4 Famous Actors Who Appeared on ‘Seinfeld’ as Jerry’s Girlfriend
Fans and Critics loved Seinfeld, 1990s show about nothing. The iconic series followed the day-to-day life of Jerry Seinfeld, a standup comedian, and his friends. Though the series was about nothing, a fair bit of dating went on, too. Jerry might not have had a steady girlfriend, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t lucky with the ladies. He had many short-lived relationships during Seinfeld’s nine seasons, and some famous faces filled the role of Jerry’s girlfriends. Do you remember when these four famous actors played Jerry’s love interest?
Jane Leeves of Frasier fame appeared as Jerry’s virgin girlfriend
Fans best remember Jane Leeves as the eccentric Daphne Moon in Frasier. The role has been the most iconic of her career, but it wasn’t her first acting role by a longshot. Before Frasier, Leeves appeared in Throb for two years. She appeared in nine episodes of Murphy Brown and then landed a role in Seinfeld.
Leeves first appeared on Seinfeld in “The Virgin” in 1992. Her character also appeared in the following episode, “The Contest” and then again in 1993. Her final appearance occurred in “The Finale” in 1998. Leeve’s character, Marla Penny, briefly dated Jerry and revealed that she was a virgin. The follow-up episode found Jerry and his pals entering into an abstinence contest, horrifying Marla in the process.
Gilmore Girls star Lauren Graham also briefly appeared on Seinfeld
Before landing her breakout role in Gilmore Girls, Lauren Graham appeared in various shows and movies. After appearing in shows like Law & Order, Caroline in the City, and NewsRadio, Graham landed in a single episode of Seinfeld. According to IMDb, she appeared in the 1997 episode “The Millennium” as Valerie, a woman who based her speed dial on daily interactions.
Graham wasn’t the only Gilmore Girls star to appear on Seinfeld. Scott Patterson, the actor who played Luke Danes, also had a guest role on the show. He played a love interest of Elaine Benes for a single episode. While neither actor’s character on Seinfeld found love, their Gilmore Girls characters did. Lorelai Gilmore, portrayed by Graham, and Luke got together and eventually got married.
Sex and the City’s Kristin Davis auditioned for Seinfeld 10 times before landing a role as Jerry’s girlfriend
Kristin Davis had a fair bit of acting success before being cast as Charlotte York on Sex and the City, but not every job came easy. According to author Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, Davis tried out for a role in Seinfeld a staggering 10 times before the production team finally cast her as one of Jerry’s love interests.
Davis’s appearance on the show came in 1997, shortly after her time on Melrose Place ended. Davis portrayed Jenna. Initially, into the relationship, Jerry refused to kiss Jenna after he dropped her toothbrush in the toilet and didn’t tell her before she used it. Davis reprised the role in a second episode when she started dating Jerry’s rival, Kenny Bania.
Before landing the role of Monica on Friends, Courteney Cox appeared as Jerry Seinfeld’s love interest
Perhaps most famously, Courteney Cox appeared on Seinfeld as Jerry’s girlfriend and fake wife. In the season 5 episode, “The Wife,” Cox portrayed Meryl, a short-term girlfriend of Jerry’s. In the episode, she found out that Jerry received a dry cleaning discount and told the owner that she was his wife to take advantage of the discount, too.
The relationship hit a rough patch when Cox’s character found out Jerry cheated on her when he let another woman use his discount. Cox only ever appeared in that single episode of Seinfeld, but she’s spoken about the experience often.
