Profile of the Day: Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Posted January 13, 2022 by Amanda | No Comment

Happy birthday to actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus! Today the actress celebrates her 61st birthday.

Image: Julia Louis-Dreyfus / Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born on January 13, 1961 in New York City, New York to Judith La Fevre, a special needs tutor, and Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, a French billionaire. Her second great grandfather, Léopold Louis-Dreyfus, founded the Louis Dreyfus Group, a commodities and shipping conglomerate. During World War II, her paternal grandfather, Pierre Louis-Dreyfus, was a French Resistance fighter and flew 81 missions over the Western Front.

Early in her career, Louis-Dreyfus landed a coveted spot on the cast of Saturday Night Live. However, her career did not take off until 1990 when she was cast as Elaine Benes the hit sitcom, Seinfeld. Following the end of Seinfeld, she starred in two more hit shows, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep, for which she won six consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy.

Explore Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s family tree on Geni and share how you’re connected to the star.