Elaine Benes

Elaine Benes
Seinfeld character
First appearance	"The Stake Out" (1990)
Last appearance	"The Finale, Part II" (1998)
Created by	Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David
Portrayed by	Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Information
Gender	Female
Family	Alton (father) Unnamed mother Gail (sister) Grandma Mema (grandmother)
Relatives	Holly (cousin), Pete (uncle), unnamed nephew

Elaine Marie Benes /ˈbɛnᵻs/ is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld, and she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer. Julia Louis-Dreyfus received critical acclaim for her performance as Elaine, winning an Emmy, a Golden Globe and five SAG Awards. Julia Louis-Dreyfus reprised the role during season 41 of Saturday Night Live.

Unlike her three close friends, Elaine is absent from the pilot episode. Previously the female role was supposed to be Claire, the waitress at Pete's Luncheonette played by Lee Garlington, but Monk's Cafe replaced the luncheonette and Garlington was dropped from the role. Elaine first appears in "The Stake Out," but in production order she appears in a final scene eating M&Ms in "Male Unbonding." NBC executives felt the show was too male-centric, and demanded that Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David add a woman to the cast as a condition for commissioning the show, as revealed in the commentary on the Season 1 and 2 DVD. In addition to the first episode, Elaine doesn't appear in "The Trip" and therefore appears in fewer episodes than George and Jerry.

...
Wikipedia