Julia Louis-Dreyfus began her acting journey in the fabled TV show Saturday Night Live in 1982. Three years later, she departed from the show and made her film debut in 1986, playing the role of Jeanette in the American horror comedy Troll, helmed by John Carl Buechler. Most in the entertainment community recognize Louis-Dreyfus from NBC’s Seinfeld (1990) as Elaine Benes, a strong and progressive character who painted an unfamiliar image of women in the 90s. Without a doubt, the actress' expansive career, spanning more than three decades, is no short of vivid, critically acclaimed characters and performances.
Following Seinfeld, Louis-Dreyfus' acting portfolio featured phenomenal performances across film and TV, from The New Adventures of Old Christine to the Pixar animated movie Onward. Throughout her career, she has collected illustrious accolades from Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards to multiple (even consecutive) Primetime Emmy wins. Currently, she is tied with Cloris Leachman for the most acting Primetime Emmy Awards (with eight in total).
Recently, Louis-Dreyfus made her MCU debut as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, first in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Black Widow's post-credits scene. While her character's mission in the MCU is so far unknown, per Games Radar, Valentina is known as Madame Hydra in Marvel Comics, which means she could potentially be a worthy adversary to our beloved MCU heroes. In addition to the MCU, Louis-Dreyfus' upcoming projects include Nicole Holofcener's Beth & Don, Daina Oniunas-Pusić's Tuesday for A24, and Kenya Barris' upcoming Netflix comedy You People. Until then, here's a look at Julia Louis-Dreyfus' best performances, ranked.
5 National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
National Lampoon's Chrismas Vacation is the third iteration in the franchise that began with National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983). This holiday comedy classic traces a humble plotline of Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wanting to have a perfect Christmas along with his wife Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo) and family. Soon, things go south among Griswold's kin, and nothing comes close to perfection. Gradually, unimaginable disasters unravel, and a journey of laughter gets mapped for the audience. In this classic tale, Louis-Dreyfus portrays the role of Margo Chester, an obnoxious New Yorker who is a neighbor to Clark. She and her husband Todd (Nicholas Guest) loathe Griswold at every possible opportunity. While Louis-Dreyfus made an appearance for a brief time in the film, her performance did not go unnoticed. Soon after this project, she signed several big tickets that landed her in Emmys contention.
4 Enough Said (2013)
The romance/drama Enough Said explores the blossoming love story between Eva (Louis-Dreyfus), a professional masseuse, and Albert (the late James Gandolfini). Both divorced and single parents with teenage daughters, they quickly realize their interest in each other and take their chances at middle-age dating. Drama brews steeper when the truth about one of her friends and massage client unfolds; Marianne, played by Catherine Keener, reveals later in the film that she is Albert's ex. For her performance, Louis-Dreyfus earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
3 The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006-2010)
Running for five seasons, The New Adventures of Old Christine unearths the on-and-off chemistry between Christine Campbell (Louis-Dreyfus), a divorced neurotic mother and gym owner, and her ex-husband Richard (Clark Gregg). The series also shines a light on Richard’s new girlfriend, also named Christine (Emily Rutherfurd), and her dynamics around ‘Old Christine’. The cast ensemble also includes Campbell’s son Ritchie (Trevor Gagnon), her brother Matthew (Hamish Linklater), mean moms Marly Ehrhardt (Tricia O'Kelley) and Lindsay (Alex Kapp Horner), and best friend/business partner Barb (Wanda Sykes). The power-packed performance by Louis-Dreyfus throughout the life of television series earned her Emmy nominations for each season. In 2006, she won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in Comedy Series.
2 Seinfeld (1989-1998)
Louis-Dreyfus played the role of the fabled Elaine Benes, one of the four leading protagonists on the show Seinfeld. The story revolves around the characters Jerry Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld), Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), and George Costanza (Jason Alexander) dealing with the day-to-day idiosyncrasies of the town. Through her assertive, humorous, and intelligent performance, Louis-Dreyfus effectively brought forward a sturdy image of women on television. The popular sitcom carved recognition for her in TV history. She won several American comedy accolades as a Supporting Female Performer in a TV series. Apart from this, her work was also recognized at Primetime Emmy Awards; in 1996, she won her first Emmy.
1 Veep (2012-2019)
Veep is an American political satire sitcom that puts the new Vice President of the US, Selina Meyer, (Louis-Dreyfus) in a pickle. The HBO series explores the unexpected monotony of her role, at the same time swarming her with political games, several private and public demands, and the dysfunctionality of her relationship with chief executives, Amy (Anna Chlumsky), Mike (Matt Walsh), and Gary (Tony Hale). The plot borrows inspiration from the smash-hit sitcom The Thick of It and runs diagonally to the more dramatic House of Cards. For Veep, Louis-Dreyfus received massive critical acclaim and went on to bag six consecutive Emmy Awards, three Screen Actor Guild awards, and two Critics Choice Awards. Even more, she received several nominations for Golden Globes.