MICHAEL RICHARDS Why I'm HAPPIER TODAY

The Seinfeld alum talks about his new memoir, raising a son and his fresh lease on life

- Katie Bruno

As Jerry Seinfeld's lovably kooky neighbor Cosmo Kramer, Michael Richards rarely walked into a room. Instead, he slid or tripped or burst through the door mid-sentence. "I always feared dropping into caricature or being too cartoony," Michael tells Closer, confessing that he spent a lot of time creating a backstory for Kramer to ground him in his own peculiar logic. "The first time we see Kramer he's running this business through a phone that he has in his pocket. I made the choice that there is no business. This is all his imagination at work, which makes him a little crazy. And that amused me."

In his first memoir, Entrances and Exits, the actor shares his life story, tales from his time on Seinfeld, his brush with prostate cancer, anger issues and his life today.

When did you discover acting?

I was 13. It was exciting because up until that point, I wasn't much of a student at school. Nothing interested me until drama class.

Were you a funny kid?

Oh, I had a great imagination. I did make my friends laugh, and it came easy. I wasn't a class clown who would disturb class to get attention. No, but the funny was there when I was with my friends having fun.

You were born in Southern California. Did your family have any link to show business?

No, but LA is my place. By the time I was 7 years old, I was sneaking into the back lots of MGM, which were just down the street from my house. Playing around the back lots, I got a sense of make-believe. I was sort of amazed by the type of work going on so close to my home.

Did you have any comedy heroes?