Jason Alexander — actor with roots in the Russian Empire
Jason Alexander, born Jay Scott Greenspan in Newark, New Jersey, in 1959, is an American actor, comedian and director. He played George Costanza throughout the nine seasons of Seinfeld (NBC, 1989–1998) and won the 1989 Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for Jerome Robbins' Broadway.
Tracing the roots — Russian Empire (maternal grandfather; unconfirmed)
Born to a Jewish family: his parents are Ruth Minnie Greenspan (née Simon), a nurse and health-care administrator, and Alexander B. Greenspan, an accounting manager. A celebrity-genealogy site states that his maternal grandfather, Sam Simon, was born in Russia; no encyclopaedic source confirms this.
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Russian Empire (maternal grandfather; unconfirmed). At the time, this region lay within the Russian Empire, which spanned from Poland to the Pacific.
A career defined by ambition
"George Costanza is my greatest gift to humanity. I mean that sincerely."