Julia Louis-Dreyfus (born January 13, 1961) is an American actress and comedian of French Jewish descent.

Born in New York City, Louis-Dreyfus was a cast member on NBC's Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985. She has also appeared in quite a few sitcoms and films over the years, but is best known for her nine-season role as "Elaine Benes" on Seinfeld from 1990 to 1998.

After Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus began a new sitcom - Watching Ellie - which was soon cancelled; and had a notable four-episode guest role as the compulsively lying prosecutor Maggie Lizer on Arrested Development.

She is a member of the famous New York financial Dreyfus family. Her father is French billionaire Gerard Louis-Dreyfus; her grandfather Pierre Louis-Dreyfus fought for the French Resistance during World War II. Her cousin Robert Louis-Dreyfus is the current owner of Adidas and the French football (soccer) club Olympique de Marseille. Some biographies claim she is related to the late Alfred Dreyfus, a French military officer best known for being the focus of the Dreyfus affair.

She is married to actor/writer Brad Hall since 1987, whom she met while they were students at Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois). The couple have two sons.

Since May 2005 she's been a contributing blogger at The Huffington Post.

Credit: answers.com