Selina Meyer may keep losing, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus just landed a solid win. The “Veep” star is this year’s recipient of the annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, it was announced Wednesday.
“Like Mark Twain, Julia has enriched American culture with her iconic, unforgettable, and outright hilarious brand of humor,” Deborah F. Rutter, the president of the Kennedy Center, said in a statement. “Over four decades, her wildly original characters and her gift for physical comedy have left us in stitches.”
“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.
Along with her leading role on the soon-to-be-ending HBO political comedy, Louis-Dreyfus’ notable comedic credits include her role as Elaine Benes on “Seinfeld” and the titular character in “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” along with appearances on “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Arrested Development” and “Saturday Night Live.”
Louis-Dreyfus will receive the award on Oct. 21 at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Previous recipients of the Mark Twain prize include Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Bill Cosby. Cosby’s award, which he received in 2009, was rescinded by the Kennedy Center earlier this month after he was convicted of sexual assault.