Although this petite brunette is undeniably pretty, Louis-Dreyfus is better known for eliciting laughs than looking good. While at Northwestern University, she was the only female member of an improvisational comedy troupe under the direction of Brad Hall, who later became her husband as well as her Saturday Night Live costar. After her three-year stint on SNL, Louis-Dreyfus appeared in a handful of features before landing her breakout role on the lauded sitcom Seinfeld. Her eight-year run as Jerry Seinfeld's neurotic buddy earned her seven Emmy nods and one statuette. After the series ended, the loopy actress attempted to headline her own show, Watching Ellie. But the sitcom went bust, despite being specifically created for her by Hall. Her second star outing, The New Adventures of Old Christine, in which she played a daffy divorced mom, was more successful and in 2006, Louis-Dreyfus snagged her second career Emmy, effectively breaking the post-Seinfeld "curse."