A failed marriage and a sudden “Oscar”: the amazing life of Laura Dern

daughter of actors

Laura was lucky to be born on February 10, 1967 in a famous family: her parents are actors Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern. She always believed that this era was more honest in recognizing her heroes: “My parents were absorbed in work, did not have social networks and did not appear on the covers of magazines.”

But there was one downside: her parents didn’t own a dozen houses and cars, as they surely would now. This means that Laura did not grow up rich, like many other children from acting families in Los Angeles.

A few years before her birth, a tragedy occurred in the family: Laura’s older sister drowned at the age of one and a half. Laura’s parents told her about her and she was very scared.

The girl’s acting career began at the age of six, she herself declared that she wanted it. At the time, her father was filming a new Hitchcock film, and her mother was with Scorsese. In his film Alice is no longer here, Laura Dern makes her acting debut.

Of course, it was easier for the daughter of actors to break into the screen than for an ordinary girl, but Laura knew that this was not a whim, but a calling. Her friends hung posters of boys from music groups on the wall, and she admired strong women: Katharine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Edith Piaf.

At the age of 15, Laura applied to a local court for legal freedom from her parents. Not because she doesn’t like them: “Now I could decide for myself the roles I wanted to play, I could work longer and play more adult characters. My parents supported me.”

The father of the actress recalls how the trial took place: “I was sitting in the back and the judge asked:” How much do you earn, do you have enough to live on? Laura turned and asked me about it. I said yes, he makes over $22,000 a year.

In 1986, director David Lynch offered Laura the lead role in the film Blue Velvet. The role of Sandy suited her perfectly: the girl was a dreamy optimist, open to new things. At the time, Dern was in college and her teachers weren’t sure she needed filming: “You’re going to have to leave. What did you even find in this movie? They were wrong: the film became a classic and Laura Dern’s career took off.

I must say that she always chose roles carefully, she did not chase after money and did not allow herself to be exploited. So everything turned out well for her. It is strange that Dern starred in several films with her mother, and for the tape “Weak Rose” they were both nominated for an Oscar!

The film “Jurassic Park” in 1993 became a new milestone in Laura’s work. It was unexpected for the film industry at the time due to the peculiarities of shooting and editing, and it was interesting for her to play in such a tape.

Laura Dern also starred in the TV series Twin Peaks while dating actor Kyle MacLachlan. They met on the set of Blue Velvet.

Then Jeff Goldblum, a partner from Jurassic Park, became her lover. And they were even engaged to Billy Bob Thornton until he became interested in Angelina Jolie.

But Laura’s true love was musician Ben Harper. They met in 2000 at a concert, had a son, Ellery, and a daughter, Harper, and married in 2005. True, seven years later they divorced, but they continue to raise children together.

During her relationship with Harper, Laura barely starred in a movie, and many believed that her star had faded. But not! She was invited to play a supporting role in the TV series “Big Little Lies” along with Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. And Laura recovered! Her heroine is a fighting businesswoman who has no friends, but life has shown that even friendship should have its place. Laura won a Golden Globe for her role.

Dern played another strong woman in Marriage Story, she was the third member of a love triangle with Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson. She received an Oscar for this role. In parallel, Laura starred in another famous film – “Little Women”.

The third part of Jurassic Park is ahead of her, but in general, the actress dreams of moving to Paris and acting in films there. Well, good luck to her!