Laura Dern
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| Laura Dern | |
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| Birth name | Laura Elizabeth Dern |
| Born | February 10, 1967 (age 40) Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Spouse(s) | Ben Harper (2005-) |
| Notable roles | Sandy Williams, Dr. Ellie Sattler |
| Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Rambling Rose (Nomination) | |
Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in the movie Rambling Rose. Her other movies include Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Blue Velvet, A Perfect World, Wild at Heart, October Sky, Mask, and We Don't Live Here Anymore, for which she received the award for Best Supporting Actress from the Boston Society of Film Critics.
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[edit] Early life and career
Dern is the daughter of Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd and the great-granddaughter to former Utah governor George H. Dern. Laura Dern's film debut was in fact a cameo in her mother's film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. In the mid-1980s she gained critical acclaim for roles in films by Peter Bogdanovich ( Mask) and David Lynch ( Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart) and appeared in the Spielberg blockbuster Jurassic Park. In 1992, Dern and her mother Diane Ladd became the first and only mother and daughter ever to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in the same film in Rambling Rose (film). They, however, did not play a mother and daughter in the film. Dern also starred as Ruth in the satire Citizen Ruth, the directorial debut of Alexander Payne. Dern may also reprise her role as Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park IV.
Dern has also done much work on television, most notably Afterburn, for which she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Mini-Series or Movie. She has also guest-starred on The West Wing, as a voice on King of the Hill, and as a lesbian who coaxes Ellen DeGeneres out of the closet in the famous "Puppy Episode" of the television series Ellen.
[edit] Politics
Dern is also known as an outspoken activist and supporter of many charitable causes, such as The Children's Health Environmental Coalition, which aims to raise awareness about toxic substances that can affect a child's health.
She has been acknowledged with several awards from the indepedent film industry including the Sundance Institute.
[edit] Personal
Dern had high-profile romances with Kyle MacLachlan, Renny Harlin, Jeff Goldblum and Billy Bob Thornton, who ended their relationship abruptly by marrying Angelina Jolie.
Dern married Ben Harper on December 23, 2005 after dating for five years. They have two children: son Ellery Walker and daughter Jaya.
[edit] Filmography
- White Lightning (1973) (uncredited) .... Sharon Anne, Maggie's Daughter
- Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) (uncredited) .... Girl Eating Ice Cream Cone
- Foxes (1980) .... Debbie
- Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains (1981) .... Jessica McNeil
- Shannon (1981) TV Episode
- Happy Endings (1983) (TV) .... Audrey Constantine
- Teachers (1984) .... Diane
- The Three Wishes of Billy Grier (1984) (TV) .... Crissy
- Mask (film) (1985) .... Diana Adams
- Smooth Talk (1985) .... Connie
- Blue Velvet (1986) .... Sandy Williams
- Predator: The Concert (1987)
- Haunted Summer (1988) .... Claire Clairmont
- Nightmare Classics (1989) TV Episode .... Rebecca
- Fat Man and Little Boy (1989) .... Kathleen Robinson
- Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted (1990) (TV)
- Wild at Heart (1990) .... Lula Fortune
- Rambling Rose (1991) .... Rose
- Afterburn (1992) (TV) .... Janet Harduvel
- Jurassic Park (1993) .... Dr. Ellie Sattler
- Fallen Angels (1993) TV Episode .... Annie Ainsley
- A Perfect World (1993) .... Sally Gerber
- The Gift (1994) (TV) (Director)
- Down Came a Blackbird (1995) (TV) .... Helen McNulty (also executive producer)
- Frasier (1995) TV Episode (voice) .... June
- Citizen Ruth (1996) .... Ruth Stoops
- The Siege at Ruby Ridge (1996) (TV) .... Vicki Weaver
- Bastard Out of Carolina (1996) (voice) .... Narrator
- Ellen (1997) TV Episode .... Susan
- The Baby Dance (1998) (TV) .... Wanda LeFauve
- October Sky (1999) .... Miss Frieda Riley
- A Season for Miracles (1999) (TV) .... Berry Thompson
- Dr. T & the Women (2000) .... Peggy
- Daddy and Them (2001) .... Ruby Montgomery
- Jurassic Park III (2001) .... Dr. Ellie Sattler
- Within These Walls (2001) (TV) .... Sister Pauline Quinn
- Novocaine (2001) .... Jean Noble
- Focus (2001) .... Gertrude 'Gert' Hart
- I Am Sam (2001) .... Randy Carpenter
- The West Wing (2002) TV Episode .... U.S. Poet Laureate Tabatha Fortis
- Damaged Care (2002) (TV) .... Linda Peeno (also produced)
- King of the Hill (2003) TV Episode (voice) .... Katherine & (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Serving Wench
- We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004) .... Terry Linden
- Happy Endings (2005) .... Pam Ferris
- The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005) .... Dortha Schaefer
- Lonely Hearts (2006) .... Rene
- Inland Empire (2006) .... Nikki/Sue
- Year of the Dog (2007) .... Bret
- Tenderness (2007)
[edit] External links
- Laura Dern at the Internet Movie Database
- Laura Dern at TV.com
- Laura Dern at the Notable Names Database
