Carol Leifer

Comedian 

Comedian Carol Leifer is an internationally acclaimed comic, comedy writer and producer. She spent three years writing for Seinfeld eventually going on to produce, which earned her both Writers Guild and Emmy Award nominations. Carol was the real-life inspiration for the Elaine character played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Her most notable episodes of Seinfeld include "The Rye," "The Beard" and "The Lip Reader." Carol served as a writer and supervising producer on HBO's critically-acclaimed The Larry Sanders Show.

A native of Long Island, NY, Carol began her career in the late 1970s as a stand-up comedian, performing in well-known Manhattan comedy clubs such as The Comic Strip, Catch a Rising Star and The Improv. Her big break came when David Letterman unexpectedly saw her perform, which led to 25 appearances on Late Night with David Letterman. In addition, Letterman also produced her 1988 Cinemax special, Carol Doesn't Leifer Anymore. A fixture on the stand-up circuit, Carol has also been a frequent guest on numerous television shows including: Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, and Politically Incorrect, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder. She also hosted four seasons of A&E's Caroline's Comedy Hour, as well as guest-hosted for the cable series Talk Soup and the late night talk show Later.

One of Carol's career dreams came true when she appeared with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show two months prior to his retirement. Another highlight was opening for Frank Sinatra at Bally's Las Vegas. He was quoted after the show as saying, "I wish my mother had been that funny. I wouldn't have had to work so hard." Leifer currently resides in Los Angeles.