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Julia Louis-Dreyfus to Receive Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

‘Seinfeld’ and ‘Veep’ star is only the sixth woman to win coveted comedy award.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus has been named as this year’s recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The 11-time Emmy Award-winning star of Seinfeld and Veep will be the sixth woman to receive the coveted comedy award since it was first handed to comedian Richard Pryor two decades ago. Other winners have included Tina Fey, Bill Murray, and this past year, David Letterman. The organization recently stripped Bill Cosby of his prize after he was found guilty of sexual assault. “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,” Louis-Dreyfus said in a statement. Last fall, the actress revealed that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and reportedly underwent a successful surgery in February. The final season of Veep is scheduled to start filming later this year.