Who is Elaine Benes in Seinfeld?

Show

Seinfeld

Played by

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

First episode

“The Stake Out”Season 1, Episode 2, aired May 31, 1990

Role

Main cast

Network

NBC

Occupation

Editor, then J. Peterman catalog writer

Show run

1989 to 1998

Also known as

Elaine Marie Benes

Elaine Benes is Jerry's ex who stayed in his life as one of his closest friends, and she is every bit as petty and self-absorbed as the guys. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays her with a fearless physical comedy that won her an Emmy.

On Seinfeld, Elaine Benes's story runs through Jerry Seinfeld (Ex-boyfriend), George Costanza (Friend), Cosmo Kramer (Friend), David Puddy (On-and-Off Boyfriend), and J. Peterman (Boss).

Who is Elaine Benes?

Elaine dated Jerry before the series begins, and the two settle into a friendship that occasionally drifts back toward romance. She is smart, ambitious, and quick with a cutting remark, and she is usually the first person to call out the guys' nonsense right before diving into nonsense of her own.

Her career gives the show a steady stream of stories. She starts as an editor at Pendant Publishing under Mr. Lippman, works briefly as an assistant to the demanding Mr. Pitt, and then becomes a copywriter for the J. Peterman clothing catalog, where her eccentric boss sends her on one strange errand after another.

Personality and comedy

Elaine's comedy is big and physical. She shoves people when she is excited, she argues with total conviction over tiny things, and in "The Little Kicks" she reveals a dance so awkward that George compares it to a full-body dry heave. Louis-Dreyfus commits to every bit, and Elaine is often the funniest person in a scene.

She also has a ruthless streak in her love life. In "The Sponge" she rations her supply of discontinued contraceptive sponges and judges each boyfriend on whether he is "spongeworthy," a word that entered the pop culture vocabulary.

Key storylines

Elaine and Jerry try to sleep together again without ruining their friendship in season two's "The Deal," with rules that collapse almost immediately. Her longest relationship apart from Jerry is with David Puddy, the deadpan mechanic turned car salesman she breaks up with and gets back together with many times.

At J. Peterman, she is left in charge of the company when Peterman flees to Burma, fired over a failed drug test caused by poppy seed muffins, and fired again for admitting she hated The English Patient. In the finale, she is tried and jailed along with her three friends.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Elaine was not in the 1989 pilot. NBC executives felt the show was too male and wanted a woman in the main cast before ordering more episodes, and Louis-Dreyfus, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, won the role. Actresses including Rosie O'Donnell, Megan Mullally, and Patricia Heaton were also considered.

Louis-Dreyfus won an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and five Screen Actors Guild Awards (individual and ensemble) for playing Elaine, and the role launched a career that later included The New Adventures of Old Christine and Veep. Fans love Elaine because she is never written as just the girlfriend: she is every bit as petty, scheming, and funny as the three men around her.

Elaine Benes: frequently asked questions

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