Russell Nell (Hancock) Hoffman passed away on February 19, 2006. She was 84. She was born in McMinnville, Tennessee, on January 30, 1922. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, she married Air Force Captain James David Hoffman in 1942. Following their marriage in the east, they moved west to Malibu and had two children, Susie and Jimmy. They enjoyed watching the children grow, marry and have children of their own. Predeceased by her husband, who died in March 2000, Russell is survived by her daughter Susie Niebergall (husband Dave) of Malibu; son Jimmy Hoffman (wife Sherry) of Pacific Palisades; and grandchildren Brooke and J. J. Niebergall and Lauren and Ali Hoffman. A real Southern lady, Russell became a “California Girl,” loving boats, dogs and the beach. “Enjoy the ‘purple time,’ Honey,” said her family. “We will miss you.”
Mary Blanchard, 87, Devoted Presbyterian, Active Resident
Mary Carter Blanchard, the eldest member of four immediate family generations living in Pacific Palisades, died peacefully at the Sunrise Senior Living facility on May 3. She was 87 years old. Mary was born in New York on March 7, 1919 to Janet and Reginald Carter. Two years later, her one and only sibling, Norman, joined the family. Mary’s grandfather, Samuel T. Carter, was renowned as the Presbyterian minister who was tried for heresy at the turn of the 20th century. He was put on trial because he interpreted the Bible to prove that God was loving and forgiving, and therefore would never create such a place as Hell. Reverend Carter was acquitted amidst great publicity, and went on to attract an enormous congregation on Long Island, which he continued to serve until his retirement at a ripe old age. Mary was very fond and proud of her grandfather, who inspired her early in life. In a lovely coincidence, another Presbyterian minister once again inspired Mary during the final stage of her life. A while ago, Dr. Charles Svendsen, Pastor of Palisades Presbyterian Church, began conducting discussion groups for the residents at Sunrise Assisted Living. Mary made it a point to never miss one of Reverend Charles’ “wonderful” (her word) meetings, and Reverend Charles kindly returned the compliment by presiding over a very warm and meaningful memorial service for Mary at Sunrise on May 8. Mary met her future husband, Dr. Edward J. (Ted) Blanchard, at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, where he was a resident and she was an orthoptic technician. They fell instantly in love and married in 1940. Ted was a Canadian, who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as a flight surgeon and squadron commander for the duration of World War II. Their first two children, Ned and Janet, were born in Canada. After the war, Mary, Ted and the two kids headed for sunny California, where daughter Joan was born in Whittier in 1950. Ted joined an eye, ear, nose and throat medical practice, and embarked upon an illustrious career that spanned more than 40 years. Besides her devotion to her family, Mary was an active participant in her community. She served as a volunteer in numerous organizations. Perhaps her greatest achievement began in the mid-50s when she spearheaded the successful campaign to build Whittier Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital. She also organized and chaired the women’s auxiliary for many years. The auditorium was named in honor of her many accomplishments for the hospital. In the mid-1980s, Mary and Ted retired to their beloved house on the water at Capistrano Beach. While Ted enjoyed boating, golf, vegetable gardening, and listening to the Dodgers, Mary continued her volunteer efforts in behalf of her new community. She served in several official capacities for the Beach Road Association, working enthusiastically whenever the need arose. Mary and Ted loved their social life, and especially enjoyed weekend visits from their children and grandchildren. After Ted died in October 2000, Mary soon realized that the happy period on Beach Road was at its end. She wanted to be closer to her daughters and grandchildren, all of whom lived in the Palisades. Coincidentally, Sunrise Assisted Living had just opened it doors. It took Mary “about a month” (her words) to adjust beautifully to life at Sunrise. She had a very good time living there for almost five years, making many new friends with the fellow residents and the excellent staff. She was active as president of the residents’ council for 2 1/2 years until resigning just before her death. She also benefited from the outstanding medical care provided by local Palisadian internist Damon Raskin. To top it off, living in the Palisades meant that Mary could look forward every week to numerous visits and outings with her nearby family. Mary is survived by a son Ned Blanchard, who lives in Tustin, and two daughters, Janet Taylor and Joan Blanchard, who live in the Palisades. She is also survived by three grandchildren and a great-grandson. Donations my be made to the Mary Blanchard Memorial Fund at her favorite charity: The Southern California Counseling Center, 5615 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA,90019.
Leonard Mautner, 88; Venture Capitalist, Philanthropist, Golfer
Leonard Mautner, 21-year Pacific Palisades resident, philanthropist and avid golfer, passed away on May 18 after an heroic 17-year battle with cancer. He was 88. Born in 1917 in New York City, Mautner moved to Long Island, and attended Peekskill Military Academy. He received a scholarship to M.I.T., where he graduated with a degree in electronics. Later, he worked in M.I.T.’s radiation lab on war priority projects, then joined IFF group at the Naval Research Lab in Washington, D.C. Mautner moved to Los Angeles to work for Hughes Aircraft, and later started his own company and remained in venture capital for the rest of his life. He was also an advisor and lecturer at UCLA’s MBA program. In 1983, Mautner initiated the Mautner Lectures at UCLA with the intention of presenting topics in science for the layman. Some of the renowned speakers in science and technology included Nobel Laureates physicist Richard Feynman, molecular biologist Paul Berg and chemist Roald Hoffman. Mautner married Marguerite Perkins, a longtime Palisadian and community activist, in 1985, and the couple enjoyed many years of travel and companionship. He was a gallant man with a zest for life who took great pleasure from conversation and golf with his friends at the Riviera Country Club. “My grandfather was someone who had many good things to share as a role in my life,” said his grandson Kevin. “He was an honest man who exemplified determination.” In addition to his wife, Mautner is survived by his daughter Karen Brumelle of Vancouver; three stepchildren, Lewis Perkins of Santa Monica, Deborah Perkins of Philadelphia and David Perkins of Santa Monica; and four grandchildren, Colin and Justin Brumelle and Maxine and Kevin Perkins. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Angeles Clinic Institute, Dr. Daniel Lieber Research, 2001 Santa Monica Blvd., suite 560, Santa Monica, CA 90404, or UCLA Foundation for Mautner Lectures, UCLA, 1309 Murphy Hall, P.O. Box 951413, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1413.
Christine McEachern, 90; Nurse, Volunteer, Activist
Christine Browne McEachern, 90, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, passed away peacefully at her home on May 22, after a long illness. She was a longtime Palisadian, having moved here with her growing family in 1951. Christine was born on October 6, 1915, in Orange, Texas. Her early years were spent in Brownsville, Texas. She moved to Los Angeles and graduated from John C. Fremont High School. After high school, she joined the student nursing program at Good Samaritan Hospital, where she received her registered nursing degree. During this time she met the love of her life, Thomas Henry McEachern Fr., a mechanical engineer from Louisiana. They were married on December 27, 1941 at Grace Episcopal Church in Los Angeles. The completion of her bachelor’s degree at UCLA was interrupted by the birth of their first child, David, on October 6, 1942. While she stayed at home raising the children, she found time to involve herself in her local community. Thus began Christine’s volunteer life. She and her family became members of the St. Matthew’s Episcopal church in 1951. Ever active and supportive, Christine served on the Altar Guild, was the first woman on the vestry and was a proud supporter and participant in the St. Matthew’s Thrift Shop. Her husband and children were volunteered to repair the items donated to the thrift shop. Active in politics, she participated in Tom Bradley’s mayoral race, Marvin Braude’s City Council bid and the Stop Oil campaign. She was also a member of the League of Women Voters. After her children were grown, Christine went back to school to finish the degree she had started years before. She completed her undergraduate degree at Mount St. Mary’s College in 1974. Ten years later, she retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District as a school nurse. However, she never retired from being a professional volunteer, loving grandma or trusted companion. In Christine’s spare time, she loved to read, paint, watch PBS and listen to music and NPR. She also enjoyed the theater and travel. She and Tom were one of the first ones to fly the polar route to Europe. They traveled all over the globe, including visits to Russia and China. She was always engaged and always engaging. Predeceased by her husband, who passed away on October 6, 2003, Christine is survived by her four sons: David (wife Susie) of Newhall, CA, Tom (wife Christina) of Newbury Park, Jack (wife Carroll) of Santa Monica and Jim (wife Carol) of Susanville, CA; 10 grandchildren: two great grandchildren, and the family pets, Magic the doggie and Rosita the cat. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to St. Matthew’s Thrift Shop, attention Mary Muller, P.O. Box 903 Pacific Palisades, CA, 90272. Funeral services will be held on Friday, June 9 at 4 p.m. at St. Matthew’s, 1031 Bienveneda. The Rev. Michael Seiler will preach.
Haselkorns to Ride as Parade Marshals
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer
Riding in the annual Fourth of July parade is nothing new for longtime Palisadians Don and Carolyn Haselkorn. In fact, there are few aspects of the holiday’s patriotic festivities in Pacific Palisades that one or the other has not experienced firsthand. Yet when they were named this year’s parade marshals last month by the Palisades Americanism Parade Association committee, the Haselkorns felt privileged to be part of one of the town’s proudest traditions. “This is a great honor and we’re extremely proud and humbled,” says Don, who rode in last year’s parade as honorary town sheriff. “What we love about the Fourth of July is that it’s one occasion where the whole community works towards a common goal and that is to share our love for America.” The Haselkorns have lived in the same house in upper Marquez for 42 years and have served in numerous capacities around town. One would be hard pressed to find two residents who have expressed their devotion to their neighborhood and to the red, white and blue as boldly and actively as this golden couple. “We live in the most wonderful country in the world,” Don says. “We live in a place where we all have the right to express ourselves and where we have the freedom to be who we want to be and do what we want to do. That’s pretty special.” Don is the former president of PAPA and PAPA People, former president and past zone lieutenant governor of the Optimist Club, and now sits on the local board of both the Optimist Foundation and Palisades PRIDE. As the town’s honorary sheriff, he says he can’t “fix tickets” but he works tirelessly with the Chamber of Commerce, Palisades Patrol and the Palisades-Malibu YMCA to increase young people’s respect for law enforcement. He is also a devoted member of the American Legion. Carolyn, the current vice president of PAPA, has been actively involved with the Palisades Relay for Life for three years and is a former advisory committee member at Marquez Elementary. A native of Los Angeles and a graduate of Dorsey High, she has a master’s in education from Mt. St. Mary’s College. She is retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District, where she worked for 32 years as a teacher, administrator and advisor’primarily in the inner city. She continues to devote her time and energy to education as a field supervisor for Cal State Dominguez Hills and National University, helping student teachers become credentialed. “I’m a big supporter of the public school system,” Carolyn says. “All of our children went to Marquez, Paul Revere and Palisades High. We’re very proud of them.” The Haselkorns have three daughters. The oldest, Mimi, is a cantor at Temple Beth David in Temple City. Their second oldest, Francine, lives in Encino and works for Hebrew Union College. Their youngest, Faye, works for the U.S. Agency for International Development, a division of the U.S. State Department. She is now stationed in Jakarta, Indonesia. “One of the things we love about the Palisades is the interfaith effort,” Don says. “We’re members of both Kehillat Israel and our daughter’s temple, but we appreciate the desire all of the churches in this community have to work together.” Don’s love affair with the Palisades started at the age of 13, when his parents moved the family from Brooklyn, New York, to Santa Monica in 1944. “I can remember us driving through the Palisades quite often when I was a kid and how different it looked then,” Don remembers. The Haselkorns first met as undergraduates at UC Berkeley. They married in 1954 and moved to Southern California two years later. Don bought Knolls Pharmacy on Marquez Avenue in 1962 and commuted through Topanga Canyon from Woodland Hills every day before deciding to relocate to the Palisades in 1968. “All of our money was tied up in my business so we were worried about whether or not we would be able to afford it,” Don recalls. “But I always wanted to live on the Westside. We went looking for the best house on the best lot and it turned out that a customer of mine was being transferred to Florida and was ready to move. Everything seemed to fall into place.” Don sold Knolls Pharmacy in 1986 and still supports local businesses whenever he has a choice. “A lot of people don’t want to intermingle their personal life with business, but to me they were one and the same. Some of the friendships I made will last forever. I wouldn’t have done it any other way.” After retiring as a pharmacist, Don went back to school and earned his MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business in 1989. “Retirement doesn’t mean doing nothing; it just means doing something different,” he says. Don and Carolyn have hardly rested on their laurels. They enjoy spending time with their grandchildren, 14-year-old Michael and 12-year-old Lianna, both of whom followed in their mother Francine’s footsteps by attending Marquez. Don’s interests include going to Dodger games with Mimi, video editing on his computer and playing golf at Mountaingate in friend Carol Witherill’s foursome, while Carolyn is a regular at a local gym. They both frequent local eating establishments and enjoy plays at Theatre Palisades. Don will start the day bright and early on July 4 to register runners for that morning’s Palisades-Will Rogers 5/10K race. That afternoon, he’ll be in a car with Carolyn waving to the many friends and acquaintances he’s met over the years. “I’m looking forward to riding in the parade,” he says. “And I’m happy to have the better part of my existence’the bride of my youth’by my side.”
Brownley and Dolz Now Opponents in November
Julia Brownley, one of five Democratic candidates for nomination in the 41st Assembly District, won Tuesday’s primary. She will now run against Republican Tony Dolz to replace Fran Pavley (Agoura Hills-Dem.) who is termed-out in November. Brownley received 11,380 votes (34.9 percent) over Barry Groveman’s 8,734 votes (26.8 percent). The other Democratic candidates were Jonathan Levey, who received 6,587 votes (20.2 percent); Kelly Hayes-Raitt, 4,873 votes (14.9 percent); and Shawn Casey O’Brien, 1,057 votes (3.2 percent). Dolz won with 10,461 votes (75.6 percent) over Adriana Van Hemert’s 3,387 votes (24.4 percent). “It was a very exciting night,” Brownley told the Palisadian-Post yesterday morning from her home in Santa Monica. “The phone’s been ringing off the hook.” She spent most of Tuesday evening with friends and campaign volunteers at Back on Broadway, a restaurant near her home. She stayed there until about 65 percent of the votes had been counted, and then went to a friend’s house where a group of them followed the race results on a computer. “Fran [Pavley] was with me last night and I had lunch with Sheila [Kuehl] yesterday,” Brownley said of her two most prominent backers. “Zev [Yaroslavsky] came by last night and [Antonio] Villariagosa called me at a quarter to one in the morning, so that was exciting.” She went to bed around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning and woke up at 7:30 a.m. While Brownley said she had “no earthly idea I would win” she “put forward the best campaign I could and worked it as hard as I could. I had a whole lot of volunteers working for me.” Brownley ran on an education platform, with the idea that “I want to be to education what Fran has been to the environment and what Sheila has been to health care.” She is president of the Santa Monica-Malibu School Board. She said Wednesday morning: “My campaign literature was positive and my message resonated. At the end of the day, I think [voters] did equate [my] 11-year commitment to education with a platform that said education was a priority.” Brownley, who has two children, spent part of Tuesday evening at an awards ceremony for her son, Fred, a senior at Santa Monica High School. Fred received an award for being “an extraordinary athlete and an extraordinary scholar,” Brownley said of her son, who will enter UC Berkeley in the fall. “That was a good omen,” she said. “He was a trailblazer for the evening. It was really a double win.” Asked how she plans to campaign against Dolz, Brownley said, “I haven’t thought about that yet but I can tell you that my campaign will be consistent. I can’t imagine changing it in any way, shape or form.”
Republican Dolz: Landslide Win
Republican Tony Dolz handily won the 41st Assembly District race against his opponent Adriana Van Hemert in Tuesday’s primary. Dolz garnered more than 75 percent of the vote and will now be campaigning against Democrat Julia Brownley to replace Fran Pavley (Agoura Hills-Dem.) who is termed-out in the coming November election. Dolz , who lives in Santa Monica, ran on one campaign platform: illegal immigration. “I think the vote reflected exactly what the polls have been saying,” said Dolz in a phone interview from his home where he was enjoying his victory on Wednesday morning. “Eighty percent of Americans and some 70 percent of Republicans are now more concerned with immigration than with the war in Iraq and the economy.” Asked how he planned to campaign against Brownley, who was endorsed by both State Senator Sheila Kuehl (Santa Monica-Dem.) and Pavley, Dolz said he had no plans. “I don’t care what Brownley does. I think she represents ‘politics as usual,’ which is out of step for this election. I think immigration is going to be the big issue and the heat is only going to continue, at every level. Washington is not going to settle this before November and the Governor is in a difficult position.” Dolz, himself an immigrant, said that while the governor is “very aware” of the impact, “both good and bad” that illegals have on the California economy, he also recognizes the need for “at least appearing to have boots on the ground, which is why he reluctantly agreed to sent the National Guard to the Mexican border, but only after President Bush assured him the state would not be stuck with the bill.” Dolz said his first order of business is to get the governor to issue two executive orders: to check the immigration status of every state employee, and to demand that any agency providing benefits verify the immigration status of the recipients. Dolz’s campaign demanded the recovery of what he described as the “illegal misuse” of an estimated $10.5 billion of California taxpayer’s money spent annually to provide services to illegals. “This has got to stop,” Dolz said. “It is taking a terrible toll on our health care and education systems.” A Cuban-born Hispanic, Dolz, 47, came to the U.S. as a child and became an American citizen in 1986. His hardline stance is not unexpected considering that Dolz is a founding member of the Minutemen Project, the self-appointed civil defense corps determined to secure our borders. Dolz spent Memorial Day weekend break ground on the Minutemen Fence at the Arizona/Mexican border accompanied be his family, which includes his Danish-born wife, Bettina, who sells a number of high-end health, clothing and quality linen products on the Internet , and his two children’Dylan, 5, and 11-month-old Sienna. Dolz, a businessman who specializes in information technology and telecommunications, said he voted by absentee ballot.
Cheryel Kanan to Receive Mort Farberow Business Award
Cheryel Kanan, an active resident since 1963 and longtime business manager of the Pacific Palisades Post, will receive a major honor at next Thursday’s Chamber of Commerce installation and awards dinner at the Riviera Country Club. She has been named the Mort Farberow Businessperson of the Year, an award presented by the Chamber on behalf of the Palisades deli owner who died in 1999. “To honor Mort,” said Executive Director Arnie Wishnick, “the Chamber chose three criteria that Mort held dear: community, Chamber and children. Cheryel Kanan exemplifies it all.” Indeed, her list of volunteer leadership roles in the community has been staggering. Currently, Kanan is president of the Palisades Americanism Parade Association (PAPA), the committee that organizes the Fourth of July parade and fireworks show every year. She and her husband, Dan, have also worked at the pre-parade VIP luncheon in the Methodist Church courtyard since 1993. “We’ve only missed two parades since moving to the Palisades,” said Kanan, who rode in the parade in 1994 when she was Chamber president. She hopes that her five children and seven grandchildren will be waving to her from along the route this year. “The parade pulls together the community in a special way, on such a special day,” she continued. “I’m very patriotic; my father was a tail-gunner on a B-17 in World War II, so the flag and what it meant was a real symbol in our home.” Kanan grew up in Venice (her father was a manager for Standard Oil) and was a high school senior when she met Dan, a UCLA student, while working part-time at a McCarthy Drugstore. They were married in 1960 and three years later found a house on Hartzell in the Palisades that was built on two lots. “This enabled us to build a new house [where they still live] and rent the other,” she said. The Kanans were soon sending kids to Palisades Elementary, and it didn’t take long for Cheryel to become a volunteer. “I wanted to start giving back and also meet more people, so when our oldest boy (Daniel) entered kindergarten, I went to orientation and a week later the PTA president called and asked if I would sell ice cream after school every Tuesday. I said yes. Then a couple weeks later she called and said that the Ways and Means chairman had resigned and would I take on that position? Sure, I said, even though I didn’t know what the Ways and Means person did.” Kanan got to know Mort Farberow when she asked him to cater a Founders Day luncheon at the school. “I quickly learned that he was a teddy-bear kind of guy on the inside and a very giving person who was concerned about the community,” said Kanan, who later would be president of the PTA at Paul Revere, president of the Junior Women’s Club and Las Doradas, and an active member of the Assistance League. Before her children were born (Daniel, Debbie, James, Nicole and Tamira), Kanan was a bookkeeper for a catering company, and once they were all in school she began working part-time as a bookkeeper for various professionals in the Palisades. In 1982, she and Dan became co-owners of Medford’s on Swarthmore (now the PaliSkate store). “I loved it and I hoped it would become a family business,” she said, “but the kids all wanted to do their own thing, so we sold the business to Jack Forgette.” After joining the Palisades Post as a bookkeeper in 1984, Cheryel became office manager and, in 1990, business manager. Professionally, Dan worked for the County Assessor’s office from 1960 to 1979, then went into real estate development in Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and West L.A. with his brother, Ed. Like his wife, Dan has been active in various business and charitable organizations over the years, including the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Family YMCA and Boy Scout Troop 400 in the Palisades. He also served on the Civic League in the 1980s. “I love this community so much,” Cheryel said, “that I’ve always wanted to give back as much as I could to keep it the way it is, and I’m fortunate that Dan has the same philosophy. We support each other.”
Palisadian Julia Louis-Dreyfus: Queen of “Green”
The paparazzi lined up to photograph Julia Louis-Dreyfus walking down the red carpet at last week’s “Bring Back the Beach” dinner, Heal the Bay’s annual fundraiser held this year at the Santa Monica Airport. The actress definitely stood out. Maybe it was the bright green shirt she was wearing or the color of all the money she has helped raise in her 10 years on the board of the environmental nonprofit. Whatever it is, her presence helped fill the Barker Hangar which was decorated with flying kites. The centerpiece at each table featured a sand castle which turned out to be the dessert (chocolate mousse cake). More than 1,000 guests paid $500 each for the privilege of dancing to the Beach Boys, bidding on one of Brian Wilson’s guitars (which went for $10,000 during the live auction) and to hear Louis-Dreyfus speak. “I just love the ocean,” she told the crowd. “A decade ago our beaches were so polluted they weren’t safe to swim in. While they are better now, we still have a way to go. Today, the State of California, National Geographic, Heal the Bay and other partners are working together to educate schoolchildren from K through 12 in our public schools. That’s six million kids in California schools learning about the environment. That’s huge,” Louis-Dreyfus said to applause. Asked later why she supports Heal the Bay, one of the largest environmental organizations in L.A. County with over 10,000 members, she said “because it’s local and I believe in supporting local, grassroots organizations. It affects me in my back yard, although the issues this organization deals with have national and international implications.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her husband, television producer Brad Hall (“The Single Guy”), have lived in the Palisades for 13 years. While they could live anywhere in the world, they choose to live here because “it feels like a small town in a big city and I like that,” Louis-Dreyfus said. “And the proximity to the ocean is divine.” Her favorite place to shop? Elyse Walker and Gelson’s. To eat: Cafe Vida. To play with her children: Palisades Recreation Center and Will Rogers State Beach. Louis-Dreyfus, who has a privileged background and is wealthy in her own right (from ongoing “Seinfeld” residuals), lives a “green” lifestyle. She and her husband both drive hybrid cars and “we’re about to buy a diesel truck,” she said. The couple, who married in 1987, often spend weekends at their “green” house in Montecito with their sons, Henry,14, and Charlie, 9. The family’s vacation home is near Santa Barbara, where Hall was raised. Louis-Dreyfus said their house there is “all-green” because having a second home “is a huge luxury. It’ s solar-paneled, and made of recycled materials and sustainable woods.” Architect David Hertz transformed the couple’s oceanfront bungalow into a high-tech, energy-efficient home that features wall-to-wall windows to maximize the natural light and bring the outdoors inside. Part of the roof is retractable, allowing for a view of the sky. Syndecrete, a lightweight concrete material Hertz makes out of recycled ash and carpet fiber, was used in parts of the kitchen, bathrooms and outdoor terraces. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born in New York in 1961. Her parents (French billionaire Gerard Louis-Dreyfus and Judith Bowles, a writer) divorced when she was one. The actress spent her childhood dividing her time between her parents’ homes in New York and Washington, D.C. The actress met Hall while both were attending Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He invited her to join his theater group, the Practical Theatre Company. The couple also performed improv with Chicago’s Second City and were then asked to join the cast of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”– the only husband-and-wife team to do so in the history of the show. After a three-year stint on SNL (1982 to 1985) Louis-Dreyfus appeared in several films, including Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986), before returning to NBC in 1990 to star in the then low-rated sitcom starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld. How did she get the gig as Elaine Benes, Seinfeld’s neurotic ex-girlfriend? While on SNL, she met writer Larry David, who later co-created “Seinfeld.” David’s wife Laurie and Louis-Dreyfus became fast friends. “When we met, we immediately bonded,” recalled Laurie David. “Since Larry’s married to me and he wrote the dialogue and the character, a lot of me rubbed off on her, and her on me.” Larry David is also the creator and star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” In 1998, the year “Seinfeld” ended, Louis-Dreyfus was chosen by People magazine as one of “the 50 most beautiful people in the world,” and was the voice of Princess Atta in the hit Pixar-animated film, “A Bug’s Life,” that same year, After nine seasons, during which time she won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for “Seinfeld,” Louis-Dreyfus took a break before going on to star in three of her own sitcoms: the short-lived “22 Minutes with Eleanor Riggs,” created for her by Hall; “Watching Ellie,” which was canceled after one season; and “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” which CBS renewed last month. While in New York promoting her show, in which she plays a divorced mom, Louis-Dreyfus hosted SNL–the only former female cast member to ever return as host. She appeared with former “Seinfeld” cast members Jason Alexander and Jerry Seinfeld in the opening monologue. Back in L.A. last week, Louis-Dreyfus, 45, said that of all the roles she’s played, it’s her real-life role as “wife and mother,” that she enjoys the most, followed by her work as an “actress and activist.” As a Palisades resident, she worked with her neighbors to get speed humps on Alma Real, “which was purely a safety issue. Drivers were using our street and other streets in the Huntington to avoid the traffic on Chautauqua. And because our streets are wide, these drivers had the false impression that the speed limit was something like 40 to 45 m.p.h., which it’s not. So we as a community worked really hard to get these humps in as we felt it was the only way to get people to slow down, short of putting lights in or having cops at every corner.” Louis-Dreyfus, who is also involved with Laurie David’s National Defense Research Council, feels the best way to make a difference “is to start by making a difference in your own life. I’m drawn to the water and ocean, which are so basic and fundamental that when they are taken advantage of, it bothers me to the core.” Her favorite thing to do at the beach? “Walk, and then watch my children and husband surf.”
