Laura Prepon is an American actress who starred in all eight seasons of the popular ‘Emmy’ award-winning sitcom ‘That ’70s Show’ as Donna Pinciotti, an athletic, confident, and self-righteous feminist and the love interest of ‘Eric Forman’ (Topher Grace). Laura Prepon gained a big fan base as a result of the program, which launched the careers of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis. She went on to star in the ABC drama ‘October Road’ and the Netflix original series ‘Orange is the New Black,’ following the popularity of ‘That ’70s Show.’ Prepon has also appeared in episodes of ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ ‘Medium,’ ‘House,’ ‘Castle,’ ‘Men at Work,’ and ‘The Killing Game,’ among others. She was also the protagonist (Chelsea) in Chelsea Handler’s novel ‘Are You There Vodka?’ on the small screen (‘Are You There, Chelsea?’). Chelsea, it’s me.’ ‘Slackers,’ ‘Lightening Bug,’ ‘Come Early Morning,’ and ‘The Kitchen,’ to name a few of her other cinematic credits. Prepon has also provided voices for characters in animated television shows such as ‘American Dad!’ and ‘King of the Hill.’
Childhood and Adolescence
Laura Helene Prepon was born on March 7, 1980, in Watchung, New Jersey, to high school teacher Marjorie (née Coll) and orthopedic physician Michael Prepon. Prepon is the youngest of five siblings and is descended from Russian Jews and Irish Catholics. In 1993, her father passed away.
Prepon, who was 13 at the time, was devastated by the loss and has remained close to her family ever since. Every year around the Thanksgiving holiday, they get together and carry out some odd traditions. Until 1995, she attended ‘Watchung Hills Regional High School.’ She participated in the ‘Total Theatre Lab’ in New York City in 1996, where she received extensive acting training from Caroline Thomas, her teacher.
Career of Laura
Prepon attended ballet and jazz dance courses in addition to her acting classes. When she was cast in the theater performances of ‘A Woman of Property’ and ‘Ascension Day,’ this came in useful. She landed a lot of modeling jobs because of her height. For picture assignments, she also flew to Paris, Milan, and Brazil. She made her acting debut in ‘They Go On,’ a Levi Strauss-produced soap drama, in September 1997.
When she sent an audition tape for a position in the then-upcoming Fox comedy ‘That ’70s Show,’ Prepon earned her breakout role in 1998. The sitcom followed a bunch of Wisconsin teens in the 1970s. Her portrayal of the gorgeous and intelligent tomboy ‘Donna Pinciotti’ was praised. Laura Prepon made her acting debut in the independent film ‘Southlander,’ which she acted in in 2001. Steve Hanft wrote the comedic musical. Beck and Beth Orton were among the cast members.
She starred in the teen film ‘Slackers,’ directed by Dewey Nicks, in 2002. Jason Schwartzman, Devon Sawa, and Jason Segel also appeared in the film. When Prepon took a vacation from ‘That ’70s Show,’ she acted in the independent film ‘The Pornographer: A Love Narrative,’ which tells the story of a relationship between an actress and a director.
In the first-person shooter game ‘Halo 2,’ she voiced a United Nations Space Command marine in 2004. She was cast in a key role in the dark thriller ‘Lightning Bug’ the same year. Prepon not only acted in the picture, but he also executive produced it. Prepon acted in the 2005 thriller ‘Karla,’ which was inspired on the true story of a disturbed couple who abused and murdered three young daughters. She was also the executive producer of ‘E! Hollywood Hold’em,’ a poker television show that aired on the E! Television Network that same year. She was a member of the cast of ABC’s ‘October Road,’ which premiered on March 15, 2007.
She appeared in a number of TV shows between 2009 and early 2011, including ‘In Plain Sight,’ ‘How I Met Your Mother,’ ‘House M.D.,’ and ‘Castle.’ In February 2011, she was cast in the NBC sitcom ‘Are You There, Chelsea?’ as the title character. She was then cast in the Netflix original ‘Orange is the New Black,’ which premiered in July 2013, as ‘Alex Vause,’ an ex-drug dealer and Piper Chapman’s ex-girlfriend.’ She was a primary cast member throughout the series, with the exception of the second season, when she was a recurrent character. She starred in the mystery thriller drama film ‘The Girl on the Train’ in 2016. The next year, she was cast in ‘The Hero,’ a comedy-drama film.
Achievements & Awards
For her appearance in ‘That ’70s Show,’ she was nominated for a ‘Teen Choice Award’ in 2002. She has presented award programs such as the ‘Second Annual TV Guide Awards,’ ‘Teen Choice Awards,’ and ‘American Music Awards,’ among others (2001). Laura Prepon graced the cover of ‘Maxim’ for two issues. ‘Stuff’ magazine named her one of the ‘102 Sexiest Women in the World’ in 2002. She was named on the ‘Hot 100’ list of ‘Maxim’ magazine in 2005.
For her role in the series ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ she won the ‘Satellite Awards’ in 2014 for ‘Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries, or Television Film’ and ‘Best Cast – Television Series.’ For ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ she won the Screen Actors Guild Award for ‘Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series’ in 2016 and 2017.
Personal History and Legacy
Prepon had a long-term connection with Danny Masterson’s younger brother, Christopher Masterson. In 2007, they called it quits. From 2008 to 2013, she dated TV actor Scott Michael Foster. In a November 2007 interview with ‘Women’s Health,’ Prepon revealed to being a Scientologist. Riding dirt bikes, shooting, and playing poker are all activities that Prepon enjoys.
She revealed that she and her fiancé Ben Foster were expecting a girl on ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’ in June 2017. Ella, their baby girl, was born in August of the same year. They married in June of this year. On October 24, 2019, Prepon announced that he and his wife are expecting their second child. She gave birth to their second child, a son, in February 2020.
Estimated Net Worth
Laura Prepon is an actress from the United States with a net worth of $12 million. She is most remembered for playing Donna Pinciotti in the Fox sitcom “That 70s Show” for all eight seasons. She’s also renowned for playing Alex Vause in Netflix’s original series “Orange Is the New Black.”