Julia Louis-Dreyfus 1.13.13 Thought of the Day

“I like playing somebody who has to apologize to their kid, all the time, for screwing up. That seems really real.” —Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Elaine Benes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus was born on this day in New York, New York, USA in 1961. She is 52 years old.

Louis-Dreyfus was born into a wealthy family. Her father, Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, is a billionaire and the chairman of Louis Dreyfus Energy Services. Her mother is a writer. They divorced with Louis-Dreyfus was a baby and she went with her mother to live in Washington DC.  She studied acting at Northwestern University.

English: “The Golden 50th Anniversary Jubilee” cast photo: Brad Hall, Gary Kroeger, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Paul Barrosse (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

She worked with Chicago’s Second City comedy group before moving to New York and joining the cast of Saturday Night Live for a three-year stint from 1982 to 1985. She left the show to do movies — landing supporting roles in Hannah and Her Sisters, Soul Man, and North  among others, and  to do prime time TV. She co-starred in Day by Day for that show’s two season run, and did a number of guest spots.

The Seinfeld gang. (Image courtesy NBC.)

But Louis-Dreyfus really broke through with her role as Elaine Benes on the Seinfeld show.  She

proved that she could hold her own as the sole female member of Seinfeld’s do-nothing quartet of neurotic New Yorkers. With her “big wall of hair,” signature shoes and penchant for over-enthusiastic exclamations, Louis-Dreyfus’ Elaine was no mere foil, but rather a full participant in the show’s increasingly popular, irony-laden comic shenanigans. [Star Pulse.com]

She won her first Emmy award for the role in 1996. The show ran for nine seasons.

After Seinfeld she starred in the short-lived comedy Watching Ellie with fellow Second City alum Steve Carell. She had recurring rolls on high profiles shows like Arrested Development, The Simpsons and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The New Adventures of Old Christine (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

She won her second Emmy for her next sit-com, The New Adventures of Old Christine which ran for 5 seasons.

2012 saw her starring in a new series, HBO’s Veep. Louis-Dreyfus won her third Emmy for her role as Selina Meyer. She is a co-producer for the series.

English: Julia Louis-Dreyfus attending a ceremony to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)