Award-winning American actress Laura Elizabeth Dern is renowned for her compelling roles in TV shows and motion pictures. ‘Rambling Rose,’ ‘Wild,’ ‘Mask,’ ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘October Sky,’ ‘Citizen Ruth,’ and ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ are just a few of the films in which she has shown off her acting abilities. She received an Oscar nomination for her work in “Rambling Rose.” She will soon be seen in the highly anticipated movie “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo. She has also had significant roles in TV shows like “Twin Peaks,” “Ellen,” “F is for Family,” “The Last Man on Earth,” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” The actress has received three Golden Globe Awards for her exceptional work in the films “Afterburn,” “Recount,” and “Enlightened.” She has even won a couple prizes for her acting in the HBO series “Big Little Lies” at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Laura has been outspoken against the sexual abuse of female movie stars in the industry, just like many other celebrities.
Early Childhood & Life
On February 10, 1967, Laura Elizabeth Dern was born in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, in the United States. Her parents star Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern, are her parents. George Dern, her great-grandfather, served as Secretary of War and as Utah’s former governor.
Because of her parents’ 1969 divorce, Laura never reconnected with her father until she was a very young child. She was then raised by her grandmother and mother, both devout Roman Catholics.
Because she was so much taller than her classmates, Laura struggled to grow up. She was 1.78 meters tall when she was still in her teens, and her classmates would often make fun of her for having huge feet and a slouching body.
Dern began attending the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute to learn acting when she was just nine years old. When Diane Ladd objected to her being cast in “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains,” she became legally independent from her mother at the age of 13.
Career of Laura Dern
In the film “White Lightning” from 1973, she had her first acting role. However, she didn’t achieve fame until she starred as one of the main characters in the 1980 film “Foxes.” On February 29, the film had its debut, and reviews applauded her portrayal.
Laura Dern made her television debut in 1981’s “Shannon,” and she later played Jessica McNeil in “Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains.” Her portrayal in the film earned her the title of Miss Golden Globe.
Then Dern made several cameo appearances in TV films like “Happy Endings” and “The Three Wishes of Billy Grier.” She also won praise from critics for her portrayal as Diane in the satirical comedy-drama movie “Teachers.”
She was given two significant roles in 1985, which made her a bankable celebrity in the business. She debuted as Diana in the biographical drama “Mask,” which also starred Cher, and later as Connie, the main character, in the suspense film “Smooth Talk.”
Dern collaborated with renowned director David Lynch for the first time in 1986. In the criminal thriller “Blue Velvet,” she portrayed Sandy Williams. Throughout her career, she would go on to collaborate with Lynch on four other films.
Dern received plaudits for her acting, but from 1988 to 1990, she only had little success. She appeared in films like “Haunted Summer,” “Fat Man and Little Boy,” and the TV show “Nightmare Classics” at this time. Additionally, she appeared in supporting roles in the films “Wild at Heart” and “Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream of the Broken Hearted.”
She played the title character in the drama film “Rambling Rose” in 1991. It’s interesting to note that her mother was a cast member as well. On September 20, the film debuted, and on Oscar night in 1992, both Laura and Diane received nominations.
As a result of her established status in Hollywood by 1993, Laura was given the starring part of Dr. Ellie Sattler in the landmark movie “Jurassic Park,” with Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum. In the same year, Clint Eastwood also chose her for his film “A Perfect World.”
The actress first appeared in the 1995 television film “Down Came a Blackbird” before providing the voice of June in the “Frasier” series. She played Ruth Stoops the next year in Alexander Payne’s film “Citizen Ruth,” which was directed.
Susan was portrayed by Laura Dern in the television show “Ellen.” She appeared in two episodes as her character. She portrayed a lesbian who prods Ellen to come out in “The Puppy Episode,” which aired on April 30, 1997. The fact that Ellen DeGeneres came out as a lesbian in this particular episode made it famous since it generated a great deal of controversy.
Dern appeared in films such as “A Season for Miracles,” “October Sky,” “Novocaine,” “Focus,” “I Am Sam,” and “Goose” between 1999 and 2001. She also played a little part in “Jurassic Park 3.”
The actress began making more TV appearances between 2002 and 2003. She portrayed Linda Peeno in the critically acclaimed TV movie “Damaged Care” and US Poet Laureate Tabatha Fortis in the television series “The West Wing.” In the animated series “King of the Hill,” she also provided the voices for the characters Katherine and Serving Wench.
The actress portrayed Terry Linden in the critically acclaimed film “We Don’t Live Here Anymore” in 2004. At the Seattle Film Critics Awards, she was up for the second-best-performing actress award.
In 2006, David Lynch hired her for the film “Inland Empire,” and she also played a supporting role in “Lonely Hearts.” Dern appeared in the comedy “Year of the Dog” the following year.
She won a Golden Globe for her performance in the 2008 television film “Recount,” which included Dern and actors like Kevin Spacey. She had additional film appearances during the following few years, including “Tenderness” and “Everything Must Go.”
The lead character of Amy Jellicoe in the 2011 HBO drama series “Enlightened” was later given to Dern.
The critics commended her for skillfully portraying the part of a self-destructive lady seeking to lead a moral life.
Dern appeared in a number of TV shows and motion pictures in 2014, including “The Kroll Show,” “Drunk History,” “When the Game Stands Tall,” and “99 Homes.” She also appeared in the romantic blockbuster “The Fault in Our Stars” as Shailene Woodley’s mother. She was then nominated for an Academy Award for her performance in “Wild.”
She made multiple award-winning TV appearances in 2017. For her performance of Renata Klein in “Big Little Lies,” she received accolades. She also lends her voice to the animated series “F is for Family” and will play Diane Evans in “Twin Peaks: The Return.”
Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, a character in the upcoming film “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” is another part she is portraying.
Recognition of Laura Dern
Although she has had a lot of roles over the years, her performance in “Jurassic Park” continues to rank as one of the actress’s most memorable performances. The Steven Spielberg-directed film, which cost US$63 million to produce, brought in US$1.029 billion.
Recognition & Achievements
For her work in “Afterburn,” Dern won a 1993 Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television.
She received a second Golden Globe Award for “Recount” in 2009. She was awarded for giving the best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a television series, miniseries, or film.
At the 2012 Golden Globe Awards, Laura took home another trophy for “EnlightenedBest “‘s Actress Performance in a Comedy or Musical.
She won the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie category at the 2017 Primetime Emmy Awards for “Big Little Lies.”
Personal Legacy & Life
Ben Harper, a musician, was married to Laura Dern until their divorce in September 2013. After her divorce, she was also briefly engaged to Jeff Goldblum and Billy Bob Thornton.
The outstanding actress has been promoting Down syndrome awareness and actively supporting organizations like “Healthy Child Healthy World.”
On October 18, 2017, she acknowledged that when she was 14 years old, she was sexually abused.
Laura Dern’s Net Worth
Laura Dern, an actress, and producer, has a $20 million net worth. With her roles in the movies “Mask,” “Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart,” and “Jurassic Park,” Laura Dern gained notoriety. She continued to get praise for her performance in movies like “Wild” and “Marriage Story,” for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Dern has had outstanding television performances on “Enlightened,” “Big Little Lies,” “Recount,” and other shows.