Biography
Her track record as a risk-taker and her dedication to well-written female characters on a journey of self-discovery in films like "Blue Velvet" (1986) and "Rambling Rose" (1991) often meant that her finest work was seen more often in art house cinemas. A growing public interest in upscale cable television movies such as "Afterburn" (HBO, 1992), "Down Came a Blackbird" (Showtime, 1995) and "Recount" (HBO, 2008) provided a second outlet for …
Laura Dern SlideShow
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Career Milestones
2012 | Appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" | |
2011 | Starred on HBO's "Enlightened" as a corporate executive who winds up in a mental health treatment center after a nervous breakdown | |
2010 | Joined the ensemble cast of "Little Fockers," opposite Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, and Dustin Hoffman | |
2008 | Portrayed controversial Florida politician Katherine Harris in the HBO movie "Recount"; earned Emmy and SAG nominations for Best Actress in a TV-Movie | |
2007 | Played Molly Shannon's know-it-all sister-in-law in "Year of the Dog" | |
2006 | Reteamed with Lynch to star in "Inland Empire" | |
2005 | Co-starred in "Happy Endings," a comedic drama about the ups and downs of relationships | |
2005 | Appeared in the drama "The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio" opposite Julianne Moore | |
2004 | Co-starred with Mark Ruffalo, Peter Krause and Naomi Watts in "We Don't Live Here Anymore" | |
2002 | Cast as a doctor who takes on HMOs in the Showtime movie "Damaged Care" | |
2001 | Acted with then-boyfriend Billy Bob Thornton in "Daddy and Them"; written and directed by Thornton | |
1999 | Played a teacher opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Chris Cooper in Joe Johnston's "October Sky" | |
1998 | Offered a critically acclaimed performance in Showtime's "The Baby Dance"; produced by Jodie Foster; earned a Golden Globe nomination | |
1997 | Received an Emmy nomination for her guest role as a lesbian who coaxes Ellen DeGeneres out of the closet in the famous "Puppy Episode" of the ABC series "Ellen" | |
1996 | Portrayed an irresponsible and drug abusing pregnant woman in Alexander Payne's directorial debut "Citizen Ruth"; Diane Ladd makes a cameo appearance as Dern's mother | |
1996 | Acted the part of Vicki Weaver in "Ruby Ridge: An American Tragedy" (CBS) | |
1995 | Executive produced (and acted in) Showtime's "Down Came a Blackbird" | |
1994 | Directorial debut, "The Gift"; also starred with Diane Ladd and Isabella Rossellini; broadcast as a presentation of Showtime's Directed By series | |
1993 | Cast as a woman who falls in love with a man who may be a murderer on the Showtime series "Fallen Angels"; received an Emmy nomination | |
1993 | Portrayed a criminologist assisting in the tracking of a pair of escaped convicts in the Clint Eastwood-directed "A Perfect World" | |
1993 | Cast as a paleontologist in Steven Spielberg's blockbuster feature "Jurassic Park" | |
1992 | Received an Emmy nomination for her performance as the widow of an Air Force pilot in the HBO film "Afterburn" | |
1991 | Starred as a pure-hearted nymphomaniac in Martha Coolidge's "Rambling Rose"; earned first Best Actress Academy Award nomination; also earned a Golden Globe nomination | |
1990 | Played a chain-smoking floozy in Lynch's "Wild at Heart"; onscreen mom played by her real-life mother Diane Ladd | |
1988 | Made New York stage debut opposite then-boyfriend Kyle MacLachlan in the off-Broadway production "The Palace of Amateurs" | |
1988 | Reteamed with Stoltz for the forced and disappointing "Haunted Summer" | |
1986 | First collaboration with director David Lynch, "Blue Velvet" | |
1985 | Offered an impressive performance as a sexually curious teenager in her first leading role in Joyce Chopra's "Smooth Talk" | |
1985 | Attracted attention as Eric Stoltz's blind girlfriend in Peter Bogdanovich's "Mask" | |
1984 | Played a young student opposite Nick Nolte in "Teachers" | |
1983 | TV-movie debut, "Happy Endings" (NBC) | |
| Petitioned to become an emancipated minor so she could work adult hours | ||
1980 | Played bit part as an irksome party crasher in Adrian Lyne's "Foxes" | |
1974 | Made a brief appearance in Martin Scorsese's "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" | |
1974 | Returned to Los Angeles with her mother | |
1973 | First feature film credit was an extra in "White Lightning" | |
1972 | Made TV debut on the CBS soap opera "The Secret Storm"; her mother played a regular on the series | |
1971 | Moved to New York for three years when her mother Diane Ladd remarried | |
| Raised by mother and grandmother after parents' divorce | ||
Awards
2011 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Comedy Or Musical in Enlightened |
2009 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in Recount |
2008 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Recount |
2008 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Miniseries or Movie in Recount |
2004 | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress in We Don't Live Here Anymore |
1998 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in The Baby Dance |
1997 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Comedy Series in Ellen |
1996 | Montreal World Film Festival for Best Actress in Citizen Ruth |
1994 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Drama Series in Fallen Angels |
1992 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in Afterburn |
1992 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In a Miniseries or Special in Afterburn |
1991 | Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in Rambling Rose |
1991 | Montreal World Film Festival for Best Actress in Rambling Rose |
1991 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in Rambling Rose |
1987 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead in Blue Velvet |
1986 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead in Smooth Talk |