The owner and president of the J. Peterman Catalog, Jacopo Peterman is a direct parody of the similarly named John Peterman, a mogul responsible for a popular '90s mail-order catalog that advertised luxury clothing for sale with each item presented alongside an elaborate description. The "Seinfeld" version of Peterman is an airheaded, wealthy globetrotter and Elaine's boss throughout much of the show's later seasons.
One of the most eccentric characters on the series, Peterman is every bit as buffoonish as any other "Seinfeld" employer, if not more so. Always one to toot his own horn, his endless stories about his travels routinely bore anyone unlucky enough to listen to them. A man of great emotion, he's also known for his theatrical speaking voice, occasional bouts of anger, and hardheaded stubbornness. At one point, Peterman forcefully throws Kramer out of his office when he believes Kramer is selling drugs to Elaine. Granted, there are plenty of legitimate reasons why any company manager would want to throw Kramer out of their place of business, but Peterman happens to be misguided in this specific instance.
With his baritone speaking voice, adventurous lifestyles, and complete unpredictability, Peterman resembles a soap opera version of Indiana Jones. With actor John O'Hurley handing in a deliberately campy performance, he's one of the most ludicrous figures in all of "Seinfeld," a character who feels like he just walked off the set of some bad '40s adventure movie. Yet for all his bravado, some of his funniest moments are the more mundane moments of his life, such as griping about the cable companies changing his TV channels again.
