Kasten was born on October 30, 1952. He wanted to become an actor since he was a child. After several years of performing on the stages of amateur theaters, he decided to try his hand at stand-up comedy.
In 1978, Kasten was welcomed by Jerry Seinfeld to The Comic Strip, where he performed regularly. He also appeared at other New York comedy clubs in the 1980s. At the end of the decade he moved to Los Angeles, where he began appearing in small roles in television series.
He guest starred in, among others, “The Seinfeld Chronicles”, “A Freshman in Bel-Air”, “Mad About You”, “Everybody Loves Raymond”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “7th Heaven”. He last appeared on screen in 2012.
Later in his career, he performed in clubs in Las Vegas and on cruise ships. In recent years, he has been seriously ill, including prostate cancer.