Whether you recognize her for her breakout role as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld or her continued portrayal as Selena Meyer on HBO’s super success Veep, there is no denying that Julia Louis-Dreyfus has made her name known as a comedy legend.
The 57 year old actress is now being recognized with the Mark Twain Award for American Humour, a distinguished award given to one recipient each year. On receiving the award, Louis-Dreyfus said “Merely to join the list of distinguished recipients of this award would be honor enough, but, as a student of both American history and literature, the fact that Mr. Twain himself will be presenting the award to me in person is particularly gratifying.”
Other recipients of the award include the likes of David Letterman, Carol Burnett, Ellen Degeneres, among others. Additionally, the award has been a staple in comedy recognition since its introduction in 1998 to Richard Pryor.
Louis-Dreyfus was recently diagnosed with breast cancer at the end of 2017, delaying the final season of Veep from going to production. The hit show has won her a total of 6 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series from 2012-2017. The final season of the show is set to air in 2019.
The award will be presented at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts on Sunday, October 21, 2018. This year also marks the 20th anniversary since the awards introduction.
