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"The fact of the matter is that everybody treats me pretty much as one of the boys, which I take as a great compliment." Julia Louis-Dreyfus has become an iconic member of television history. As Elaine in the legendary sitcom Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus stole the hearts of audience members all across the country. Known for her snark, strength, and comedic timing, Louis-Dreyfus was quick to grow into a stalwart performer.

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In the intervening years since Seinfeld went off of the air, Louis-Dreyfus has had several other starring television roles. Louis-Dreyfus has earned critical acclaim for her work on shows like Veep, The New Adventures of Old Christine, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. As a multi-talented star with roots in the most important years of television history, Louis-Dreyfus is certainly someone that is going to be remembered fondly.

Born in New York City

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born in New York City on January 13, 1961. Her parents were Judith and Gerard Louis-Dreyfus. Judith worked as both a writer and a tutor for students with special needs. Gerard was born in France, but he worked in America as the chair of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services. Louis-Dreyfus has a fascinating history that includes her great-great-grandfather, Leopold Louis-Dreyfus who founded the Luis Dreyfus Group in 1851.

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Louis-Dreyfus spent her childhood traveling around the country. Her parents would get divorced when Louis-Dreyfus was still a child and, as a result, Louis-Dreyfus spent her life all over the map. Louis-Dreyfus would end up settling down in Evanston, Illinois in order to pursue her collegiate degree at Northwestern University. She was a member of the Delta Gamma sorority during her time in college.

While studying at school, Louis-Dreyfus was enrolled in the theater program. Louis-Dreyfus was deeply immersed in improv and sketch comedy before she decided to drop out in pursuit of a job at Saturday Night Live. Though Louis-Dreyfus never earned her collegiate degree, Northwestern University granted her an Honorary Doctor of Arts degree in 2007.

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Rising to Comedic Stardom

While Louis-Dreyfus had been attending college at Northwestern, she wouldn't truly pursue her educational studies until she enrolled at Second City. Louis-Dreyfus would begin performing for Second City as a regular in their improv comedy troupe while also performing at Chicago's Practical Theatre Company. It wasn't long until Louis-Dreyfus was a regular on Saturday Night Live at the young age of 21. On SNL, Louis-Dreyfus was able to showcase her talents while also priming herself for a full-fledged career in Hollywood.

Louis-Dreyfus would make her entrance into the film world with a role in Hannah and Her Sisters in 1986. She would follow that role with performances in Troll (1986), Soul Man (1986), and The Art of Being Nick (1986). Louis-Dreyfus would have brief pre-Seinfeld success with a starring role on the TV series, Day by Day (1989).

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Despite her strong early work, Louis-Dreyfus was still relatively unknown when she was cast in the hit BNC series, Seinfeld (1990). As Elaine Benes, Louis-Dreyfus would essentially steal the show with her flawed and hilarious take on the self-centered character. The series would also star Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards. Though Elaine wasn't initially going to be a star in the show, NBC pushed the Seinfeld creators to incorporate her feminine perspective. Thanks to the network's push, Louis-Dreyfus would become a part of television history as one of the most memorable sitcom characters of all time.

When Seinfeld finally wrapped in 1998, Louis-Dreyfus was suddenly bereft of her anchor. Despite her success on television, Louis-Dreyfus had not been able to transfer into the film world. Instead of seeking more film roles, Louis-Dreyfus would go on to reinvent herself in the NBC series, Watching Ellie (2002) as a lounge singer living in Los Angeles. The show would receive strong initial ratings before eventually crashing. Louis-Dreyfus would follow that show up with appearances in A Bug's Life (1998), Animal Farm (1999), and Arrested Development (2004).

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Louis-Dreyfus would find consistency yet again in 2006 when she landed the leading role in the hit TV series, The New Adventures of Old Christine. Louis-Dreyfus would star as the titular character, Christine, as she tried to navigate parenting while running her own business. Louis-Dreyfus would win an Emmy Award for her work on the show. During this period of her career, Louis-Dreyfus was also appearing with semi-regularity on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The series starred Larry David, the creator of Seinfeld.  Louis-Dreyfus would appear as herself for an eight-episode run spanning from 2000 to 2009.

HBO would bring Louis-Dreyfus to primetime when they brought her on to star in the series, Veep (2012). In Veep, Louis-Dreyfus played U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer. The series would become a smash hit for HBO and Louis-Dreyfus would cement herself as another medium-breaking female character. Louis-Dreyfus would win her third Emmy Award as part of the project while also grabbing her 13th acting Emmy nod in the process. While Louis-Dreyfus's star was burning bright, she would land a leading role in the film Enough Said (2013) across from the late James Gandolfini. Gandolfini would tragically pass away before the film was released. 

Throughout her career, Julia Louis-Dreyfus has managed to reinvent herself numerous times. In the process, Louis-Dreyfus made history by becoming one of the most decorated female television performers of all time. Louis-Dreyfus has won more Emmy Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer in television history.

As it pertains to her private life, Louis-Dreyfus hasn't had to work nearly as hard. Louis-Dreyfus met Brad Hall while the two were attending Northwestern University. The duo would later get married in 1987. Since then, Louis-Dreyfus and Hall have had two children together, and they remain a couple to this day. Louis-Dreyfus made headlines in 2017 when she announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Thankfully, Louis-Dreyfus was able to beat the disease before announcing her clean bill of health on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! In 2018.