He died today at the age of 71 at his home in Batavia (New York), Hiram Kastentelevision actor and point of reference for the Comedy Club New Yorker in the 70s and 80s.
A long illness
Sick for a long time, Kastner fought for seven years with both prostate cancer and Crohn’s disease, as was recalled in a long obituary on The Batavian, a local New York newspaper. Despite his great successes, his life was not easy, marked by illness but also by many sorrows, such as the death of his second wife Diana Kisiel Kastenbaumwho died just hours after their 38th wedding anniversary.
The carreer
Born as Hiram Z. Kastenbaum, was originally from the Bronx (New York), and since he was a child his greatest desire was to become an actor. After starting with the theater, he understood that his true vocation was cabaret, to which he then dedicated his entire professional life. The lucky meeting that changed his career with Jerry Seinfeldduring an audition for the The Comic Strip.
The two became great friends and Kasten began to frequent the club regularly. A place where the actor met great comic characters such as Paul Reiser, Larry Miller And Mark Schiff, also like Seinfeld, who later became lifelong friends. During the 1980s, he became a regular visitor to Catch a Rising Star and occasionally of The Improv, The Comedy Cellar, Caroline’s and Dangerfield’sthe latter where he held his show every Sunday for many years, which became a regular event for many.
The arrival in Los Angeles
In the late 1980s Kasten then moved to Los Angeles where she landed a role in a CBS pilot, Dr Paradisewith Frank Langella And Sally Kellerman. This opened the doors for him to many other roles, including the most famous, that of Michael in the comedy series Seinfeldwhich led him to become known throughout the world.
But not only that, he also became one of the leading comedians in Las Vegas, where he performed at Desert Inn in the show The Rat Pack is Back for over two years seven days a week with a show that is always sold out. Once the experience was over, she dedicated herself to shows on large cruise ships, touring the world and entertaining thousands of guests.
The funerals
The family has announced that the actor’s funeral will take place
will take place at the Schwartz Brothers-Jeffers Memorial Chapel, asking anyone who would like to participate to make a donation to the Crossroads House and Entertainment Community Fund, a support fund for former actors.
