Jason Alexander, better known as George Costanza from mega-hit TV show Seinfeld, is no stranger to the attention and focus of his hair, or lack thereof. From the moment Alexander stepped into the role of a lifetime in 1989, he embodied the average middle-aged American who happened to be bald.
For years, the “short, stocky, slow-witted bald man” (as described by fellow Seinfeld character Elaine Benes) entertained millions on his way to becoming on the most recognizable characters that the world would ever know. So it should come as no surprise that when Alexander surfaced sporting a full head of hair. Alexander’s bald head was apart of his character’s signature look — so much in fact, we at HIS Hair will sometimes use the phrase “the George Costanza” to described a certain degree of hair loss when conducting consultations or have conversations with clients.
When Alexander, long after his show had wrapped, was seen sporting a full head of hair, fans, celebrity gossip hounds, and industry insiders began to speculate and suspect that he had undergone a hair transplant. And why wouldn’t he? He was now more famous and wealthier than ever, with plenty of acting left — why wouldn’t he get the best hair transplant that money could buy?
Alexander certainly put the Seinfeld cash to good use. In a long, in-depth Twitter post, Alexander laid it all out for those interested in his new look.
According to his Twitter explanation, Alexander explained that he first started losing his hair when he was only 17 years old. After several years of being disappointed, he finally embraced, especially after the look opened doors professionally for him to be cast as an older man. Plus, he went to say, his wife didn’t mind the bald look and it worked for the comedic style of acting he was doing at the time.
However, over time, he said that the bald began to become a bit of professional issue once he got on stage or set. He explained the his chrome-dome look would often reflect the stage lights and became a distraction.
He sat down with his wife and discussed the three options he had: the first was do nothing and simply accept it. The second was to shave his head, but he worried that this would limit his roles and his casting opportunities. The third option was to put some hair back on.
Alexander admits that he considered going the hair transplant route, but feared that the results wouldn’t be good enough. Plus he wanted to keep the option of playing a truly bald character, should such an opportunity present itself again. This left only one real option: a hair system.
That’s right, good ol’ George Costanza rocks a hairpiece. Alexander continued in his Twitter statement that he decided to go with a ‘really good, semi-permanent hairpiece.” He says he wears for weeks at a time and is able to wear it during a wide range of activities: swimming, workouts, even the shower.
He decided to go with a natural look, something a little bit more custom than just a standard hairpiece and had the designer give him a hair system that resembled what Alexander’s hair looked like ten years earlier. This custom look looks like a guy who is beginning to lose his hair and is age appropriate.
Alexander finished by confirming that he’s still bald, but like many other of his Hollywood peers (who use wear make-up, undergo transplants, or dye their hair), he does a little something to improve his overall appearance.
And there you have it. Straight from the horse’s mouth, as they say.