Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959) known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor, comedian, film director, and television presenter. He is best known as George Coztanza in Seinfeld, for which he was nominated for several awards. His other roles include Phillip Stuckey in Pretty Woman, the voice of Hugo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Titular character in the animated series Duckman.
Jason is the voice of Coach Wallace.
Early Life[]
Greenspan was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Jewish parents Ruth Minnie (née Simon), a nurse and health care administrator, and Alexander B. Greenspan, an accounting manager, whose first name Jason later borrowed to create his stage name. He has a half-sister, Karen Van Horne, and a half-brother, Michael Greenspan.[citation needed]
Alexander grew up in Maplewood and Livingston, New Jersey, and is a 1977 graduate of Livingston High School. Interested in magic from an early age, he initially hoped to be a magician, but while attending a magic camp was told that his hands were too small for card magic. He became interested in theater, eventually realizing, "Wait a minute—the whole thing's an illusion. Nothing up there is real" and that theater was "a magic trick". He then decided to pursue a theater career.
After high school, he studied theatre at Boston University. He wanted to pursue classical acting, but a professor redirected him toward comedy after noticing his physique, remarking, "I know your heart and soul are Hamlet, but you will never play Hamlet." Alexander left Boston University without a degree after his third year to take a full-time acting job in New York City. The university awarded him an honorary degree in 1995.