Jason Alexander Paid A Moving Tribute To The Late Estelle Harris, His Mother On ‘Seinfeld’

On Saturday, Estelle Harris, the actress best known as the easily agitated Estelle Costanza on Seinfeld, passed away. She was 93. Blessed with a distinctive voice, Harris didn’t begin her acting career until her 40s, after her children were grown up. She began in television commercials, moved into movies, and eventually clinched the role that would make her career: as the long-suffering and domineering mother of Jason Alexander’s profoundly neurotic George Costanza.

After the news was made public, Alexander gave his TV mom a moving tribute on social media.

“One of my favorite people has passed – my tv mama, Estelle Harris,” Alexander wrote. “The joy of playing with her and relishing her glorious laughter was a treat. I adore you, Estelle. Love to your family. Serenity now and always.”

Harris was first paired with John Randolph, who initially played Frank Costanza, but was soon replaced by Jerry Stiller. Together, Harris and Stiller made for a tag team of anxiety, quick to burst into shouty bickering, making their already tetchy son even worse. Like Stiller, Harris appeared on 29 episodes total, making a mark on one of the ‘90s most iconic sitcoms. She also frequently lent her voice to animation, including playing Mrs. Potato Head in all four Toy Story movies.

Seinfeld now streams on Netflix. You can watch a supercut of some Harris’ finest Seinfeld moment in the video below.

(Via CNN)