Laura Dern

Caption	Laura Dern 2009
Birth date	February 10, 1967
Birth place	Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Birthname	Laura Elizabeth Dern
Occupation	Actress, director, producer
Yearsactive	1973–present
Spouse	Ben Harper (2005–2010)

Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk (1985), Blue Velvet (1986), Fat Man and Little Boy (1988), Wild at Heart (1990), Jurassic Park (1993) and October Sky (1999). She has won awards for her performance in the 1991 film Rambling Rose, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film for her portrayal of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the film Recount (2008).

Early life and career

Dern was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd and the great-granddaughter of former Utah governor George Dern. Scottish-American poet, writer and Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish was her great-uncle. Laura Dern's film debut was a cameo in her mother's film White Lightning. She also made a brief appearance in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, one of Ladd's signature roles. Her mother objected to her 13-year-old daughter's presence on the set of Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, but Dern sued for emancipation.

In the mid-1980s she gained critical acclaim for roles in Mask, Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart. Dern's starring role in Blue Velvet was a breakthrough however her next notable film took almost four years to be released, Wild at Heart. Dern's affiliation with Lynch has continued with her role in Inland Empire. In 1992, Dern and her mother became the first mother and daughter to be nominated for an Academy Award for acting in the same film in Rambling Rose. They did not play mother and daughter in the film. Dern starred as Dr. Ellie Sattler in Steven Spielberg's 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park. That same year, Clint Eastwood enlisted the actress for his film A Perfect World. She also starred as Ruth in the 1996 satire Citizen Ruth, the directorial debut of Alexander Payne. In a reversal of roles, Dern's mother makes a cameo appearance, with Dern's character screaming a torrent of abuse at her. In 1997, Dern was featured in Widespread Panic's music video for their song, "Aunt Avis", which was directed by Dern's then boyfriend and future fiancé, Billy Bob Thornton. In 1998, Dern co-starred in the Jodie Foster's film The Baby Dance. While dating Thornton in 1999, she was cast as his love interest in his film Daddy and Them, which also includes Diane Ladd. Dern also appeared in Joe Johnston's film October Sky.

Robert Altman called upon Dern's talents to play a Champagne-loving Aunt in his Texas-based comedy Dr. T & the Women in 2000. She co-starred in Within These Walls, Arthur Miller's Focus, and Novocaine. She had a minor role in Jurassic Park III, and was a supporting actor in the film I Am Sam. She starred in the 2002 film Damaged Care and the 2004 film We Don't Live Here Anymore. Dern was part of the ensemble dramedy Happy Endings in 2005, and she appeared in the 2006 film The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio. In 2006, David Lynch and Dern reunited for Inland Empire and, also in 2006, Dern had a supporting role in Lonely Hearts. [Mike White (scriptwriter)|Mike White]], known for writing School of Rock and The Good Girl, hired Dern for his directorial debut in 2007, the comedy titled Year of the Dog and starring Molly Shannon, John C. Reilly and Peter Sarsgaard, and in 2008 Dern starred in Recount for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film. Since then, Dern was seen in the independent 2009 drama Tenderness and, in 2010, she appeared in Little Fockers, playing an advanced school principal who dated Owen Wilson's character Kevin Rawley.

In an interview, Dern stated that she would reprise her role as Ellie Sattler for Jurassic Park IV.

Dern has 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 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 "The Puppy Episode" of the television series Ellen. On the April 24, 2007 airing of DeGeneres' talk show, Dern revealed she did not work for more than a year following her appearance in that episode because of resulting backlash, but nevertheless called it an "extraordinary experience and opportunity."

Dern has been acknowledged with several awards from the independent film industry including the Sundance Institute and was the subject of an aggressive media campaign by David Lynch to win her an Academy Award nomination for her work in Inland Empire. On November 1, 2010, she received the 2,420th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her parents, Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern, were presented with stars too.

In late 2011 Dern will star in a new HBO television series called Enlightened. She has also been cast in Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master along with Amy Adams and Philip Seymour Hoffman, set for release in 2012.

Politics and personal life

in December 2009]] Dern is known as an activist and supporter of many charities, such as Healthy Child Healthy World, which aims to raise awareness about toxic substances that can affect a child's health.

During the 66th Golden Globe Awards, on January 11, 2009, Dern expressed support for the incoming administration of Barack Obama during her acceptance speech for the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film for her work on the film Recount. She is quoted as saying, "I will cherish this as a reminder of the extraordinary, incredible outpouring of people who demanded their voice be heard in this last election so we can look forward to amazing change in this country. Thank you so much!"

Dern had high-profile romances with Kyle MacLachlan, Nicolas Cage, Renny Harlin, Jeff Goldblum, and Billy Bob Thornton (who ended their relationship abruptly by marrying Angelina Jolie). She married musician Ben Harper on December 23, 2005, after dating him for five years. They have two children together, one son, Ellery Walker (born August 21, 2001), and one daughter, Jaya (born November 28, 2004).

Dern's husband, Ben Harper, filed for divorce on October 8, 2010 in California, citing irreconcilable differences. Harper is asking the judge to deny Dern spousal support and requesting that he have joint custody of their two children.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" |- ! colspan="4" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film |- ! style="background:#ccc;" | Year ! style="background:#ccc;" | Film ! style="background:#ccc;" | Role ! style="background:#ccc;" | Notes |- |1973 || White Lightning || Sharon Anne || Uncredited |- |1974 || Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore || Girl eating ice cream cone || Uncredited |- |1980 || Foxes || Debbie || |- |1981 || Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains || Jessica McNeil || |- |1984 || Teachers || Diane || |- |rowspan=2| 1985 || Mask || Diana Adams || |- | Smooth Talk || Connie || Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead |- |1986 || Blue Velvet || Sandy Williams || Nominated — Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead |- |1987 || Predator: The Concert || || |- |1988 || Haunted Summer || Claire Clairmont || |- |1989 || Fat Man and Little Boy || Kathleen Robinson || |- |1990 || Wild at Heart || Lula Fortune || |- |1991 || Rambling Rose || Rose || Montréal World Film Festival Award for Best Actress (tied with Hye-suk Lee)Nominated — Academy Award for Best ActressNominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress |- |rowspan=2| 1993 || Jurassic Park || Dr. Ellie Sattler || Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress |- | A Perfect World || Sally Gerber || |- |rowspan=2| 1996 || Citizen Ruth || Ruth Stoops ||Montréal World Film Festival Award for Best Actress |- | Bastard Out of Carolina || Narrator || Voice Only |- |1999 || October Sky || Miss Frieda Riley || |- |2000 || Dr. T & the Women || Peggy || |- |rowspan=5| 2001 || Daddy and Them || Ruby Montgomery || |- | Jurassic Park III || Dr. Ellie Sattler || |- | Novocaine || Jean Noble || |- | Focus || Gertrude 'Gert' Hart || |- | I Am Sam || Randy Carpenter || |- |2002 || Searching for Debra Winger || Herself || |- |2004 || We Don't Live Here Anymore || Terry Linden ||Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress (tied with Sharon Warren) |- |rowspan=2| 2005 || Happy Endings || Pam Ferris || |- |The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio || Dortha Schaefer || |- |rowspan=2| 2006 || Lonely Hearts || Rene || |- |Inland Empire || Nikki Grace/Susan Blue ||Also ProducerNominated — Chlotrudis Award for Best ActressNominated — Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress |- |2007 || Year of the Dog || Bret || |- |2009 || Tenderness || Aunt Teresa || |- |rowspan=2| 2010 || Little Fockers || Prudence || |- |Everything Must Go || Delilah || |- |2012 || The Master || |- ! colspan="4" style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Television |- ! style="background:#ccc;" | Year ! style="background:#ccc;" | Title ! style="background:#ccc;" | Role ! style="background:#ccc;" | Notes |- |1981 || Shannon || || "Gotham Swansong" (Season 1, Episode 1) |- |1983 || Happy Endings || Audrey Constantine || |- |1984 || The Three Wishes of Billy Grier || Crissy || |- |1989 || Nightmare Classics || Rebecca || "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (Season 1, Episode 3) |- |1990 || Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted || Heartbroken Woman || |- |1992 || Afterburn || Janet Harduvel ||Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television FilmNominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie |- |1993 || Fallen Angels || Annie Ainsley || "Murder, Obliquely" (Season 1, Episode 5) |- |1994 || The Gift || || (Director) |- |rowspan=2| 1995 || Down Came a Blackbird || Helen McNulty || (also executive producer) |- |Frasier || June || (Voice) "Sleeping With the Enemy" (Season 3, Episode 6) |- |1996 || The Siege at Ruby Ridge || Vicki Weaver ||Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film |- |1997 || Ellen || Susan Richmond ||

The Puppy Episode: Part 1 (Season 4, Episode 22)

The Puppy Episode: Part 2 (Season 4, Episode 23)

Nominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress – Comedy Series |- |rowspan=2| 1998 || The Larry Sanders Show || Herself || "I Buried Sid" (Season 6, Episode 8) |- |The Baby Dance || Wanda LeFauve ||Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film |- |1999 || A Season for Miracles || Berry Thompson|| |- |2001 || Within These Walls || Sister Pauline Quinn || |- |rowspan=2| 2002 || The West Wing || Laureate Tabatha Fortis || "The U.S. Poet Laureate" (Season 3, Episode 16) |- |Damaged Care || Linda Peeno ||(also producer) |- |2002–2003 || King of the Hill || Serving Wench & Katherine || (Voice)

Joust Like a Woman (Season 6, Episode 8)

Patch Boomhauer (Season 8, Episode 1)

|- |- |2008 || Recount || Katherine Harris ||Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmNominated — Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Miniseries or a MovieNominated — Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television FilmNominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie |- |2011 || Enlightened || Amy Jellicoe || |}

References

External links

Category:American film actors Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actress Golden Globe winners Category:Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (television) winners Category:People from Los Angeles, California Category:1967 births Category:Living people Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors