Laura Dern is an Academy Award-winning American actress known for her powerful performances in independent films and major blockbusters alike. Born on February 10, 1967, in Los Angeles, California, she is the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, and grew up immersed in the film industry.
She made her breakthrough in the 1980s with roles in films such as Smooth Talk and Blue Velvet (directed by David Lynch, a frequent collaborator). Her performance in Smooth Talk earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead. Her work with Lynch continued in the cult series Twin Peaks and later in Inland Empire.
In 1991, Dern earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Rambling Rose, a drama in which she starred alongside her mother, Diane Ladd. The film also garnered her a Golden Globe nomination. That same year, she appeared with Nicolas Cage in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Dern gained widespread recognition for her role as Dr. Ellie Sattler in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993). She reprised this iconic role in Jurassic Park III (2001) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022).
Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, she continued to take on diverse parts: she played the lead in Alexander Payne’s Citizen Ruth (1996), appeared in the comedy Novocaine (2001), and starred in David Lynch’s Inland Empire (2006). In 2014, she played a memorable supporting role in the coming-of-age drama The Fault in Our Stars, and in 2017 she joined the Star Wars universe as Vice Admiral Holdo in The Last Jedi.
In the 2010s, Dern experienced a career renaissance. She starred in the HBO series Enlightened, which she also co-created, winning acclaim for her portrayal of a woman rebuilding her life after a breakdown. Her performance in the HBO series Big Little Lies won her a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Her portrayal of a divorce lawyer in Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story (2019) earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also received high praise for her role as Marmee March in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women (2019). These performances cemented her reputation as one of the most versatile and respected actresses of her generation.
Dern is also known for her activism in environmental and women’s rights causes. She serves on the board of the Environmental Media Association and frequently speaks out on gender equality in the entertainment industry, supporting initiatives for equal pay and representation.