Actor Hiram Kasten, best known for his work on “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Saved By the Bell,” has died at age 71.
The New York native’s wife, Diana Kisiel Kastenbaum, announced his death in a Facebook post Sunday, revealing that the actor had been battling prostate cancer.
The actor died in his wife’s arms “only hours after their 38th wedding anniversary,” the post reads.
In addition to cancer, Kasten had been battling Crohn’s disease for the past seven years. He died at his Batavia, New York home.
While Kasten’s “health had taken a downturn and he no longer performed or actively pursued his career” beginning in 2017, “he only began to share the terminality of it all with his friends in the last six months,” the post read.
His “great comedy and artistic community rallied to his side,” as “some made trips to Batavia to visit him, late night Zoom meetings with friends on both coasts ensued and went into the wee hours of the morning.”
“It prolonged his life for at least another two months to be able to laugh with his peers,” his wife added.
A funeral service will be held at Schwartz Brothers-Jeffers Memorial Chapel in Forest Hills, New York at a later date.
An official memorial service will take place in Los Angeles, Calif., later in the summer.
Kasten is best known for his role as Michael on “Seinfeld” from 1993 to 1994. His character was Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ character Elane Benes’ co-worker.
The actor earned his stripes in the comedy world by making a name for himself in the NYC comedy circuit after becoming a regular performer at The Comic Strip — an iconic venue that once hosted Jerry Seinfeld.
Seinfeld “passed Hiram on his first audition and he became a regular,” with the pair striking “up a friendship that has lasted for 45 years,” Diana wrote in the post.
Kasten also boasted friendships with Michael Richards, Paul Reiser, Larry Miller and Mark Schiff.
Kasten also performed stand-up at The Improv, The Comedy Cellar, Caroline’s and Dangerfield’s.
Aside from his work on “Seinfeld,” Kasten made appearances on “Saved By the Bell,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “Cybill,” “Mad About You” and “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
In the early 2000s, Kasten went on to make appearances on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “My Wife and Kids,” and “7th Heaven.”
The Bronx-born actor is survived by wife Diana, daughter Millicent Jade, brother-in-law, Kevin John Kisiel.
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