julia louis dreyfus

This article is about the American actress. For the French actress, see Julie Dreyfus.

Julia Elizabeth Scarlett Louis-Dreyfus (born January 13, 1961) is an Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award and SAG Award-winning American actress and comedian.

Louis-Dreyfus was born in NYC; her paternal grandparents were Dolores Neubauer and Pierre Louis-Dreyfus,^[1] a French Jew who fought in the French Resistance during World War II. Her mother is Judith Bowles and her father is French billionaire Gérard Louis-Dreyfus (who changed his name to William in the 1940s).^[2] Her cousin Robert Louis-Dreyfus is the former owner of Adidas (1993-2001) and the current owner of the French football club Olympique de Marseille. She is a cousin of Brooklyn-born actor Richard Dreyfus and both are related to the late Alfred Dreyfus^{citation needed]}, a French army captain best known for being the focus of the Dreyfus affair.

Louis-Dreyfus was a cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985. While on SNL, she met writer Larry David, who would later co-create Seinfeld. Louis-Dreyfus also appeared in quite a few sitcoms and films over the years but is best known for her nine-season role as "Elaine Benes" on NBC's Seinfeld from 1990 to 1998.

After Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus began a new NBC sitcom, Watching Ellie, which was soon cancelled. She had a notable recurring guest role as the compulsively lying prosecutor Maggie Lizer on Arrested Development. She currently stars in the hit CBS sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine -- in recognition of her role in that series, she garnered an Emmy award as best actress in a comedy series in 2006.

She has been married to actor/writer Brad Hall since 1987, whom she met while they were students at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois (Hall also worked on SNL). The couple have two sons, Henry (b. 1992) and Charles (b. 1997).

Post-Seinfeld career

Louis-Dreyfus, well-known for her role in the Seinfeld television series, had been seen as a victim of "the Seinfeld Curse", an apt phrase used to describe actors who, after appearing in an enormously popular television series or movie, have trouble finding popularity in other roles. In Louis-Dreyfus's case, this may also be attributed to typecasting of her in viewer's minds as the distinctive "Elaine Benes". However, the impressive ratings for Old Christine have led some to believe that the "Curse" is broken. She received a Lead Actress Emmy Award for her work on the first season of Old Christine. She was evidently surprised by her win, as she could barely utter her acceptance speech during the 2006 Emmy Awards.

She returned to host Saturday Night Live on May 13, 2006, and in doing so became the first former female cast member to return as host (Gilda Radner was supposed to host in the 1987-88 season, but a writer's strike cut the season short and Radner died of ovarian cancer a year later). Louis-Dreyfus appeared with former Seinfeld mates Jason Alexander and Jerry Seinfeld in the opening monologue, parodying the so-called "Seinfeld Curse"^[3]. She mocked the curse once again while accepting her Emmy award in 2006.

Selected filmography

• The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006)
• Arrested Development (2004)
• Watching Ellie (2002)
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000)
• A Bug's Life (1998)
• Father's Day (1997)
• Deconstructing Harry (1997)
• London Suite (1996)
• North (1994)
• Jack the Bear (1993)
• Seinfeld (1989–1998)
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
• Day by Day (television) (1988)
• Soul Man (1986)
• Troll (1986)
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
• Saturday Night Live (1982–1985)

Awards & nominations

Emmy Awards

• 2006: won for Best Actress in a Comedy Series -- The New Adventures of Old Christine
• 1998: nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1997: nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1996: won for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1995: nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1994: nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1993: nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1992: nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld

Golden Globe Awards

• 1995: nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a TV production -- Seinfeld
• 1994: won for Best Supporting Actress in a TV production -- Seinfeld

Screen Actors Guild Awards

• 1999: nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1998: won for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1997: won for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1996: nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld
• 1995: nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series -- Seinfeld

Trivia

• Her sons are Henry (born 1992) and Charles (born 1997). Both pregnancies were "disguised" while she played the character of Elaine on Seinfeld.
• She attended the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, MD and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
• She was considered for the role of Marla in Fight Club (which eventually went to Helena Bonham Carter).
• She hosted Saturday Night Live on May 13, 2006, the first female SNL alumna to do so.

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ Forbes World's Richest People. Gérard Louis-Dreyfus & family
3. ^ [2]

External links

• Julia Louis-Dreyfus at the Internet Movie Database
• Fan site
• Video: 9/06 Interview on myfoxla.com.