Laura's Filmography · Kevin Approaches (2006) ( pre-production ) · Breach (2006) ( filming ) · Man of the Year (2006) ( filming ) · Driving Lessons (2006) ( post-production ) .... Laura · Jindabyne (2005) ( post-production ) · The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) .... Erin Bruner · The Squid and the Whale (2005) .... Joan Berkman · Kinsey (2004) .... Clara McMillen · P.S. (2004) .... Louise Harrington · Love Actually (2003) .... Sarah · Mystic River (2003) .... Annabeth Markum · The Life of David Gale (2003) .... Constance Harraway ... aka Leben des David Gale, Das (Germany) · The Mothman Prophecies (2002) .... Connie Mills · The Laramie Project (2002) .... Sherry Johnson IMDB

Laura's Biography

This attractive blonde daughter of playwright Romulus Linney didn't initially set out to be an actress but by her teens had settled on her chosen profession. After working in summer stock and training at Juilliard, Laura Linney began her big screen career with a small role as a young teacher in "Lorenzo's Oil" (1992). She made an impression as the secretary sleeping with the president in the Ivan Reitman-directed "Dave" (1993). Linney went on to co-star with Steve Martin in "A Simple Twist of Fate" (1994), modernized spin on "Silas Marner" and then landed her first starring roles as the naive transplant to San Francisco Mary Ann Singleton in the PBS adaptation of "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City" (1994) and as a member of an expedition into the jungles of South America in the critically derided but financially successful "Congo" (1995).

Linney's ascendancy continued when she nabbed the co-starring role as the former lover now courtroom adversary of Richard Gere in "Primal Fear" and was solidified when Clint Eastwood tapped her to portray his daughter in the political thriller "Absolute Power" (1997). In between her film work, the actress squeezed in Broadway appearances in a revival of "Holiday" (in 1995) and co-starred opposite Jane Alexander in "Honour" (in 1998). Linney also reprised her signature role of Mary Ann Singleton in the Showtime sequel "Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City" in 1998.

Perhaps her highest profile role to date came when she was tipped to portray Meryl, the wife of Jim Carrey's Truman Burbank in the satirical "The Truman Show" (1998). Under Peter Weir's solid direction, Linney essayed the role of an actress playing the wife of a man whose life is broadcast on TV. Her multi-layered performance as the increasingly unhappy Meryl chafing under her duty to be loyal wife and commercial pitchwoman worked in counterpoint to Carrey's fine work as the questioning Truman.

With the Sundance hit "You Can Count on Me" (2000), Linney proved her capabilities, turning in a richly nuanced turn as a woman coping with a demanding new boss (Matthew Broderick), raising her six-year old son (Rory Culkin) and the return of her prodigal brother (Mark Ruffalo). The actress' utterly convincing portrayal never struck a false note and she received an Academy Award nomination as Best Actress for her efforts, as well as several awards wins and nominations from key critics organizations. Such mainstream accolades did not induce Linney to sell out, however: A return to Broadway in "Uncle Vanya" opposite Derek Jacobi followed before she undertook the part of a lusty campaign manager in the TNT original "Running Mates" (2000). Keeping her indie credibility high, Linney then segued to early 20th-century Manhattan as the bitchy society matron Bertha Dorset in the exquisite adaptation of "The House of Mirth" (also 2000).

She kicked off 2001 reprising Mary Ann Singleton in "Armistead Maupin's Further Tales of the City" (Showtime), brought life and humanity to actor-turned-director Rob Morrow's sensitive Tourette's Syndrome indie "Maze" (2001) and then co-starred with Gena Rowlands in "Wild Iris" (2002), a Showtime drama about an estranged mother and daughter forced by circumstances to share a home. The latter featured an agonizingly emotional performance that earned Linney an Emmy nomination as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie. She also made an appearance in the HBO biopic "The Laramie Project" (2002), which chronicled events in Laramie, Wyoming, following the tragic hate-killing of gay teen Matthew Shepard. Her more commercial-minded efforts such as 2002's dreary thriller "The Mothman Prophecies," in which she played a cop who becomes involved with a man (Richard Gere's) search for the legendary local monster that may have caused his wife's death. Although she shared some nice scenes with Gere, Linney's performance was unable to overcome the murky script. Her strong work in 2003' "The Life of David Gale," playing a woman involved with a death penalty opponent who suffers a mysterious end, was similarly overwhelmed by the film's increasingly ludicrous plot twists and overwrought anti-death penalty message.

Linney reunited with Eastwood when she appeared in the director's highly praised revenge opus "Mystic River" (2003), playing Sean Penn's strong-willed second wife, and she was the only American in writer-director Richard Curtis' large ensemble in the multistory romantic comedy "Love Actually" (2003), playing a woman who finally acts on her long-term crush on a co-coworker. In 2004 Linney scored an Emmy for her recurring guest performance as Dr. Frasier Crane's professional matchmaker and love interest on the final season of the hit sit-com "Frasier," while on the big screen she starred opposite Liam Neeson in the role of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey's wife Clara in writer-director Bill Condon's praised biopic "Kinsey" (2004). Her performance earned Linney Best Supporting Actress nominations for the SAG Awards, Golden Globes and Academy Awards. The actress' next turn was as a lawyer who takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest (Tom Wilkinson) who performed an exorcism on a young girl that resulted in her death in fact-based, character-driven thriller "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" (2005). That same year she appeared in writer-director Noah Baumbach's admired "The Squid and the Whale" as the estranged wife of a failed writer (Jeff Daniels) who achieves literary success herself and engages in a painful back-and-forth with her ex built on their mutal affairs and attempts to raise their young sons.

Linney next shot two films simultaneously: Barry Levinson's "Man of the Year" (lensed 2005), about a late night talk shot host (Robin Williams) who runs for president as a stunt and actually ends up winning, and "Breach" (lensed), a thriller which tells the story of FBI traitor Robert Hanssen.

Laura Posters