Which actress played Elaine Benes on "Seinfeld"?

Julia Louis-Dreyfus played Elaine Benes on "Seinfeld." Elaine is Jerry's ex-girlfriend and close friend, and she becomes one of the sitcom's four defining characters.

Louis-Dreyfus joined the regular cast after the pilot, when NBC executives felt the program needed a major female character. Elaine first appears in "The Stake Out," although a scene filmed for "Male Unbonding" places her earlier in production order. She was absent from the original pilot, which featured a different female character named Claire.

Elaine works in publishing and later becomes associated with the J. Peterman Catalog. Her sharp confidence, physical comedy, dancing, blunt opinions, and complicated friendships distinguish her from the show's three male leads. The character's background drew on several real people connected to the writers and Seinfeld, though Elaine is not a simple portrait of any one person.

The role transformed Louis-Dreyfus's career. She received strong critical praise and won the 1996 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She later earned additional acclaim as Christine Campbell and Selina Meyer in "Veep."