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Wikipedia
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus (pronounced /ˈluːiː ˈdraɪfəs/; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress and comedian, widely known for her sitcom roles in Seinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine.
She rose to prominence as one of the regular cast members of Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s. She was later cast in the role of Elaine Benes on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. Her performance over nine seasons earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and fiveScreen Actors Guild Awards. In 2002, she and her husband developed the series Watching Ellie, which achieved limited success. In 2006 she tried her luck again with a new sitcom and subsequently earned her second Emmy Award as Christine Campbell in the sitcom The New Adventures of Old Christine, which lasted for five seasons on CBS. In May 2010, Louis-Dreyfus received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame due to her contribution to the broadcast television industry.
Personal life
Louis-Dreyfus was born in New York City, to Judith, a writer and special needs tutor, and Gérard Louis-Dreyfus (also known as William Louis-Dreyfus), a French attorney and business executive Her paternal grandfather was Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, a French Jew who fought in the French Resistance during World War II. Her parents divorced a year after her birth in 1961. After relocating to Washington, D.C., when Julia was eight,her mother married L. Thompson Bowles, Dean of the George Washington University Medical School.
Louis-Dreyfus has two half-sisters on her Louis-Dreyfus side, Emma and Phoebe. Through her father, a billionaire heir to the Louis Dreyfus Group, one of the world's largest commodities trading and merchandising firms,she had a cousin, Robert Louis-Dreyfus (1946–2009), former CEO of Adidas and owner of the Olympique de Marseille soccer team.
Louis-Dreyfus' maternal half-sister, Lauren Bowles, is also an actress, appearing with her onSeinfeld and The New Adventures of Old Christine, as well as on Veronica Mars and in the filmGhost World.
Louis-Dreyfus spent her childhood in several states and countries in connection with her stepfather's work with Project HOPE, including Sri Lanka, Colombia and Tunisia. She graduated from the Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, MD in 1979, and attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she studied theater, appeared in the Waa-Mu Show, and was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority.[citation needed] After three years, she left to begin work on Saturday Night Live;later receiving (2007) an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Northwestern.
While at Northwestern, Louis-Dreyfus met future husband and Saturday Night Live comedianBrad Hall. She, Hall, and future SNL writer Paul Barrosse all were members of the community's storefront theater troupe, the Practical Theatre Company. She and her husband have two sons.
Louis-Dreyfus campaigned for Al Gore during the 2000 U.S. presidential election.She speaks French fluently.
Career
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Louis-Dreyfus was a cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985, tying with current cast member Abby Elliot as the youngest female cast member in the show's history at the age of 21. While onSNL, she met writer Larry David, who would later co-create Seinfeld. Louis-Dreyfus also appeared in a fewsitcoms and films over the years, and is widely known for her nine-season role as "Elaine Benes" on NBC'sSeinfeld from 1990 to 1998, appearing in all but three episodes. On the "Notes About Nothing" featurette on the Season 1-2 DVD, Jerry Seinfeld says that Louis-Dreyfus' ability to eat a peanut M&M without cracking the peanut aptly describes the actress: "She cracks you up without breaking your nuts". At that time, She provided the voice of Atta in Disney/Pixar's A Bug's Life.
After Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus began a new NBC sitcom, Watching Ellie, which was canceled after two abbreviated seasons.[citation needed]
Her mid- to late-2000s series, The New Adventures of Old Christine, received high ratings.[citation needed] Louis-Dreyfus won the Outstanding Actress Emmy Award for her work on the show's first season.Referring to the curse, she stated in her acceptance speech, "I'm not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this, baby!"
She had a recurring guest role as the deceitful prosecutor and love interest of Michael Bluth, Maggie Lizer, onArrested Development. She has also appeared on The Simpsons, providing the voice for Snake's girlfriend Gloria on three episodes.
She returned to host Saturday Night Live on May 13, 2006. Louis-Dreyfus appeared with former Seinfeld mates Jason Alexander and Jerry Seinfeld in the opening monologue, parodying the so-called "Seinfeld Curse". She mocked the curse once again while accepting her Emmy award in 2006. She has also appeared on Seinfeld co-creator Larry David's show Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing herself fictionally trying to break the "curse" by planning to star in a show in which she would play an actress affected by a Seinfeld-like curse. She has currently[when?]been nominated for all the show's seasons for Emmys, but has lost to Tina Fey for 30 Rock, America Ferrera for Ugly Betty, Toni Collette forThe United States of Tara and most recently Edie Falco.
Louis-Dreyfus received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (the 2,407th star) on May 4, 2010. Originally, the star was set with Louis-Dreyfus' name misspelled, missing the 'o' in Louis and the hyphen in her last name, Julia Luis Dreyfus. The star was corrected and the misspelled portion will be removed and presented to the actress.
In the fall of 2009, she appeared with rest of the cast of Seinfeld in the third, sixth, ninth, and tenth episodes of the seventh season of Larry David's sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm.
In the spring of 2010, Julia Louis-Dreyfus joined the cast of the web series Web Therapy, starring Lisa Kudrowas a self-involved therapist who gives her therapy online, and earned strong reviews. She joined in the third season, playing Shevaun, the sister of Kudrow's character Fiona, who is also a therapist. Web Therapy is to air on Showtime in 2011.
In fall 2010, Dreyfus made a guest appearance on the live episode of the three-time Emmy winning comedy 30 Rock, playing Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) in flashbacks. Dreyfus was among several Saturday Night Live alumni, including Rachel Dratch, Bill Hader and stars Fey, Tracy Morganand Alec Baldwin.
Dreyfus starred in a "women of SNL" special November 1, 2010 on NBC.
Most recently, Louis-Dreyfus has engaged in talks to star in a new HBO satirical comedy pilot Veep. The pilot is being written by Armando Iannucci, and is said to be about a female senator who becomes Vice President and discovers that the job is nothing like she expected.Dreyfus will play the role of Selina Meyer, vice president of the United States.
Recurring characters on Saturday Night Live
- April May June, a female televangelist
- Becky, El Dorko's (Gary Kroeger) date
- Consuela, Chi Chi's friend and co-host of Let's Watch TV
- Darla in SNL's parody of The Little Rascals
- Weather Woman, a female superhero who controls the weather
- Patti Lynn Hunnsucker, a teenage correspondent on Weekend Update
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Saturday Night Live | Various characters | 1982–1985 (57 episodes) |
| 1986 | Troll | Jeanette Cooper | Film |
| Hannah and Her Sisters | Mary | Film | |
| Soul Man | Lisa Stimson | Film | |
| The Art of Being Nick | Rachel | 1 episode | |
| 1988 | Family Ties | Susan White | 1 episode |
| Day by Day | Eileen Swift | 1988–1989 (33 episodes) | |
| 1989 | Christmas Vacation | Margo Chester | Film |
| 1990 | Seinfeld | Elaine Benes | 1990–1998 (175 episodes) |
| 1992 | Dinosaurs | Heather Worthington (voice) | 1 episode |
| 1993 | Jack the Bear | Peggy Etinger | Film |
| 1994 | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Streets Forever! | Kathy Lee Kathy | TV special |
| North | North's Mom | Film | |
| 1995 | The Single Guy | Tina | 1 episode |
| 1996 | London Suite | Debra Dolby | TV movie |
| 1997 | Fathers' Day | Carrie Lawrence | Film |
| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Julia (voice) | 1 episode | |
| Deconstructing Harry | Leslie | Film | |
| Hey Arnold! | Miss Felter (voice) | 1 episode | |
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | Atta (voice) | Film |
| 1999 | Animal Farm | Mollie (voice) | Film |
| 2000 | Geppetto | Blue Fairy | TV movie |
| Curb Your Enthusiasm | Herself | 2000–2001, 2009 (8 episodes) | |
| 2001 | The Simpsons | Gloria (voice) | 2001, 2007–2008 (3 episodes) |
| 2002 | Watching Ellie | Eleanor 'Ellie' Riggs | 2002–2003 (17 episodes) |
| 2004 | Arrested Development | Maggie Lizer | 2004–2005 (4 episodes) |
| 2006 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Christine Campbell | 2006–2010 (88 episodes) |
| Saturday Night Live | Host | 2006–2007 (2 episodes) | |
| 2010 | Web Therapy | Shevaun Haig | 3 episodes |
| 30 Rock | Liz Lemon (during flashbacks in "Live Show") | 1 episode | |
| Saturday Night Live: Women of SNL | Herself | TV special |
Music
- "Nightshift" on Unexpected Dreams – Songs From the Stars (2006)
- "Wale – "The Vacation from Ourselves [Shout-Out]" on The Mixtape About Nothing (2008)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Seinfeld | Nominated |
| Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series | Won | ||
| 1993 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series | Won | |
| Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series | Won | ||
| 1994 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series | Won | |
| Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Film | Won | ||
| Viewers for Quality Television Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Comedy Series | Won | ||
| 1995 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series | Won | |
| Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Film | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | |||
| 1996 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series | Nominated | |
| Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Won | ||
| People's Choice Award | Favorite Female TV Performer | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |||
| 1997 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series | Won | |
| Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | ||
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | |||
| 1998 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series | Won | |
| Emmy Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| People's Choice Award | Favorite Female TV Performer | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Won | ||
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | |||
| 1999 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Supporting Female Performer in a TV Series | Nominated | |
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2001 | American Comedy Award | Funniest Female Guest Appearance in a TV Series | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Nominated |
| 2004 | Gold Derby TV Award | Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Arrested Development | Won |
| 2005 | Gold Derby TV Award | Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Won |
| Satellite Award | Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2007 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Gold Derby TV Award | Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Golden Globe Award | Best Actress in a TV Series - Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
| People's Choice Award | Favorite Female TV Performer | Nominated | ||
| Favorite Funny Female Star | Nominated | |||
| Satellite Award | Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Gold Derby TV Award | Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| Satellite Award | Best Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Gold Derby TV Award | Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Screen Actors Guild Award | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
| Emmy Award | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
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