Best known as the creator of “Seinfeld,” Seinfeld began his career doing stand-up at open mic nights, though his career truly took off after a 1981 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.  Following his rapid gain in popularity, Seinfeld played a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld, which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David.  The show reached unprecedented levels of popular and critical acclaim, and many of its catchphrases and plot elements became part of the cultural lexicon. Seinfeld ran for nine seasons, and was still the highest-rated show in the United States when its final episode aired in 1998.  In 2002, TV Guide named Seinfeld the greatest television program of all time.  Seinfeld returned to stand-up comedy in the late 1990s, embarking on multiple national tours of comedy clubs and theaters. In addition to his traditional stand-up career, Seinfeld wrote the best-seller Seinlanguage , the children's book Halloween and co-wrote, co-produced and starred in the animated Bee Movie.