Julia Louis-Dreyfus Announces She Has Breast Cancer

EVANSTON, IL – Julia Louis-Dreyfus, one of the most successful comedic actresses of the past 25 years, announced Thursday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"1 in 8 women get breast cancer," she wrote in a Twitter post. "Today, I'm the one."

She continued: "The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let's fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality."

Dreyfus, 56, and her husband, writer-director Brad Hall, both attended Northwestern University. Their son, Charlie Hall, plays on the men's basketball team, and last year Dreyfus was spotted regularly in the stands at Welsh-Ryan arena, as well as in Washington this March when the Wildcats made school history by qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. After dropping out of Northwestern, Dreyfus performed improv in Chicago at Second City before being hired at Saturday Night Live in 1982, where she became – at the time – the youngest women ever named to the cast.

Dreyfus became a household name when she starred as the only woman in the cast of regulars in "Seinfeld," one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. Earlier this month, she won a record-setting sixth consecutive Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a comedy series for her work on HBO's "Veep," a half-hour show that skewers the lives of politicians and those who surround them.

But the win was old hat for the small screen star who first appeared on TV on "Saturday Night Live" in the '80s. She has won a total of 11 Emmys in her career, including a lead actress honor for "The New Adventures of Old Christine" and a supporting actress prize for "Seinfeld."

In her note on Twitter, Dreyfus did not provide any details about her condition or prognosis.

She received an outpouring of supportive messages on social media.

After the news broke, her "Veep" co-star Tony Hale, who plays the subservient and devoted bag man to Dreyfus' Selina Meyer, wrote a simple response to her announcement on Twitter: "We love this woman."

"Our love and support go out to Julia and her family at this time. We have every confidence she will get through this with her usual tenacity and undaunted spirit, and look forward to her return to health and to HBO for the final season of VEEP," HBO said in a statement.

The actress's publicist said no further details about her condition would be provided at this time, adding that the actress "is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and well wishes."

Louis-Dreyfus received the diagnosis the day after the Emmys aired, and it played no part in the previously announced decision to end the show after next season, HBO said.

HBO said on Sept. 6 that the comedy's producers decided to bring it to a close after season seven, with an air date yet to be announced.

"Veep" writers will continue working on scripts and production will be adjusted as needed, HBO said.

As Dreyfus notes, breast cancer is very common. Only lung cancer is responsible for a larger share of female mortality in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society.

Since 1989, more and more women survive breast cancer, and the survival rate for women over 50 in particular has shown improvement in recent years.

"These decreases are believed to be the result of finding breast cancer earlier through screening and increased awareness, as well as better treatments," the American Cancer Society explains on its website.

The Associated Press and Patch staff Emily Holland contributed to this post. Cody Fenwick also provided reporting.

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images