Hiram Kasten, a comedian/actor who was part of the New York comedy club scene in the 1970s and 1980s, died today at his home in Batavia, New York at age 71.
He endured seven years of fighting through a multitude of illnesses, including prostate cancer, according to his wife, Diana Kisiel Kastenbaum. He died hours after their 38th wedding anniversary.
Hiram embarked on his stand-up journey in 1978 after an audition at “The Comic Strip,” where Jerry Seinfeld edged him out. Establishing himself as a regular in New York and New Jersey, he spent five years as an emcee at Dangerfields, while actively performing across the comedy circuit. Moving west in the late 1980s, he forged a successful career with roles in sitcoms and films.
Vegas became a second home for Hiram, where he thrived in major casinos and headlined a two-year run in David Cassidy’s production “The Rat Pack is Back.” Known for his sharp wit, he is also a sought-after roast comedian. His theatrical training in off-Broadway productions has been instrumental, yet he shines brightest in his comedic interpretations, both live and on screen. Larry David has been a consistent collaborator, casting him from the early days of “Seinfeld” (1989) to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (2000), and even in the less successful “Sour Grapes” (1998).
He is survived by his wife, Diana, who in 2016, ran for Congress on the Democratic ticket in NY-27, his daughter, Millicent Jade Kastenbaum, along with brother-in-law, Kevin John Kisiel, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Funeral services will be at Schwartz Brothers-Jeffers Memorial Chapel, 114-03 Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills, New York (date and time to be announced).
Burial will take place immediately after services at Mount Hebron Cemetery, 130-04 Horace Harding Expressway, Flushing, New York. A memorial service will be held in Los Angeles later this summer, time and place to be announced.
The family has asked that if anyone cares to make a memorial tribute that it be made in the form of a charitable donation to Crossroads House and Entertainment Community Fund (formerly The Actors Fund).
