Laura Elizabeth Dern-Harper (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.
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 White Lightning; also making a brief appearance in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, one of Ladd's signature roles. Her mother objected
to the 13-year-old Dern's presence on the set of Ladies and
Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, but a defiant Dern sued for emancipation.
In the mid-1980s she gained critical acclaim for roles in films by Peter Bogdanovich (Mask) and David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart). Dern's starring role in Blue
Velvet appeared to be a breakthrough but it was four years until her next notable film, Wild at Heart, another Lynch film. Dern's affiliation with Lynch has continued throughout
her career, with her most recent role in INLAND EMPIRE.
In 1992, Dern and her mother 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. They, however, did not play a mother and daughter in the film.
In 1993 Dern played Dr. Ellie Sattler in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster hit, Jurassic Park. The same year Clint Eastwood enlisted
Dern for his film A Perfect World.
Dern 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. The film became an indie
sensation with Dern's hilarious portrayal of drug addict Ruth Stoops receiving praise.
In 1998 Dern and Stockard Channing co-starred in the moving Showtime film The Baby
Dance. The touching film, produced by Jodie Foster, followed two couples from
different backgrounds through a difficult adoption. Dern was moving as a poor woman from Louisiana giving her child up.
In 1999 Dern was dating Billy Bob Thornton and he selected her as his love
interest in his directorial debut Daddy and Them. The film is about a dysfunctional
Arkansas family which includes (again) Diane Ladd, Andy
Griffith and Jim Varney in his final film performance. Dern also appeared in
Joe Johnston's film October Sky opposite
Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Cooper.
Robert Altman called upon Dern's talents to play a champagne loving Aunt in his Texas
based comedy Dr. T & the Women in 2000. The film also starred
Richard Gere, Helen Hunt and Kate Hudson.
2001 was a busy year for Dern as she took on five films. The first was a TV movie with Ellen
Burstyn called Within These Walls. Dern played a nun who taught female inmates to
train dogs for special needs people. The film was based on a true story. Dern also co-starred with William H. Macy in Focus based on Arthur Miller's novel. Next Dern starred with Steve Martin in
Helena Bonham Carter in the dark comedy Novocaine. She also made a cameo appearance in Jurassic Park III. The film I Am Sam with
Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer also featured Dern
in a supporting role.
The 2002 Showtime film Damaged Care starred Dern as real life woman Linda Peeno who was famous for testifying before the United States
Congress against health maintenance organizations after working
for them in the 1980s. An interesting side-note is that the real Linda Peeno made an
appearance in Michael Moore's documentay SiCKO.
The 2004 film We Don't Live Here Anymore gave Dern some of the best
reviews of her career, as she portrayed a woman in a troubled marriage opposite Mark
Ruffalo.
Dern was part of the ensemble drama/comedy Happy Endings in 2005. The film
directed by Don Roos follows a loosely connected group of L.A. residents through their life
trials. The film also starred Lisa Kudrow, Maggie
Gyllenhaal, and Steve Coogan. That year Dern also appeared in the film
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio with Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson.
When David Lynch and Dern reunited in 2006 for INLAND EMPIRE the critical praise for Dern's lead role was overwhelming. Many journalists even
believed that she deserved the best actress award for that film. Also in 2006, Dern had a supporting role in the film
Lonely Hearts. The film was about the famed Lonely Hearts Killers and
starred Salma Hayek, John Travolta and
Jared Leto.
Mike White, known for writing such films as School of
Rock and The Good Girl, hired Dern for his directorial debut. The film,
released in 2007, was a comedy titled Year of the Dog starring
Molly Shannon, John C. Reilly and Peter Sarsgaard. Later this year Dern will star opposite Russell
Crowe in the independent drama Tenderness.
Dern also stated that she would reprise her role as Ellie Sattler in Jurassic
Park IV.
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 at one time fiancé, Billy Bob
Thornton.
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. On the April 24, 2007
airing of DeGeneres' talk show, Dern revealed that she did not work for more
than a year following her appearance on that episode because of resulting backlash, but nevertheless called her work on the
episode an "extraordinary experience and opportunity"[1]
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 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.
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 musician Ben Harper on December 23,
2005 after dating for five years. They have three children: son Ellery Walker and daughters Jaya
and Rachel Belloma.
Filmography
External links
References
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