Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia (16 page)

In 1992, during the first four-month hiatus from "Seinfeld," Louis-Dreyfus accepted a small dramatic role in
Jack the Bear
, starring Danny DeVito who portrays an occasional-drunkard raising two sons after his wife's death.  Critics panned the movie and it bombed at the box office.  The following year she costarred opposite Jason Alexander in
North
.  The Rob Reiner film was a comedic fable about a boy named North who divorces his inattentive parents (Louis-Dreyfus and Alexander) and roams the United States searching for a more desirable family.  Despite the star-studded cast--Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood, Dan Aykroyd, and Kathy Bates--the feature received mostly derisive reviews and tickets sales were sluggish.

After spending a couple years raising her child, Louis-Dreyfus returned to the big screen in
Father's Day
, costarring Billy Crystal and Robin Williams.  In the Ivan Reitman film, a loose adaptation of the French film
Les Compères
, Louis-Dreyfus portrays the distrustful third wife of Billy Crystal's character.  Considering the caliber of the cast, the movie was a disappointment to critics and audiences alike.  In
Deconstructing Harry
, Louis-Dreyfus reunites with Woody Allen and a star-studded cast, namely Kirstie Alley, Demi Moore, Elisabeth Shue, and once again, Billy Crystal and Robin Williams.  Although the feature received good press, the movie did not fulfill the audience’s expectations.

In addition to feature film opportunities, the perks of "Seinfeld" also reaped rewards for Louis-Dreyfus in advertising endorsements.  The 5'3" green-eyed actress is well-recognized for her wavy auburn mane, which made her a marketing commodity to the hair-coloring industry.  In 1993 Louis-Dreyfus signed a seven-figure advertising contract with Clairol, Inc., but her most notable work was pitching the company's Nice 'n Easy hair coloring.  The advertising campaign instantaneously elevated corporate sales into first place, bypassing rival L'Oreal.  According to the 1998 USAT Ad Track, her advertisements were appealing to the populace, and ranked 33rd out of 140 campaigns that were monitored for advertising effectiveness.

Personal

According to Louis-Dreyfus, hair and feet are her two best features, and everything in between is relatively unimpressive.  Ironically, she made a sizeable paycheck promoting Clairol hair care products, but uses inexpensive shampoos and conditioners.  Moreover, before her long flowing tresses became the envy of the 1990s woman, Louis-Dreyfus tried everything to tame the naturally cascading curls.  Unfortunately, her other self-proclaimed "best feature" has become less enviable since her second pregnancy.  According to Louis-Dreyfus, during gestation her feet grew an additional half-size and are now size eight.

Louis-Dreyfus considers morning the least enjoyable part of the day because an inordinate amount of time and effort is utilized to get the family and her ready and out the door.  Despite the daily struggle, she needs only three things to survive: deodorant, tweezers (she plucks her eyebrows incessantly), and Eau de Guerlain perfume.  A few of her hobbies include antique shopping and collecting, and interestingly enough, performing household chores.  As part of her household assignments, she finds washing clothes a relaxing and cathartic experience because it becomes an all-day effort that is divided into smaller increments of work with regular diversions to perform other household tasks.  However, there is one caveat to the code of laundry--Louis-Dreyfus despises ironing, especially shirt sleeves.  Although the family usually dines at restaurants, she loves to cook but rarely has the opportunity to prepare her specialties--scrambled eggs, pasta or fish.

Louis-Dreyfus wears silk pajamas, owns a truckload of jewelry, and has an antique doll collection.  She regularly rides an exercise bike, visits flea markets, and is the member of a book club that holds monthly discussions on a selected work.  Louis-Dreyfus loved Christine Lahti on "Chicago Hope," and passes time watching the American Movie Channel.  Although she occasionally frequents psychics because of an appreciation of their prophetic insight, Louis-Dreyfus does not base life decisions on their advice.

As an avid environmentalist, this is the one area where Louis-Dreyfus' philosophical interests coincide with her on-screen counterpart.  Since 1995, she has been a member of Heal the Bay, an organization dedicated to preserving Santa Monica Bay for safe and healthy human activity and marine life.  Louis-Dreyfus is also a board member trumpeting the cause to prevent run-off pollution.  In addition, she is active in other social causes, such as National Earth Day Rally, Environmental Media Awards show, and Gilda's Club for cancer patients and their families.

Family

Louis-Dreyfus is very protective of her private life and will not reveal intimate details about her husband and children.  While attending Northwestern University as a freshman, she met junior Brad Hall (b. 1958), a fellow theater major.  He and Paul Barrosse, future syndicated television producer, co-founded The Practical Theatre Company in a 60-seat storefront theater on Howard Street in Chicago.  He eventually persuaded Louis-Dreyfus to join the improvisational comedy troupe, where they wrote and acted in an off-campus revue.

The couple began dating and the following year moved to New York City to commence their acting careers.  Hall was a member of the "Saturday Night Live" cast and subsequently became a television producer of the successful but short-lived sitcom "The Single Guy," and the writer and producer of the critically-acclaimed "Brooklyn Bridge."  After living together for five years, in 1987 they married in Hall's hometown of Santa Barbara, California.  Louis-Dreyfus requested that both parents, including step-parents, walk her down the aisle.

The marriage is one of Hollywood's longest lasting relationships, which Hall credits to their ever-changing journey through life--as students and theater actors in Chicago, "Saturday Night Live" in New York City, television in Hollywood, and now a family.  The union produced two children, Henry (b. 1993), who was delivered by C-section after a difficult and painful 24-hour labor, and 7-pound 8-ounce Charles (b. 1997).  The family lives in a spectacular two-story, white-stucco, Spanish-style Pacific Palisades home that was built by an artist couple in the late-1920s.  The abode is decorated in eclectic, floral patterns, with photographs of ancestors, numerous antiques, and a master bedroom complete with mirrors, hanging quilts, and antique armoires.

One major challenge was losing the 45 pounds she gained during pregnancy.  With the help of a personal trainer, Louis-Dreyfus was able to wither the weight to her usual 112-pound physique.  The other obvious change in her routine is a nonexistent social life.  The birth of Henry, and then Charles four years later, limits the family routine to working and raising a family.

Future

Since the demise of "Seinfeld," Louis-Dreyfus is spending more time with her husband and two children.  After a sufficient hiatus, she will resume acting in feature films--her next release is
A Bug's Life
on November 25, 1998.  Although Louis-Dreyfus remains marketable in the aftermath of "Seinfeld," Hollywood producers do not envision a prosperous movie career because of the tendency to gravitate toward younger, sexier actresses with greater commercial appeal.

It is most likely that Louis-Dreyfus will remain a television actress.  When "Seinfeld" ended, she was contemplating a starring role in a sitcom produced by her husband who signed a lucrative developmental deal with CBS.  Although nearly every network passes on the concept, NBC signed "Watching Ellie" to a one-year deal.  This sitcom has become their third collaboration, with prior contact on "SNL" and a guest appearance as "danger girl" on Hall's television series "The Single Guy."  As for non-acting projects, Louis-Dreyfus met with publishers to discuss editing a children's poetry anthology, but negotiations deadlocked when the deal also required her to author a tell-all book about "Seinfeld."

Career Credits

The following is a comprehensive list of Louis-Dreyfus' acting accomplishments, as well as industry awards and nominations.

Television - Acting

"Saturday Night Live" (series) 9.25.82 to 4.13.85 (NBC)

"The Art of Being Nick" (pilot) 8.27.87 (NBC)

"Day By Day" (series) 2.29.88 to 6.25.89 (NBC)

“Seinfeld” (series) 5.31.90 to 5.14.98 (NBC)

"Friday Night Videos" (host) 6.16.90 (NBC)

"The Spy Magazine Hit List: The 100 Most Annoying and Alarming People and Events of 1992" (host) (special) 12.2.92 (NBC)

"Sesame Street's All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever" (special) 5.18.94 (ABC)

"The 47th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards" (presenter) (special) 9.10.95 (FOX)

"The Single Guy" ep Mugging 11.9.95 (NBC)

"Neil Simon's 'London Suite'" (telefilm) 9.15.96 (NBC)

Movies - Acting

Troll
(1986)

Hannah and Her Sisters
(1986)

Soul Man
(1986)

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
(1989)

Best of Eddie Murphy (video, 1989)

Jack the Bear
(1993)

North
(1994)

Deconstructing Harry
(1997)

Father's Day
(1997)

A Bug's Life
(1998)

Theater - Acting

Dr. Guitar and the Hip Men
(regional theater)

Emmy Nominations

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, NBC (Seinfeld, 1992-98)

Awards

Emmy: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, NBC (Seinfeld, 1996)

* * * * *

JERRY SEINFELD

(Character Profile)

Childhood

Despite having the birth name "Jerome," if someone asked nicely he would change his name to "Claude."  As a child, he had a bad experience after finding his mother's hair in a bowl of farina.  He freaked out, began yelling, and bolted out of the house.  Three hours later he was found collapsed at a construction site.  Although raised in the Jewish faith, Jerry denies being religious (though he knows where to draw the line on moral issues).

As a child, Jerry was not happy with his toys.  For instance, he did not receive a G.I. Joe, instead it was Army Pete, which was made of wood that swelled in the rain and split.  Jerry loved the bumper cars at Coney Island and at age 10 befriended Joel Horneck because his parents owned a Ping-Pong table (Jerry would have embraced Stalin if he had a Ping-Pong table).  Lacking any common interests they slowly drifted apart, yet Joel continued to resuscitate their dying friendship.  Despite limited contact for over seven years, Joel still considered Jerry his best friend.  Nevertheless, Jerry screened calls and created an excuse Rolodex (e.g., picking up someone at the airport, jury duty, waiting for the cable company, choir practice to sing Eastern European National Anthems, or going to the hospital to be an organ donor) to avoid his childhood friend.  Joel has the attention span of a 5-year-old and was very self-involved.  Jerry decided to end their friendship using the speech, "it's not you, it's me."

Another childhood friend, "Fragile" Frankie Merman, earned the sobriquet during summer camp.  Whenever he was upset, Frankie would run into the woods, dig a hole, and sit in it.  As an adult, his insecurities never changed.  While working at a car dealership he was able to get a new van for Jerry.  When Jerry expressed reservations about driving a van, Frankie bolted for Central Park and started digging a hole.

Personal

Born in 1955, Jerry was raised in the Jewish faith and underwent the ceremonial bris.  He is 5'11" and described as having a big head with a horse face (big teeth, flared nostrils, and a pointed nose), and chicken wing shoulder blades.  In addition, he is a stubborn, stupid, silly man whose whole life revolves around Superman and cereal.  Jerry's heroes include the Man of Steel and Mickey Mantle, and his single-greatest and single-worst moment in life involved Sharon Besser.

In college, Jerry wore 31" waist jeans and over the years his waistline increased by one inch.  However, he scratches off the 32 and replaces it with a 31 to claim he still wears the same size clothing as in college.  Jerry's hat size is 7 5/8, he wears boxers (but refuses to wear silk underwear), and a size 40 suit.  His ATM password is Jor-el, Superman's father, and he secretly sketches nude drawings of Lois Lane.

With respect to clothing, for six years, Golden Boy remained Jerry's favorite T-shirt and the first garment out of the laundry.  Over time the collar began fading, and with each wash Golden Boy was slowly dying.  Jerry refused to use hand wash or delicate cycles because Golden Boy was the iron man--wash, spin, rinse, spin.  Take that away and you break its spirit.  When Golden Boy died, Jerry replaced it with Baby Blue, Golden Boy's son.

At an auction Jerry purchased a pair of cuff links once worn by Jerry Lewis in the movie
Cinderfella
.  Jerry wanted to use the jewelry as a topic of conversation at a Friars' roast.  When Kramer locked the cuff links in a strong box and hid the key, the neighbor's pet parrot, Fredo, swallowed the key and died.  Not surprisingly, Jerry and Kramer rushed to the pet cemetery to extricate the key from Fredo's stomach.

Jerry began wearing glasses when he was 10 years old, and has a deviated septum so sometimes he must open his mouth to breathe.  He has a lot of cavities and had a root canal, yet remains fastidious about oral hygiene--using Glide dental floss, an Oro-dent electric toothbrush, and gargling six times a day (but quietly so no one can hear it).  Jerry never wanted stitches because he would be deformed--it would go against his whole personality; nonetheless, it happened in 1993 when a mohel circumcised his finger.  Jerry has back problems, and regularly visits a chiropractor and massage therapist at Wilkes-Jennings, Physical Therapists.