Julia Louis-Dreyfus played a character.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus . She is known for her work in television comedy , including Saturday Night Live ( 1982 -- 85 ) , Seinfeld ( 1989 -- 98 ) , The New Adventures of Old Christine ( 2006 -- 10 ) , and Veep ( 2012 -- present ) . Her breakthrough came in 1990 with a nine-season run playing Elaine Benes on Seinfeld , one of the most critically and commercially successful sitcoms of all time . Seinfeld . Set predominantly in an apartment building in Manhattan 's Upper West Side in New York City , the show features a handful of Jerry 's friends and acquaintances , particularly best friend George Costanza ( Jason Alexander ) , former girlfriend Elaine Benes ( Julia Louis-Dreyfus ) , and neighbor across the hall Cosmo Kramer ( Michael Richards ) . The New Adventures of Old Christine ( often shortened to simply Old Christine ) is an American television sitcom starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell , a middle-aged divorced mother who struggles to keep pace with those around her .