a team prior to a big game, some people will refer to Knute Rockne’s “Win one for the Gipper” speech as being the greatest of all-time. But not me. Smigel’s “Yari” will always be No. 1 in my heart. “We made it! We made it to the big game! Center stage. All of you, give yourselves a clap on the hand! You know, before I came out today, I think about, I’m like the Steinbrenner. And what would Steinbrenner say right now? He would say, ‘There is no substitute for winning!’ So we’re going to go out there and play the other team, quote-unquote, with their stupid uniforms, and we will…” Well, you get the idea.
Stephen Colbert, “Opening Night”
Colbert’s character met Larry on the street outside a Broadway theater just prior to Larry’s debut on The Producers, and all he wanted was for Larry to do him a quick favor and capture a touristy moment on camera for him and his wife. But, as we’re all aware, Larry is incapable of performing quick favors. So, after arguing over picture-taking techniques, Colbert was left with no choice but to curse Larry’s upcoming performance, which was now just moments away. Interestingly, a pre-Chuck Zachary Levi and Community‘s Yvette Nicole Brown also popped up in blink-and-you’ll-miss-them roles in this episodes.
Dustin Hoffman, Sacha Baron Cohen, And Bea Arthur, “The End”
After a near-death experience, Larry found himself at the gates of heaven. Or, at least, a place where nobody is bald, which, to Larry, would be like heaven. His guides through this wonderland were Hoffman and Cohen, who shared with him some wonderful anecdotes, such as Marilyn Monroe being a huge fan. Arthur made an appearance as Larry’s late mother, who was less enthused with some of his life choices. Eventually, Larry overstayed his welcome, and he was sent back to Earth to deal with his crappy life again, surrounded by his horrible family and friends. Frankly, we would have it no other way.
Honorable Mention: Philip Baker Hall, “The Hot Towel”; Rob Corddry, “The Seder”
