Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor, writer, television producer, and comedian. He is best known for playing Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998. He began his career as a stand-up comedian, first entering the national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal's first cable TV special, and went on to become a series regular on ABC's Fridays.

From 1989 to 1998, he played Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld , three times receiving the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. During the run of Seinfeld , he made a guest appearance in Mad About You , reprising his role as Kramer. Richards also made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows, such as Cheers. His film credits include So I Married an Axe Murderer , Airheads , Young Doctors in Love , Problem Child , Coneheads , UHF , and Trial and Error , one of his few starring roles. In 2000, he starred in his own sitcom, The Michael Richards Show , which was canceled after only two months.

After that stint, Richards returned to stand-up. In 2006, a video was obtained by TMZ of him going on a racist tirade against hecklers while performing at the Laugh Factory. The incident badly damaged his career, and due to significant backlash and media coverage, he announced his retirement from stand-up in early 2007. In 2009, he appeared as himself in the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm— alongside his fellow Seinfeld cast members for the first time since that show's finale—lampooning his incident at the Laugh Factory. In 2013, he portrayed Frank in the sitcom Kirstie , which was canceled after one season. He most recently played Daddy Hogwood in the 2019 romantic comedy Faith, Hope & Love.