American comedian and actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus is to be the 2018 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humour later this year.

The ‘Veep’ star will be honoured at a star-studded gala event on October 21st at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington, D.C.. When she’s inducted as the 21st recipient, and sixth woman, to receive the Mark Twain Prize, Louis-Dreyfus will join illustrious names such as Richard Pryor, Whoopi Goldberg, Lily Tomlin, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, George Carlin, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Ellen DeGeneres, Jay Leno, Eddie Murphy, Bill Murray and David Letterman.

57 year old holds the record for most Emmy wins for a single performer, and also the most consecutive wins for a single role – that of Selina Meyer in ‘Veep’, which she won for six years in a row.

Julia Louis-DreyfusJulia Louis-Dreyfus will be the recipient of the 2018 Mark Twain Prize for American Humour

Also a former star of acclaimed sitcom ‘Seinfeld’ and an alumnus of ‘Saturday Night Live’, Louis-Dreyfus will be beginning work on the seventh and final season of ‘Veep’, whose production was delayed so that she could receive treatment for breast cancer, a diagnosis she revealed to the world last October.

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The award was set up to acknowledge those who have had an impact on American society with their humour or insight, in the same way that the eponymous 19th century writer did.

“Like Mark Twain, Julia has enriched American culture with her iconic, unforgettable, and outright hilarious brand of humour,” Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Rutter said in a statement on Wednesday (May 23rd). “Over four decades, her wildly original characters and her gift for physical comedy have left us in stitches.”

Louis-Dreyfus herself added: “Merely to join the list of distinguished recipients of this award would be honour 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.”

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