MICHAEL RICHARDS My Best & Worst SHOWBIZ MOMENTS

THE SEINFELD ALUM LOOKS BACK AT THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF HIS CAREER IN A NEW MEMOIR

- Katie Bruno

During the second season of Seinfeld, Michael Richards slid into Jerry’s apartment portraying wacky neighbor Cosmo Kramer and the studio audience burst into spontaneous applause for the very first time. “That was the ultimate sign of approval,” Michael recalls to Closer. “Kramer was a breakout character. And it was a breakthrough for me, too.”

In his first memoir, Entrances and Exits (out now), Michael, 74, looks back on his rise from stand-up comedian to Emmy-winning sitcom actor. “I wanted to explain how I created Kramer and all the work that went into that for nine seasons,” he says. Michael also delves into darker times, including the onstage rant that nearly destroyed his comedy career, and his recent battle with cancer.