Michael Richards
Michael Anthony Richards (born July 24, 1949) is an American actor and comedian, best known for his portrayal of the eccentric Cosmo Kramer on the television sitcom Seinfeld.
Richards began his career as a stand up comedian, first stepping into a national spotlight when he was featured on Billy Crystal’s first cable TV special. He went on to become a series regular on ABC’s Fridays. Prior to Seinfeld, he made numerous guest appearances on a variety of television shows including Cheers, Mad About You, Night Court, Miami Vice and St. Elsewhere. His film credits include So I Married an Axe Murderer, Airheads, Young Doctors in Love, Problem Child, and UHF. After Seinfeld, Richards starred in his own 
sitcom, The Michael Richards Show, which lasted less than one season. After his series was canceled, he returned to his roots in stand up comedy.
During the 1970s Richards attended, and graduated from, The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
Richards married former casting director Cathleen Lyons and had a daughter, Sophia. The two were divorced in 1992. He resides in Glendale, California, specifically the Rossmoyne/Mountain area in the Northwest part of the city.
In 2007, Richards became engaged to actress Beth Skipp.
In July 2007, partly due to the incident at the Laugh Factory club in November 2006, Richards announced that he has retired from stand-up comedy for “spiritual healing” purposes and would be traveling with his fiancée to Cambodia, where they would visit Angkor Wat, as well as more remote temples, on a tour sponsored by the Los Angeles-based Nithyananda Foundation.
Richards is a Freemason and also a 33° member of the Scottish Rite. He has been very active in preservation of Masonic research.
