Larry Thomas (actor)

Larry Thomas

Thomas at the Big Apple Convention in Manhattan, October 1, 2010
Born Larry Tomashoff
1956 (age 59–60)
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1980–present

Larry Thomas (born Larry Tomashoff, 1956) is an American actor, best known for his role as "The Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld.[1] He has appeared in a number of films, TV shows, and commercials, and appears at autograph-signing shows across the country. He was also nominated for an Emmy Award for his Seinfeld appearance.

Career

Acting

Prior to acting, Thomas had jobs as a bailbondsman, bartender, and janitor.

He is best known for his role as the "Soup Nazi" in the eponymous episode of the television sitcom Seinfeld. The role earned him an Emmy Award nomination in 1996 in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He reprised the role in the series' final episode.

In 1997, he made a cameo appearance as the blackjack dealer in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. In 2004, he guest-starred as himself in the Scrubs episode "My Self-Examination", where the main character tried to trick him into saying the Soup Nazi's catchphrase, "No Soup for You!". He also played a Soup Nazi-like "food cop" in a commercial for the Center for Consumer Freedom.[2] That same year he guest-starred in the television series Drake & Josh as Bob Galloway in the episode "2 Idiots and a Baby."

In 2006, Thomas made an appearance in the independent comedy feature Spaced Out (which includes a variation of the catchphrase). This was the start of a working relationship with Boomstick Films[3] which includes co-starring roles in Not Another B Movie, Dr. Spine, and the award-winning Paranormal Activity spoof Paranormal Calamity.

In other recent roles of note, Larry has portrayed each of the two most iconic Middle Eastern villains of American history. In 2006, he guest-starred in Arrested Development as a Saddam Hussein lookalike. An earlier joke had one character having a photo taken with the real Saddam, after mistaking him for Thomas. Thomas also played the role of Osama bin Laden in Uwe Boll's 2008 shock comedy film Postal.

In 2009, Thomas appeared in the independent feature Untitled Horror Comedy playing the role of "Dwayne."

In February 2012, Thomas again appeared as the Soup Nazi in an Acura NSX commercial featuring comedians Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno.

In February 2013, he began filming for Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure, a video game using live-action cut-scenes.[4]

In late 2016, he's scheduled to appear in a short comedy film The Love Suckers, playing a marriage therapist giving bad advice to a couple. (Eddie Deezen, Caryn Richman)

Public appearances as the Soup Nazi

In 2006, Thomas began selling autographed photographs of himself through catalogs such as Wall Street Creations Inc., glaring at the camera in chef's garb, with the handwritten notation "No soup for you!"

In 2011, Thomas appeared dressed as the Soup Nazi at a New York Mets game. He gave DVDs to fans who correctly answered trivia questions.[5]

In 2012, he again appeared as the Soup Nazi while touring the United States with a Seinfeld food truck, allowing fans to pose with him and signing autographs.

On July 5, 2014, he appeared at Brooklyn Cyclones as the Soup Nazi to celebrate Salute to Seinfeld Night, and threw out the first pitch.

Controversy

In 2013, Serbu Firearms refused to sell their model BFG-50A semi-automatic .50 rifles to the New York City Police Department after the passage of the NY SAFE Act that classified their weapon as an assault rifle.[6] Refusal to sell to states that have outlawed the sale of firearms to the public under the heading of assault rifles has become more common.[7] Following their refusal to sell the rifles, Serbu then had T-shirts printed with an image of the classic Seinfeld character The Soup Nazi, played by actor Thomas, and the words "No Serbu For You".[6] Thomas, a gun control advocate, contacted Facebook and the shirt printers to have the shirts removed.[6] Serbu has since removed the image of Thomas and replaced it with one of their founder Mark Serbu.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Con-tamination 2010". Riverfront Times. 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2011. Larry Thomas, best known as Seinfeld's 'Soup Nazi,' talked to fans, signed ladles, and told tales of celebrity encounters of his own.
  2. ↑ Press Release | Seinfeld’s “Soup Nazi” Stars as Food Cop in New Ad Archived December 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ Boomstick Films - Films Archived March 5, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
  4. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (November 9, 2013). "Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure gets an eight minute trailer". Eurogamer.
  5. ↑ "Actor Larry Thomas appears at Mets game in character as Soup Nazi from 'Seinfeld'". The Washington Post. New York. Associated Press. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011. Actor Larry Thomas, who played the ornery soup genius on the TV show 'Seinfeld' appeared — in character — to give DVD prizes to fans at Citi Field who correctly answered trivia questions about the show.
  6. 1 2 3 staff (2013-04-02). "Soup Nazi fires off over guns". New York Post. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  7. ↑ Berman, Jillian (2013-04-03). "Larry Thomas, 'Soup Nazi' Actor, Pushes Serbu Firearms To Pull Pro-Gun T-Shirt Featuring His Face". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  8. ↑ Higginbotham, David (2013-04-09). "No Serbu For You, Soup Nazi Wants His Image Back". guns.com. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
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