It’s never easy losing a loved one, but James Calder found a way to make his father, Jim Calder enjoy his last days on Earth.
According to Zap2it, Jim Calder was a huge fan of NBC’s Seinfeld, and James Calder began reaching out to cast members of the series via social media to record video birthday greetings for his terminally ill father. Recurring Seinfeld cast member John O’Hurley was the first to answer the call, and he recorded a video in character as J. Peterman, Elaine’s travelogue-loving fashion mogul boss.
Patrick Warburton was next, and he responded in character as David Puddy, Elaine’s frequent on-again and off-again boyfriend.
Wayne Newman added a “delicious” response as Seinfeld nemesis, Newman. And of course, Newman never does anything out of the goodness of his heart.
Larry Thomas replied as the Soup Nazi, with Danny Woodburn following as Mickey Abbott, and Steve Hytner replying as Kenny Bania. Other recurring Seinfeld character actors who responded include Matt McCoy, Richard Fancy, Sam Loyd, Lisa Mende, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, and even Al Roker.
Cosmo Kramer himself, Michael Richardson offered to call Calder’s father on his birthday after declining to make a video. But original series star, Julia Louis-Dreyfus recorded a birthday message as herself, which Jim Calder was able to watch a few hours before he died earlier this month.
While Jim Calder didn’t live to see his 67th birthday, James Calder wrote an extended piece on The Huffington Post that celebrated the contributions of the Seinfeld cast.
“He was shocked and mystified about how we were able to reach the Seinfeld cast members,” noted Calder. “He really felt the love and support.”
