Who was George Shapiro? Tributes pour in as talent manager and ‘Seinfield’ producer dies at 91

American talent manager George Shapiro, known for owning Shapiro/West & Associates, passed away on May 26 at the age of 91. As per Deadline, he died of natural causes at his Beverly Hills home.

Shapiro worked as a personal manager for comedians Jerry Seinfeld, Andy Kaufman, and Carl Reiner, among others, with his colleague and childhood friend Howard West.

Seinfeld, one of the most popular comedy series of all time, was executive produced by him and West.

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Twitter reactions on George Shapiro's death

Several Twitter users took to their social media handles to mourn the death of Shapiro, who was one of Hollywood's most respected talent managers and producers. Industry A-listers also expressed their grief, with many dubbing George Shapiro as a "kind soul" who was always enthusiastic and supportive.

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Brief background about George Shapiro and his works

George Shapiro, who was born in New York, worked as a lifeguard at the Tamiment Resort in the Poconos during his teenage years, where he encountered actors such as Dick Shawn, Pat Carroll, and Carol Burnett, as well as singer Barbara Cook and choreographer Herb Ross. He met talent agents during this time as well.

In an interview with the Television Academy Foundation, he said:

“These guys came up … I didn’t even know what an agent was, but they came to see the show, to talk to the girls, talk to the comedians. I said, ‘This is your job? To watch the show, to have a nice dinner, to come to a resort with a lake? I have to look into that.”

Shapiro secured an interview for a position in the mailroom at William Morris in New York through his uncle, Carl Reiner, after graduating from NYU and serving in the Army. He worked as a junior agent in the packaging department at the firm, earning $38 a week, but remained connected to comedy, seeing Lenny Bruce, Mike Nichols, Elaine May, and Phyllis Diller perform in New York. He also persuaded West, a friend from PS 80, to join him at the agency.

A few years later, Shapiro and West relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked as a television packager, working on shows including The Steve Allen Show, That Girl, and Gomer Pyle USMC. He also put together a number of specials for Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, and Carol Channing, which helped launch the careers of many of the ensemble members.

George Shapiro chose to become a personal manager in 1973 in order to create deeper relationships and produce partnerships with customers, so he left William Morris and started his own management firm, eventually bringing West with him. The company Shapiro/West Associates was founded.

Shapiro managed Andy Kaufman for many years and executive produced his specials, including Andy Kaufman at Carnegie Hall for Showtime and The Andy Kaufman Special for ABC. He was also responsible for numerous other TV comedy specials, including Showtime's Broadway Baby starring Elayne Boosler, HBO's Stand-Up Confidential featuring Seinfeld, and Reiner and Mel Brooks' animated classic The 2000 Year Old Man.

Shapiro has also produced feature films such as Comedian, Summer Rental, and Summer School. He also produced documentary films such as The Bronx Boys and If You're Not in the Obit and Eat Breakfast, which were anchored by Reiner. He also produced the HBO documentary The Bronx, USA, which honoured his city.

George Shapiro recently executive produced Seinfeld's Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, as well as Seinfeld's Netflix comedy standup specials Jerry Before Seinfeld and 23 Hours to Kill. His final work as a producer was for the 2021 HBO feature film The Super Bob Einstein Movie, based on the late actor and comedian Bob Einstein.

He is survived by Melody Shapiro, his lifelong friend and mother of his children, his son Danny, daughter-in-law Hester, daughter Carrie, son-in-law Mark, daughter Stefanie, brother Don, and grandkids Adam, Nathan, Audrey, Skylar, and Alana.