Biography for
Laurie Holden More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

17 December 1969, Los Angeles, California, USA

Birth Name

Heather Laurie Holden

Nickname

Holden

Height

5' 7" (1.70 m)

Mini Biography

Laurie Holden was born in Los Angeles, California to Glenn Corbett and Adrienne Ellis. When she was 5, her parents divorced and her mother married director Michael Anderson. Laurie then split her time between L.A. and Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As a teenager, she won the "Look of the Year" modeling pageant in Toronto. After her freshman year at Montreal's McGill University (as an economics major), she transferred to UCLA and completed her BA in theater arts in 1993. She has studied acting under the late Robert Reed (of "The Brady Bunch" (1969) fame). Laurie is perhaps best known for her roles as "Marita Covarrubias" on "The X-Files" (1993) and as "Mary Travis" on "The Magnificent Seven" (1998). Laurie is single and lives in Los Angeles when not on location.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Teresa Kopp

Mini Biography

A dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., Holden's career got off to the kind of start most actors can only dream of. Upon graduating from UCLA, Holden was accepted as part of the National Honor Society and received the "Natalie Wood Award" for Best Actress. She went on to study the classics at The Webber Douglas Academy of Art and honed her craft under the tutelage of Larry Moss at The Larry Moss Acting Studio. It was while performing on stage in "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof", that Holden was discovered by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999)), who thought she was perfect for the lead in his Capra-esque drama, The Majestic (2001). Laurie's captivating feature film debut, starring as Jim Carrey's long lost love in the film, was met with critical acclaim by the New York Times and film critics around the world.

Holden has created an arsenal of memorable characters in film, theater and television since she began her career as a child. The stepdaughter of veteran film director, Michael Anderson, Holden traveled the world with her family on various locations growing up and got her first break as Rock Hudson's daughter in Ray Bradbury's "The Martian Chronicles" (1980). The young actress who was cast to play Mr. Hudson's daughter suddenly fell through and, at the tender age of six, Laurie was thrown in to take over. Not bad for her first acting job. An avid academic, Holden initially looked at acting as a hobby and had plans to pursue a career in investment banking. She attended McGill University, where she studied economics but made an unexpected switch to theater at the end of her freshman year. Since then, she has worked steadily in original films for HBO and Showtime and co-starred with Vanessa Redgrave in the TNT miniseries, Young Catherine (1991) (TV). She gained notoriety playing "Marita Covarrubias", the U.N. informant to Fox Mulder, on the long-running hit, "The X-Files" (1993), and starred as the only female lead, opposite Michael Biehn, in the remake of the MGM classic, "The Magnificent Seven" (1998), for CBS. Her episodic work on television is vast and includes a comedic turn in the critically-acclaimed, "Due South" (1994), for which she was nominated for a Gemini Award (a Canadian Emmy). Her memorable roles in such hits as Fantastic Four (2005/I) (where she played Michael Chiklis' love interest) and the cult hero "Cybil Bennet" in Christophe Gans' artistic-horror video game adaptation of Silent Hill (2006) have made her a bit of a pop culture favorite with audiences of all ages. Holden recently starred "on the good side of the aisle" opposite Thomas Jane and Marcia Gay Harden in the Stephen King/Frank Darabont film, The Mist (2007).

Named as one of the top 100 Most Creative People in Hollywood in Entertainment Weekly's "It List" and "One of Ten Actors to Watch" by Variety, Holden is actively producing film, theater and television projects, in addition to her acting pursuits.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Carrie McClure (McClure & Associates, Public Relations Inc.)

Trivia

Family: daughter of actors Glenn Corbett and Adrienne Ellis, stepsister to actor Michael Anderson Jr. and producer David Anderson.

Step-daughter of film director Michael Anderson.

Was raised in Canada, is a dual citizen of Canada and USA.

Won the "Look of the Year" modeling pageant in Toronto while still a teenager.

Attend Montreal's McGill University and studied economics/political science, then transferred to UCLA to study in film and theatre.

She won her first acting job a week after receiving the "Natalie Wood Acting Award" upon graduating from UCLA. Member of the National Honor Society.

Has a younger brother named Christopher Holden, and a half- sister.

Her favorite "The Magnificent Seven" (1998) episode is "The Magnificent Seven: Witness (#1.4)" (1998). Her favorite "The X-Files" (1993) episode is "The X-Files: Patient X (#5.13)" (1998).

Younger stepsister of actor Michael Anderson Jr. and producer David Anderson.

Friend of Christina Moore. They lived next door to each other in the San Fernando Valley.

Her brother, Christopher Holden, worked with her in Silent Hill (2006) as a AD.

Named as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Hollywood "It List".

Named as one of "Ten Actors To Watch" by Variety in 2002.

Huge crusader for children's charities including Planet Hope and Feed the Children.

Granddaughter of Gloria Holden.

Personal Quotes

I don't want my tombstone to say actress. I want it to say human being.