George Shapiro, heavyweight agent and ‘Seinfeld’ producer, dead at 91

George Shapiro, the man who managed Jerry Seinfeld and Andy Kaufman and executive-produced “Seinfeld,” died Thursday. He was 91.

Shapiro died of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, Deadline reported.

A Bronx native, Shapiro got his start as a talent agent at William Morris in New York before moving to Hollywood and shepherding the careers of Seinfeld, Kaufman, Carl Reiner and many others.

Shapiro and his longtime friend and business partner Howard West ran Shapiro/West productions, one of the main forces behind “Seinfeld.” The two were credited as executive producers for the standout show’s entire run.

Their company put together various comedy specials for their stars, including “Andy’s Funhouse” and “Andy Kaufman at Carnegie Hall.”

More recently, Shapiro worked on Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and multiple projects about his home borough, including “The Bronx Boys” about his lifelong friendship with his friends from kindergarten.

Born May 18, 1931, in the Bronx, Shapiro first met West when they were schoolmates at P.S. 80. He learned about the talent agent business while working a summer job as a lifeguard in the Poconos.

“You come up here for the weekend and you have dinner, and you watch a show, and you go on a rowboat and swim, and this is your job?” he remembered asking one agent. He was quoted as quipping, “I have to look into that.”

After a short stint in the Army, Shapiro joined William Morris and began rising through the ranks. One of his first gigs was handling Elvis Presley on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

“I went up to him and said, ‘Elvis, they’re ready for you.’ He said, ‘Yes sir. I’ll be right there, sir,’” Shapiro told Variety in 2018. “I was 24 and he was 22, and I said, ‘Sir! I’m from the Bronx. You’re the first person in the world to call me sir.’”

Like any good agent, Shapiro had a keen eye for talent and industry trends. He was quick to jump at an opportunity to join William Morris’ Los Angeles office, and he helped discover Jim Nabors.

Shapiro got Nabors his title role on “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” and Shapiro was also key to the creation of “The Steve Allen Show” and “That Girl.”

After plenty of success at William Morris, Shapiro and West created their own agency.

“I was also intrigued with the idea of working with fewer people as a manager — people you really like and whose talent you worship — as opposed to working with 250 people, where there’s a fair share of a-holes in that group,” he told Variety.

Another key to success: Sign one of the biggest comedy stars of the 90s.

“It was 1980 when I saw Jerry for the first time,” Shapiro said in 2003. “I saw him in a comedy club. I liked him immediately because he had such clever stuff. A young kid in the office, Jimmy, spotted him and then we went in. We signed him to management and the rest is history.”

In addition to “Seinfeld,” Shapiro worked with Seinfeld on the 2002 film “Comedian” and “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” along with smaller projects.

Throughout his career, Shapiro also repped Peter Bonerz, Gabe Kaplan, Robert Wuhl, Sam Bobrick and Norman Barasch. In 2018, he was asked if he’d ever retire.

“Never,” he replied. “I’m having the best time of my life right now, and the best is yet to come.”