Newman (Seinfeld)

Newman
First appearance	"The Revenge" (voice only) (1991) "The Suicide" (on-screen appearance) (1992)
Last appearance	"The Finale Part II" (1998)
Created by	Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David
Portrayed by	Larry David (voice only) (1991), and Wayne Knight (1992–1998)
Information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Mailman

Newman is a recurring character and occasional antagonist on the television show Seinfeld, portrayed by Wayne Knight from 1991 until the show's finale in 1998.

TV Guide included him in their 2013 list of The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time. In 2016, Rolling Stone ranked him #16 of their "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time".

"People frequently ask me 'Why did Jerry hate Newman?' [...] Frankly, he was the only one to express [his dislike for Newman]; nobody really liked Newman"

Newman lived in apartment 5F, which was directly down the hall from Jerry's apartment, 5A. However, there were many inconsistencies regarding who lived in 5E. In the Season 7 episode "The Engagement", Newman's apartment is 5E. In the Season 9 episode "The Strong Box", long after Newman's character was established, another man, named Phil, is seen entering 5E.

Newman was created as a counterpoint to the Jerry character, though the reason for their animosity is never revealed. Seinfeld once described Newman as Lex Luthor to his Superman. Knight has described him as "pure evil," as did Jerry (in the episode "The Big Salad"):

Newman's role is primarily as a villain/enemy to Jerry and a collaborator in Kramer's elaborate and bizarre schemes. Often described as Jerry's "sworn enemy" ("The Andrea Doria"), Newman is cunning and often schemes against Jerry. He speaks often in a humorously sinister tone (mainly to Jerry). Jerry refers to Newman as "pure evil" on more than one occasion. The two generally greet each other this way, Jerry in a distrustful, baleful voice, Newman in a falsely jovial one:

Jerry's mother Helen also greets Newman in the same way.

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