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Julia Louis-Dreyfus biography

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Quick Facts

Best Known For

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus is best known for playing Elaine on the sitcom Seinfeld. She has also starred on The New Adventures of Old Christine, and the HBO TV series Veep.

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Synopsis

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born January 13, 1961 in New York City. She was cast as a regular on Saturday Night Live in 1982 where she stayed for two seasons. In 1986, she launched her film career, appearing in Hannah and Her Sisters and Soul Man. However, it was Louis-Dreyfus's portrayal of Elaine on Seinfeld that launched her to stardom. In 2002,

Quotes

"I have no agenda except to be funny. Neither I or the writers profess to offer any worldly wisdom."
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus

"It is, I think, harder for women. I haven't quite figured it out, and all of my women friends haven't figured it out—how the hell do you do this? How do you work and have families?"
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus

"I really do like to work."
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus

"Elaine is just in pain. I think Elaine has become very, very sad woman. She is someone who is in deep need of many hours of analysis and I like to think that I`m not that type of person."
– Julia Louis-Dreyfus

she began starring on the sitcom Watching Ellie, and went on to star on The New Adventures of Old Christine in 2006. In 2012, she debuted on the HBO TV series Veep, playing fabricated U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer. For her Veep performance, she won an Emmy Award (her third) in 2012.

Early Life

Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus on January 13, 1961, in New York City. Louis-Dreyfus is best known for her roles on the sitcoms Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine, and HBO series Veep. Louis-Dreyfus is the great-great-granddaughter of businessman Leopold Louis-Dreyfus, who founded the international Louis Dreyfus Group.

After studying drama at Northwestern University, Louis-Dreyfus began her acting career at Chicago's Practical Theatre Company, and performed with the prestigious Second City comedy troupe. After moving to New York, she was cast as a regular on Saturday Night Live in 1982, where she showcased her comedic talents for the next two seasons.

Award-Winning Actress

In 1986, Louis-Dreyfus launched her film career, appearing in Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters and Soul Man, but it was her portrayal of the fabulously flawed and cynical Elaine Benes on NBC's hit sitcom Seinfeld that launched her to stardom. The New York-centric comedy, also starring Jason Alexander and Michael Richards, was created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, and ran for nine seasons (1989-98). Though the role of Elaine was not part of the show's original concept, NBC producers insisted that Seinfeld needed a feminine perspective. For her performance on the series, she earned a Golden Globe Award in 1993 and an Emmy Award in 1996.

During breaks from Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus continued to make films, with uneven results. These included Jack the Bear (1993); Rob Reiner's North (1994); Father's Day (1997), with Billy Crystal and Robin Williams; and Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry (1997). Additionally, in 1998, she lent her voice for the role of Princess Atta in the computer-animated feature A Bug's Life.

In 2002, Louis-Dreyfus starred on her own NBC sitcom, Watching Ellie. Despite a promising debut, the real-time comedy featuring Louis-Dreyfus as a Los Angeles lounge singer took a dive in the ratings, and was canceled midway through its first season. A revamped version of the show returned to NBC's prime-time lineup in the spring of 2003, but failed to find an audience.

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