Long before Jeffrey Tambor portrayed the iconic characters Maura Pfefferman or George Bluth, he worked alongside Garry Shandling for six years playing Hank Kingsley on The Larry Sanders Show, the titular host’s insecure, yet narcissistic buffoon of a sidekick. And while he may be picking up Golden Globes and Emmys left and right for his role on Transparent, his fragile, often unhinged way of portraying a blowhard who commanded zero respect from his boss and peers may arguably still go down as the strongest in his career.
And it’s likely we have Shandling to thank for that, who was solely responsible for launching and mentoring the careers of countless actors and comedians throughout his life. In Shandling’s sudden and sad death, Tambor released a brief statement summing up how much his friend meant to him.
“I am so sad,” said Tambor. “Garry was my dear friend and was and always will be my teacher. Garry redesigned the wheel of comedy and he was the kindest and funniest of Geniuses. I will miss him so much.”
For anyone out there who has never gotten the opportunity to watch the classic series, The Larry Sanders Show should soon be coming to HBO Go, so you can see for yourself what an incredible and hilarious dynamic the two men had together.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)