Born Jerome Allen Seinfeld in Brooklyn, New York, on April 29, 1954, it’s possible that he got the comedic gene from father, Kalman, who was a commercial signmaker in Massapequa, Long Island, and noted as quite the comedian himself. I can almost imagine little Jerry Seinfeld sitting at the family’s dinner table yukking it up and insisting that he “hates people who had ponies when they were kids,” making his sister and cousins giggle into their napkins.

It wasn’t until college, however, that Seinfeld developed a real taste for stand-up comedy. While majoring in communications and drama, he appeared in numerous dramatic productions while attending Oswego College and eventually Queens College, City of New York University.

It’s been rumored that Seinfeld actually darted rather quickly from his own graduation ceremonies to attend an amateur audition at New York’s “Catch a Rising Star.” His name grew more and more familiar to those who cruised the comedy circuit searching for a laugh, and his budding career was boosted by successful appearances on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, Late Night with David Letterman and a guest shot on a Rodney Dangerfield special that appeared on HBO in 1976.

While Seinfeld enjoyed a modicum of success touring the comedy circuit, his first sitcom experience was in 1979, when he took on a small, recurring role on the series Benson. It wasn’t until 1989, however, that his television career really began to take off. Teaming up with Larry David and NBC, the Seinfeld show was born. While the series simmered to a slow boil in its first season, it was popular enough to keep viewers coming back for more, and by the fourth season it was literally the most popular television sitcom on American television.

Seinfeld’s humor has been described as dry and absurd, a brand that doesn’t always sit well with everyone, but the truth is, millions and millions of laughing viewers can’t be wrong. While he often points out the obvious and makes fun of things we all wish we had the temerity to say out loud (look neighborhood community, I’m gonna have to stop participating in the “kiss hello,”) the fact of the matter is that in a world thriving on not speaking the mind, Seinfeld provided a recipe for honesty the world was looking for.

Over the course of his career, Seinfeld has been nominated for and won a variety of awards, including an Emmy, a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, all for the Seinfeld series.  Though he hasn’t done much in the way of television acting since Seinfeld went off the air, he has made a number of appearances in commercials and even offered his unique voice to the big screen for the children’s comedy film Bee Movie. He has written a number of books, including memoirs and children’s titles.

I still remember sitting down and watching the pilot episode of Seinfeld. I hadn’t laughed like that for years, and I had a feeling that Jerry Seinfeld guy was going to leave a mark on the comedy world that wouldn’t soon be forgotten. I’ve been known for my psychic predictions. Hey, Mr. Seinfeld, you can thank me later.