Laura Dern

Laura Dern was married to musician Ben Harper until their divorce on September 2013. She was also engaged to Jeff Goldblum and Billy Bob Thornton for some time after her divorce.

The brilliant actress actively supports charities like ‘Healthy Child Healthy World’ and has been raising awareness for Down syndrome.

On October 18, 2017, she admitted that she was sexually assaulted at the age of 14.

Laura Elizabeth Dernwas born on February 10, 1967 in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, USA. She is the daughter of Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern, who were actors themselves. Her great grandfather, George Dern, was the former Governor of Utah and Secretary of War.

Laura’s parents divorced in 1969 and hence she lost touch with her father at a very young age. She was then brought up by her mother and grandmother who were ardent Roman Catholics.

Laura had a tough time growing up as she was extremely tall when compared to her classmates. While still in her teens, she was 1.78 meters tall and was often teased by her classmates for her slouching figure and big feet.

At the tender age of nine, Dern started attending the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Instituteto study acting. She emancipated from her mother at the age of 13, when Diane Ladd objected to her being cast in ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains’.

Her first acting role was in the 1973 movie, ‘White Lightning’. But success came to her only when she played one of the lead characters in the 1980 movie, ‘Foxes’. The movie premiered on February 29 and her performance was praised.

In 1981, Laura Dern appeared in the TV series ‘Shannon’ and later went on to star in the role of Jessica McNeil in ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains’. Her performance in the moviewon her the Miss Golden Globe award.

Dern then appeared in a number of minor roles in TV movies like‘Happy Endings’ and ‘The Three Wishes of Billy Grier’. She also received critical acclaim for her role as Diane in the satirical comedy-drama film ‘Teachers’.

She landed two major roles in 1985, which established her as a bankable star in the industry. She first appeared as Diana in the biographical drama, ‘Mask’, which also starred Cher and then played the lead role of Connie in the thriller, ‘Smooth Talk’.

1986 was the year that saw Dern team up with the legendary director David Lynch for the first time. She portrayed the role of Sandy Williams in the crime-thriller, ‘Blue Velvet’. She would go on to work with Lynch in four other movies throughout her career.

Although she has played a number of roles over the years, her role in ‘Jurassic Park’ remains to be one of the most memorable roles ever played by the actress. Made on a budget of US$63 million, the Steven Spielberg directed movie grossed US$1.029 billion.