In 1999, after roasting Jerry Stiller to perfection at the Friars Club, Susie Essman got a phone call. It was an old friend of hers from the stand-up comedy circuit: Larry David. David wanted her on his new television series, Curb Your Enthusiasm. With no guarantee that she’d be a recurring cast member and little in the way of financial compensation, Essman joined the show as Susie Greene. Over the course of 24 years and 12 seasons, she became one of Curb's most popular characters. Whether foiling a scheme devised by Jeff Garlin (who plays Essman’s husband), trading jabs with Richard Lewis, or hurling insults at David, Essman’s raucous wit reliably steals the show. On this week’s episode of Table for Two, the actress and comedian joins host Bruce Bozzi and discusses her early years waitressing in New York City, the key to David’s genius, and how her perspective on life has shifted with age.

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