Julia Louis-Dreyfus | |
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.jpg) Louis-Dreyfus in 2019 | |
| Born | Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus (1961-01-13)January 13, 1961 (age 64) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | Since 1980 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingCharlie Hall |
| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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| Awards | Full list |
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus (/ˌluːiˈdraɪfəs/LOO-eeDRY-fəs; born January 13, 1961) is an American actress, comedian and producer. She has gained acclaim for starring in a string of successful comedy series as well as several comedy films. She has receivednumerous accolades including 11Primetime Emmy Awards, aGolden Globe Award, and nineScreen Actors Guild Awards.
Louis-Dreyfus was born in New York City, the daughter of French billionaireGérard Louis-Dreyfus, and entered comedy as a performer with thePractical Theatre Company inChicago. She was a cast member on thesketch comedy seriesSaturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985. Her breakthrough came from 1990 to 1998 playingElaine Benes on theNBCsitcomSeinfeld, which became one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms in television history. She earned acclaim for her roles asChristine Campbell onThe New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010), andSelina Meyer onVeep (2012–2019). She has also guest starred on shows such asArrested Development,Curb Your Enthusiasm, and30 Rock.
On film, Louis-Dreyfus has had leading film roles in theindependentdramediesEnough Said (2013),Downhill (2020),You Hurt My Feelings (2023), andTuesday (2023) with supporting film roles in comedy films such asHannah and Her Sisters (1986),National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989),Deconstructing Harry (1997), andYou People (2023). Her voice acting work includes roles in theDisney Animated filmsA Bug's Life (1998),Planes (2013), andOnward (2020). Since 2021, she has playedValentina Allegra de Fontaine in theMarvel Cinematic Universe.
She is one of the most award-winning actors in American television history.[a][1] She received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and was inducted into theTelevision Academy Hall of Fame in 2014. She was named as one ofTime magazine's100 most influential people in the world in 2016.[2] She also received theMark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2018 and theNational Medal of Arts in 2021.[3][4]
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus[5] was born inNew York City on January 13, 1961.[6] Her mother, Judith (née LeFever), is an American writer andspecial needs educator.[5] Her father,Gérard Louis-Dreyfus (1932–2016), was a French billionaire who served as chairman of theLouis Dreyfus Company. Her paternal grandfather,Pierre Louis-Dreyfus (1908–2011), was president of theLouis Dreyfus Group commodities and shipping conglomerate.[7] He came from a family ofAlsatian Jews,[8][9] and served as acavalry officer and member of theFrench Resistance duringWorld War II.[10] Louis-Dreyfus is the great-great-granddaughter of French businessmanLéopold Louis-Dreyfus (1833–1915), founder of the Louis Dreyfus Group, which members of her family still control.[11] She is the fifth cousin four times removed ofAlfred Dreyfus (1859–1935) of the infamousDreyfus affair.[12][13][14]Robert Louis-Dreyfus (1946–2009), her father's second cousin, was the CEO ofAdidas and owner of the soccer teamOlympique de Marseille.[15] Julia's paternal grandmother was the daughter of aBrazilian-Jewish father (whose family wasDutch,English, andPolish).[16]
In 1962, a year after her birth, Louis-Dreyfus's parents divorced. She has said that she first noticed her penchant for comedy after sticking raisins up her nose at the age of three, which first made her mother laugh but then led to an emergency hospital visit.[17] After moving toWashington, D.C., when Louis-Dreyfus was four, her mother married L. Thompson Bowles, dean of theGeorge Washington University Medical School;[5][18] Louis-Dreyfus gained a half-sister,Lauren Bowles, also an actress. Due to her stepfather's work withProject HOPE, she spent her childhood in several U.S. states and countries such asColombia,Sri Lanka, andTunisia.[19][20] In 1979, she graduated from the all-girlsHolton-Arms School inBethesda, Maryland.[21] She later said of the school, "There were things I did in school that, had there been boys in the classroom, I would have been less motivated to do. For instance, I was president of the honor society."[22]
Louis-Dreyfus graduated fromNorthwestern University inEvanston, Illinois in 1983,[23][24] where she was a member of theDelta Gamma sorority. She studied theatre and performed in theMee-Ow Show, a student-run improv and sketch comedy revue, before dropping out during her junior year to take a job atSaturday Night Live.[25] In 2007, she received an honorary doctor of arts degree from Northwestern University.[26]
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As part of her comedic training, Louis-Dreyfus appeared inThe Second City, one of the best-known improvisational theatre groups. It was her performance withThe Practical Theatre Company at their "Golden 50th Anniversary Jubilee" that led to her being asked to join the cast ofNBC'sSaturday Night Live at the age of 21.
Louis-Dreyfus subsequently became a cast member onSaturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985, the youngest female cast member in the history of the program at that time.[27] It was during her third and final year onSNL that she met writerLarry David during his only year on the show.[28] David later co-createdSeinfeld.[29] Louis-Dreyfus has commented that her casting onSNL was a "Cinderella-getting-to-go-to-the-ball kind of experience";[30] however, she has also admitted that at times it was often quite tense, stating that she "didn't know how to navigate the waters of show business in general and specifically doing a live sketch-comedy show".[31]
Recurring characters onSaturday Night Live
Following her 1985 departure fromSNL, Louis-Dreyfus appeared in several films, includingHannah and Her Sisters (1986) byWoody Allen,Soul Man (1986), andNational Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), in which she starred alongside fellowSNL alumnusChevy Chase. In 1987, Louis-Dreyfus appeared in the NBC sitcom pilotThe Art of Being Nick, an intended spin-off fromFamily Ties starringScott Valentine. When the pilot did not make it to series, Louis-Dreyfus was retained by producerGary David Goldberg for a role on his new sitcomDay by Day, as the sarcastic and materialistic neighbor, Eileen Swift. Premiering in early 1988,Day by Day aired for two seasons on NBC before being cancelled.[32]
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In the early 1990s, Louis-Dreyfus became famous for the role ofElaine Benes on NBC'sSeinfeld. She played the role for nine seasons, appearing in all but three episodes.[5] One of the episodes that she did not appear in was the pilot episode, "The Seinfeld Chronicles", because her character was not initially intended to be a part of the series. It was only after the first episode thatNBC executives felt the show was too male-centric and demanded that creatorsLarry David andJerry Seinfeld add a woman to the cast. It was revealed in the commentary on the DVD package that the addition of a female character was the condition for commissioning the show. Louis-Dreyfus won the role over several other actresses who also eventually enjoyed TV success, includingPatricia Heaton andMegan Mullally.[33] On the "Notes About Nothing" featurette on theDVD package, Seinfeld says that Louis-Dreyfus's ability to eat a peanutM&M without breaking the peanut described her: "She cracks you up without breaking your nuts."[34]
Louis-Dreyfus garnered critical acclaim for her performance on the series, and she was a regular winner and nominee at television award shows throughout the 1990s. Her performance earned her twoGolden Globe Award nominations, winning once in 1994, nineScreen Actors Guild Award nominations, winning one in 1995 and two in both 1997 and 1998, and sevenAmerican Comedy Awards, winning five times in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 1998. In 1996, she won thePrimetime Emmy Award[35] for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, an award she was nominated for on seven occasions from 1992 to 1998. After receiving the award, Louis-Dreyfus said the win was a "shocker", and that after being in both positions, it was "much better to win than to lose."[36]
In 1998, Jerry Seinfeld decided to end the series after nine seasons. Theseries finale aired on May 14 and was one of the most-watched TV events in history, with over 76 million viewers tuning in.[37] During her time onSeinfeld, she appeared in several films, including the comedy filmsFathers' Day (1997), oppositeRobin Williams andBilly Crystal, andWoody Allen'sDeconstructing Harry (1997).
Following a voice role in the highly successfulPixar filmA Bug's Life (1998), Louis-Dreyfus lent her voice asSnake's girlfriend Gloria inThe Simpsons episode "A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love". In 2001, she made several special guest appearances onSeinfeld co-creatorLarry David's showCurb 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 aSeinfeld-like curse.
After several years away from a regular TV job, Louis-Dreyfus began a new single-camera sitcom,Watching Ellie, which premiered on NBC in February 2002. The series was created by husbandBrad Hall and co-starredSteve Carell and Louis-Dreyfus's half-sisterLauren Bowles. The initial premise of the show was to present viewers with a "slice of life" from the goings-on and happenings of the life of Ellie Riggs, a Southern California jazz singer. The first season included a 22-minute countdown kept digitally in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, which many critics panned, claiming it was useless and "did nothing for the show."[38] Overall, the show received mixed reviews but debuted strongly with over 16 million viewers tuning in for the series premiere, and maintained an average audience of about 10 million viewers per week.[39]
When the series returned for a second season in the spring of 2003, it suffered a decline in viewership, averaging around eight million viewers per week. The show had undergone a drastic stylistic change between the production of seasons one and two. The first season was filmed in the single-camera format, but the second season was presented as a traditional multicamera sitcom filmed in front of a live studio audience.[40] With dwindling viewership and failing to retain the numbers from itsFrasier lead-in, the series was cancelled by NBC in May 2003.[41]
Following NBC's cancellation ofWatching Ellie, the media began circulating rumors of a so-called "Seinfeld curse", which claimed that none of the formerSeinfeld actors could ever achieve success again in the television industry. Louis-Dreyfus dismissed the rumor as "a made-up thing by the media",[40] whileSeinfeld co-creator Larry David asserted that the curse was "completely idiotic."[42] Louis-Dreyfus was interested in the role ofSusan Mayer onDesperate Housewives, the role that ultimately went toTeri Hatcher.[43] Instead, Louis-Dreyfus scored a recurring guest role as Maggie Lizer, the deceitful prosecutor and love interest ofMichael Bluth on the Emmy-winning comedyArrested Development, from 2004 to 2005.[44]
In 2005, Louis-Dreyfus was cast in the title role of a new CBS sitcom,The New Adventures of Old Christine.[45] The series and its concept were created by writer and producer ofWill & Grace, Kari Lizer. The series told the story of Christine Campbell, a single mother who manages to maintain a fantastic relationship with her ex-husband while running a women's gym. The series debuted on CBS in March 2006 to an audience of 15 million and was initially a ratings winner for the network.[46]
Louis-Dreyfus received considerable critical acclaim for her performance on the show, with Brian Lowry ofVariety stating that Louis-Dreyfus broke the so-called "Seinfeld curse [...] with one of the best conventional half-hours to come along in a while."[47] Alessandra Stanley fromThe New York Times asserted that Louis-Dreyfus's performance on the series proved she is "one of the funniest women on network television."[48] Louis-Dreyfus also earned the 2006Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in the first season. Referring to thecurse, she stated in her acceptance speech, "I'm not somebody who really believes in curses, but curse this, baby!"[5] Throughout the course of the series, she received five consecutiveEmmy Award nominations, three consecutiveSatellite Award nominations, twoScreen Actors Guild Award nominations, and a nomination for aGolden Globe Award. In 2007, she also received two nominations for aPeople's Choice Award due to her return to popularity, thanks to the success ofOld Christine.
In May 2006, Louis-Dreyfus hosted an episode ofSaturday Night Live, becoming the first female former cast member to return to the show as a host.[31] In the episode, she appeared with herSeinfeld co-starsJason Alexander andJerry Seinfeld in her opening monologue, parodying the so-called "Seinfeld curse".[49] After a successful reception of her 2006 episode, Louis-Dreyfus again hostedSNL on March 17, 2007, and April 17, 2016. Louis-Dreyfus reprised her role as Gloria in twoSimpsons episodes: 2007's "I Don't Wanna Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and 2008's "Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes". In the fall of 2009, she appeared with the rest of the cast ofSeinfeld in four episodes of the seventh season ofLarry David's sitcomCurb Your Enthusiasm. The reunion shows received much media attention, and the episode received strong ratings for the series.[50]
In 2009, Louis-Dreyfus was granted the honorary award for Legacy of Laughter at theTV Land Awards. Previous winners had includedLucille Ball andMike Myers. She was presented with the award by friendAmy Poehler. The following year, Louis-Dreyfus received the 2,407th star on theHollywood Walk of Fame on May 4, 2010, for her remarkable contribution to the broadcast television industry as both an actress and a comedian. Originally, the star was set with Louis-Dreyfus's name spelled incorrectly. It was missing both the 'o' and the hyphen in her last name.[51] The star was corrected and the misspelled portion was removed and presented to her.[52] Celebrity guests at the event included past and current colleagues from throughout her career, includingClark Gregg, Larry David,Eric McCormack, and Jason Alexander.
Old Christine was cancelled by CBS on May 18, 2010, after 5 years.[53] Discussions were held with ABC to revive the show but the show was never revived.[54] In the spring of 2010, Louis-Dreyfus guest-starred several times in the third season of the web seriesWeb Therapy, starringLisa Kudrow. Louis-Dreyfus played the sister of the main character, Fiona Wallice, who gives her therapy online. When the series made the transition to cable television on theShowtime network, Louis-Dreyfus's appearance from the web series was included in the second season, airing in July 2012.[55] In fall 2010, Louis-Dreyfus made a guest appearance on the live episode of30 Rock, playingTina Fey's role ofLiz Lemon in the cutaway shots. Louis-Dreyfus was among severalSaturday Night Live alumni appearing in the episode, includingRachel Dratch,Bill Hader, and regularsTracy Morgan and Fey herself. Louis-Dreyfus also starred in a "Women of SNL" special on November 1, 2010, on NBC.
In May and June 2011, Louis-Dreyfus teamed up with husband Brad Hall for her first short film,Picture Paris. This was the first time the couple had collaborated since their early-2000s NBC comedyWatching Ellie. Hall wrote and directed the film, while Louis-Dreyfus played the lead role of an ordinary woman with an extraordinary obsession with the city of Paris. The film premiered on January 29, 2012, at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and has received considerable critical acclaim.[56] It made its television premiere on HBO on December 17, 2012.[57]
In early 2011, HBO confirmed that Louis-Dreyfus had been cast in the lead role of U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer in a new satirical comedy series titledVeep. The series was commissioned for a first season of eight episodes. In addition to her starring role, Louis-Dreyfus would also be a producer.[58] In preparation for her role, Louis-Dreyfus spoke withAl Gore and another former vice president,[59] senators, speechwriters, chiefs of staffs of various offices, and schedulers.[28] Louis-Dreyfus commended HBO for allowing the cast and crew to engage in a "protracted pre-production process", which included a six-week rehearsal period before filming began.[60]
The first season was filmed in the fall of 2011, inBaltimore, and the series premiered on April 22, 2012.[61] The premiere episode was met with high praise from critics, particularly for Louis-Dreyfus's performance.The Hollywood Reporter asserted the character of Selina Meyer was her "best post-Seinfeld role" to date and claimed she gives "an Emmy-worthy effort",[62] while theLos Angeles Times contended the series demonstrates she is "one of the medium's great comediennes."[63] Following the success of the first season, Louis-Dreyfus was named by theHuffington Post as one of the funniest people of 2012, asserting that she is the "most magnetic and naturally funny woman on TV since Mary Tyler Moore."[64]
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For her performance onVeep, Louis-Dreyfus received several accolades, most notably seven nominations for thePrimetime Emmy Awards forOutstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series between 2012 and 2019, winning the award six times.[65] These Emmy wins forVeep, following previous wins forSeinfeld andThe New Adventures of Old Christine, resulted in her becoming the only woman to win an acting award for three separate comedy series.[66] Her sixth win in 2016 surpassed the record previously held byMary Tyler Moore andCandice Bergen for the most wins in that category.[67] In 2017, her sixth consecutive win, and eighth acting win, overall made her the performer with the most Emmys for the same role in the same series, surpassingCandice Bergen andDon Knotts, and put her in a tie withCloris Leachman for the most Emmys ever won by a performer.[68] She was also nominated as one of the producers forVeep in thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series category for all seven seasons, winning the award in 2015, 2016 and 2017 for the fourth, fifth and sixth seasons respectively.[69] Louis-Dreyfus also received fiveCritics' Choice Television Award nominations, winning twice in 2013 and 2014, tenScreen Actors Guild Award nominations, winning twice in 2014 and 2017, and fiveTelevision Critics Association Award nominations, winning once in 2014. Her performance additionally garnered her fiveSatellite Award nominations and five consecutiveGolden Globe Award nominations.
Louis-Dreyfus lent her voice to the 2013 animated filmPlanes, in the role of Rochelle. To date, the film has grossed well over $200 million at the box office worldwide.[70] She also starred in the filmEnough Said, directed byNicole Holofcener, which was released on September 18, 2013.[71] This marked her debut as a lead actress in a full-length feature film. The film garnered rave reviews from film critics, ranking among the best-reviewed films of 2013. The websiteRotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 96% based on 152 reviews, many of them praising Louis-Dreyfus's performance.[72] She received several Best Actress nominations including for theGolden Globe Awards and theCritics' Choice Movie Awards. Another review aggregation website, Metacritic, gave the film a score of 78 out of 100, based on 44 critics, signifying "generally favorable reviews".
Since December 2014, Louis-Dreyfus has appeared in a series of television commercials forOld Navy.[73] In 2015 she acted in theComedy Central sketch seriesInside Amy Schumer alongsideTina Fey andPatricia Arquette, playing a version of themselves giving advice on aging toAmy Schumer. Dreyfus said of the experience "I started to feel unbelievably paranoid that I was making fun of myself and wondering, was this really happening to me? Like, how meta is this moment in my life? I started to have a kind of soul-searching crisis in the middle of the day. And I didn't know [the other women] well enough to bring it up, so I was just trying to be a good sport even though I was dying a little bit on the inside."[74] On April 16, 2016, she returned toSaturday Night Live serving as host for the third time with musical guestNick Jonas. During the episode's cold open, she reprised her role of Elaine Benes fromSeinfeld.[75][76]
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In 2020, Louis-Dreyfus headlined the comedy-dramaDownhill, oppositeWill Ferrell. The film premiered at the2020 Sundance Film Festival and was theatrically released on February 14.[77] Next, she voiced a suburban elf mother inPixar'sOnward oppositeTom Holland andChris Pratt. The film was released on March 6, 2020. In January 2020, Louis-Dreyfus signed a multi-year deal withApple TV+. Under the deal, she will develop new projects for Apple TV+ as both an executive producer and star.[78] The following year Louis-Dreyfus appeared in theDisney+ seriesThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) asValentina Allegra de Fontaine, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though she was originally intended to debut in the filmBlack Widow (where she appears in the post credit scene).[79] She reprised the role inBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and also appears in the filmThunderbolts* (2025). In 2022 she was a guest on theNetflix showMy Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.
In 2023 she reunited withNicole Holofcener starring in theA24 independent comedy filmYou Hurt My Feelings. Dreyfus produced the film and acted alongsideTobias Menzies,Michaela Watkins,Arian Moayed andJeannie Berlin. The film premiered at theSundance Film Festival to positive reviews.Peter Bradshaw praised her performance writing, "Louis-Dreyfus is such a superb comic performer that it is interesting seeing her take on something low-key".[80] That same year she portrayed a liberal Jewish mother in theNetflix romantic comedyYou People (2023). She also starred in the A24 filmTuesday, directed by Daina Oniunas-Pusić,[81] which premiered at the 2023Telluride Film Festival.[82]
In 2023, Louis-Dreyfus became host of the podcastWiser Than Me.[83] On the show, she interviews women older than her on their lived experience and earned wisdom. Guests have includedJane Fonda,Carol Burnett,Isabel Allende andAmy Tan. The show, produced byLemonada Media, was named Apple's Best Podcast of the Year in 2023.[84] Among her season two guests, Louis-Dreyfus interviewsBillie Jean King,Patti Smith, andJulie Andrews.[85]
In 2024, Apple announced thatWiser Than Me was the 3rd most shared show in theUnited States onApple Podcasts in 2024.[86]
Louis-Dreyfus said she respects "women who are not afraid of making themselves look bad or foolish to get a laugh" and cites her acting idols asLucille Ball,Mary Tyler Moore,Madeline Kahn,Teri Garr,Valerie Harper, andCloris Leachman.[87] The actressTina Fey said that Louis-Dreyfus inspired her characterLiz Lemon on the NBC comedy series30 Rock.[88]
Louis-Dreyfus is widely regarded as one of the finest comedic actresses of her generation.[89][90] Jake Coyle of theLubbock Avalanche-Journal said "Few comediennes have both her gift for physical comedy... and vocal precision".[90] According to the journalistMolly Ball, Louis-Dreyfus has played mostly "funny, self-centered women who are compelling despite often being ill-behaved." Louis-Dreyfus said she had turned playing unlikeable people into a career.[1] Ball said: "She has also left an indelible cultural mark, expanding the possibilities for women in comedy–and maybe in politics and public life as well."[1]
Louis-Dreyfus was raisedCatholic but moved towardsagnosticism; she said she had no "traditional religious affiliation".[91]
Louis-Dreyfus's maternal half-sister,Lauren Bowles, is also an actress. She also has two paternal half-sisters, Phoebe[92] and Emma. Emma died in August 2018.[93][94][95]
While at Northwestern University, Louis-Dreyfus met her future husband, theSaturday Night Live comedianBrad Hall.[5] They married in 1987 and have two sons.[96] Their older son, Henry Hall, is a singer-songwriter who has performed onThe Tonight Show.[97][98] Their younger son,Charlie Hall, is an actor.[99] Her first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage.[100]
On September 28, 2017, Louis-Dreyfus announced that she had been diagnosed withbreast cancer, which she discovered the day after winning aPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role inVeep.[101] She said: "One in eight women get breast cancer. Today, I'm the one. The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let's fight all cancers and makeuniversal healthcare a reality."[102] On October 18, 2018, she announced on an episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live! that she was cancer-free.[103]
Louis-Dreyfus supportedAl Gore's 2000 U.S. presidential bid andBarack Obama's bid for the presidency in both 2008[104] and 2012.[105] She appeared in a video that urged Obama to reject the proposal of theKeystone XL pipeline, arguing that if the pipeline ever were to leak, it would cause massive pollution across the U.S.[106] She has voiced her concern for several environmental issues and has raised millions forHeal the Bay, theNatural Resources Defense Council, and theTrust for Public Land. She also worked for the successful passage of Proposition O, which allocated $500 million for cleaning up the Los Angeleswater supply.[107]
In October 2010, before theU.S. Senate election in California, Louis-Dreyfus starred in a humorousBarbara Boxer ad regardingenergy policy.[108] During the2016 Democratic National Convention, she supportedHillary Clinton in that year'spresidential election.[109] In her acceptance speech at the 2017Screen Actors Guild Awards, she denounced PresidentDonald Trump'sexecutive order, referred to as the "Muslim ban", as "un-American" and said, "My father fled religious persecution inNazi-occupied France."[110]
Louis-Dreyfusemceed the final night of the2020 Democratic National Convention, endorsingJoe Biden.[111] She has also published information regarding voting by mail[112] and urged all Americans to vote.[113] Louis-Dreyfus endorsed RepresentativeKaren Bass in the2022 Los Angeles mayoral election, in various social media posts.[114]
| † | Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Troll | Jeanette Cooper | |
| Hannah and Her Sisters | Marianna | ||
| Soul Man | Elizabeth Stimson | ||
| 1989 | National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation | Margo Chester | |
| 1993 | Jack the Bear | Peggy Etinger | |
| 1994 | North | North's Mother | |
| 1997 | Fathers' Day | Caroline Lawrence | |
| Deconstructing Harry | Leslie | ||
| 1998 | A Bug's Life | Princess Atta | Voice[115] |
| 2012 | Picture Paris | Ellen Larson | |
| 2013 | Planes | Rochelle | Voice[115] |
| Enough Said | Evelyn | ||
| 2020 | Downhill | Billie Stanton | Also producer |
| Onward | Laurel Lightfoot | Voice[116][115] | |
| 2021 | Black Widow | Valentina Allegra de Fontaine | Cameo[117] |
| 2022 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | [118] | |
| 2023 | You People | Shelley | |
| You Hurt My Feelings | Elizabeth | Also producer | |
| Tuesday | Zora | ||
| 2025 | Thunderbolts* | Valentina Allegra de Fontaine | |
| 2026 | The Sheep Detectives† | TBA | Post-production |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–1985 | Saturday Night Live | Various Characters | 57 episodes |
| 1987 | The Art of Being Nick | Rachel | Television special |
| 1988 | Family Ties | Susan White | Episode: "Read It and Weep: Part 2" |
| 1988–1989 | Day by Day | Eileen Swift | 33 episodes |
| 1990–1998 | Seinfeld | Elaine Benes | 177 episodes |
| 1992 | Dinosaurs | Heather Worthington (voice) | Episode: "Slave to Fashion" |
| 1994 | Sesame Street All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! | Katherine Lee Kathie | Television special |
| 1995 | The Single Guy | Christina | Episode: "Mugging" |
| 1996 | London Suite | Debra Dolby | Television film |
| 1997 | Hey Arnold! | Miss Felter (voice) | Episode: "Crush on Teacher"[115] |
| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | Julia (voice) | Episode: "Ben Treats"[115] | |
| 1999 | Animal Farm | Mollie (voice) | Television film[115] |
| Blue's Clues | Julia | Episode: "Blue's Big Pajama Party" | |
| 2000 | Geppetto | The Blue Fairy | Television film |
| 2000–2001, 2009 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Herself | 8 episodes |
| 2001–2008 | The Simpsons | Gloria (voice) | 3 episodes |
| 2002–2003 | Watching Ellie | Eleanor Riggs | 19 episodes; also producer |
| 2004–2005 | Arrested Development | Maggie Lizer | 4 episodes |
| 2005 | The Fairly OddParents | Blonda (voice) | Episode: "Blondas Have More Fun!" |
| 2006–2010 | The New Adventures of Old Christine | Christine Campbell | 88 episodes; also producer in season 5 |
| 2006 2007 2016 | Saturday Night Live | Herself / Host | Episode: "Julia Louis-Dreyfus/Paul Simon" Episode: "Julia Louis-Dreyfus/Snow Patrol" Episode: "Julia Louis-Dreyfus/Alicia Keys" |
| 2010 | 30 Rock | Liz Lemon | Episode: "Live Show" |
| 2012–2019 | Veep | Selina Meyer | 65 episodes; also executive producer |
| 2012 | Web Therapy | Shevaun Haig | Episode: "Sister Act" |
| 2015 | Inside Amy Schumer | Herself | Episode: "Last Fuckable Day" |
| 2019 | Archibald's Next Big Thing | Astronaut Monkey (voice) | Episode: "The Chicken Has Landed/The Night of the Nibbler" |
| 2021 | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Valentina Allegra de Fontaine | 2 episodes |
| Marvel Studios: Assembled | Herself | Documentary; Episode: "The Making ofThe Falcon and the Winter Soldier" | |
| 2022 | My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman | Herself | Episode: "Julia Louis-Dreyfus" |
| 2023 | HouseBroken | Boaracle (voice) | Episode: "Who Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts?" |
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series seven times: once for her role onThe New Adventures of Old Christine (2006) and six consecutive awards for playingSelina Meyer onVeep (2012–17), as well asOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series once forSeinfeld (1996).
As of 2017, she holds the record for the most Primetime Emmy awards as an actor for the same role and is tied with fellow Northwestern University alumCloris Leachman for the most acting Primetime Emmy awards (with eight). She has also been nominated for nineGolden Globe Awards, winning one for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film for her role asElaine Benes on Seinfeld (1995).
She has also been nominated for twenty-oneScreen Actors Guild Awards and has won five for individual performance (nine altogether) for her work onSeinfeld (1997–98) andVeep (2014, 2017–18). In 2016, she won the Crossover Talent award at the 4th Annual American Reality Television Awards.[119]
In 2018, she was the twentieth recipient of theMark Twain Prize for American Humor.[120]
In 2023, the podcast she hosts,Wiser Than Me, won Apple's Best Podcast of the Year.[121]
Scroll down to 'View online' to hear the audio of the interview.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)the most celebrated comedic actress of her generation.
At the suggestion that she's the finest comedic actress of her generation, Julia Louis-Dreyfus sighs an expletive.
Phoebe Emily Dominique Louis-Dreyfus, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Louis-Dreyfus of New York ... Mrs. Eavis, 28, was until recently a caseworker at Variety House, a nonprofit organization in New York ... She graduated from Connecticut College and received a master's degree in social work from Columbia University. Her father is the president and chief executive of the Louis Dreyfus Group ... Her mother, Phyllis Louis-Dreyfus, is a private tutor for children with learning disabilities in New York.
Emma is survived by her mother, Phyllis; sisters, Phoebe Eavis and [half sister] Julia Louis-Dreyfus and...brother, Raphael Penteado
