What do Twin Peaks, Big Little Lies, Marriage Story and Little Women all have in common? Oscar-nominated actor, Laura Dern. It really is Laura’s moment – and last night she won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Marriage Story at the BAFTAs. ‘I’ve never been so excited about acting,’ she said recently. ‘It’s an amazing time for complicated female characters in film.’ Here’s everything you need to know about Grazia’s new girl crush…
How old is she and where is she from?
The actor was born in LA on 10th February 1967, making her 52 years old. After her parents’ divorce, she was raised by her mother and grandmother.
Who are her parents?
Laura’s parents are actors Diane Ladd, who like Laura, was awarded the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the 1974 film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Laura paid homage to her mother in her acceptance speech:'When I was six-years-old, my mother received this very award in this very category,' Laura said, explaining that her friends would often ask what the 'mask' was sitting on their piano. 'My mum told me: it's what friends give you to congratulate you because you get to do the job you love.' Laura's father Bruce Dern is also a Hollywood actor - he recently appeared in Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood. Clearly Laura was born to be an actress - she was allegedly conceived during the filming of The Wild Angels. Now that's showbiz.
What else has she starred in?
Her debut film appearance was as an extra in White Lighting alongside her mother in 1973. At sixteen, Laura chose to become emancipated which then allowed her to work adult hours on films and attain her title as the youngest-ever winner of Miss Golden Globe in 1982. Laura’s blockbuster breakout was Jurassic Park III in 2001, and in 2010 she starred alongside Blythe Danner in Little Fockers. More recently, Laura starred in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and landed her stellar role as the feisty, unapologetic Renata in Big Little Lies.
Is she married?
Laura had a turbulent marriage with musician Ben Harper after they met at one of his concerts in 2000. They married in 2005, making Laura a stepmother to Ben’s children from his first marriage. The two then had two children of their own. Ben reportedly ‘blindsided’ Laura when he later filed for divorce under irreconcilable differences. Two years later, they reconciled for a brief time and appeared together at the 2012 Golden Globe Awards. However, Laura then reactivated the divorce and it was finalised in 2013.
Does she have Instagram?
She sure does, with a hefty 836k followers. Her feed features photographs of the Big Little Lies gals at A-list parties, plus adorable photographs of her daughter, Jamal and her dogs. Follow her @lauradern.
READ MORE: Laura Dern Proved She's A Brit At Heart With Her Unusual BAFTA Beauty Prep