Fallen "Seinfeld" star Richards "a new man"

Michael Richards in an undated publicity image for the television series ''Seinfeld''.

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Michael Richards, the Emmy-winning actor who played Kramer on "Seinfeld" but saw his fortunes dwindle in recent years, is "a new man," according to Larry David, the co-creator of the legendary sitcom.

Richards' flagging career ground to a halt in 2006 after he was captured on a cell phone camera delivering an alcohol-fueled racist tirade at some hecklers watching his routine at a Los Angeles comedy clubs. The master of physical comedy apologized profusely, and inadvertently drew studio-audience laughter while making a mea culpa on "Late Show with David Letterman."

But now Richards, and Kramer, are back. In fact all of the "Seinfeld" stars -- Richards, Julia Louis Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Jerry Seinfeld -- appear later this summer in about half the episodes of the new season of David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on HBO.

Neither David nor Jeff Garlin, a show producer who plays David's manager, would reveal too many details.

But David did say that Richards "is like a new man. He really went through something (with that incident). He used to be very angry and bitter. He's completely different now. You can see it, and he can feel it. I'm very happy for him."

As for David, he opens on Friday in Woody Allen's "Whatever Works," which co-stars Patricia Clarkson and Evan Rachel Wood, as well as Ed Begley, Jr. and "Tudors" star Henry Cavill.

(Editing by Dean Goodman at Reuters)