Laura Lieben
- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Laura Lieben is known for the emotional depth and endearing vulnerability she brings to her characters in dramas such as Murder Runs in the Family (2023) (aired on Lifetime USA on November 2023), where she stars as Wren Williams, an art therapist who returns to her hometown to uncover a tragic and mysterious death in the family; In His Steps (2013), based on the bestselling novel by Charles Sheldon, where she stars as the ambitious musician, Rachel Winslow; and Stolen Life (2015) a powerful true story from the 1900s filmed in Croatia, Europe. Laura is also an accomplished Equestrian.
Laura's career began when she booked the supporting role of an impressionable posh girl who struggles to find her way as a singer and pianist in an all-girl school rock band in The Kois: Fish Out of Water (2009), which received three nominations in the Alberta Film and Television Awards. This also marked her first in-studio experience, as she recorded vocals and piano for the soundtrack.
She went on to star in Inner Quest (2010), a movie that explores a forbidden friendship between two girls from clashing cultures and beliefs. Laura played the role of Samantha, a free-spirited individual who sees no boundaries in cultural differences and fights to protect her best friend, a Muslim girl, from the harshness of the western world. Inner Quest (2010) won a Canadian Film Critics Award and an Award of Merit at The Accolade Film Festival.
In the spring of 2012, tragedy struck when a beloved friend was killed in an accident. Searching for beauty in pain, Laura wrote and recorded a song in her honor. She included this song in her next audition which booked her the lead role of "Rachel Winslow" - a vibrant, free-spirited singer, songwriter and pianist - in a web series filmed in the mountains of Colorado and based on the bestselling novel, "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon. She returned to Colorado the following year to reprise the role when the series was expanded into a movie, In His Steps (2013). The Dove Foundation commended her work in a review of the film which states that Laura "stands out as Rachel Winslow, and has a real singing talent."
Shortly after wrapping In His Steps (2013), she received the surprise phone call offering her a supporting role in Stolen Life (2015) and was flown to Europe the following week where she spent the latter part of the summer in a Croatian palace on set of this powerful true story of love and sacrifice from the 1900s.
Upon returning to Canada, Laura packed up and moved out of her country home base in Alberta to the big city of Toronto, Ontario - a move which only lasted three months before she found herself back in Alberta to be a live-in caregiver for her beloved grandma who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In the summer of 2016, Laura received a $10,000 grant from TELUS Storyhive to write and produce a short film inspired by this experience, Heartsong: Silver Lining (2016).
Working on Higher Ground (2022) was a personal highlight for Laura, not just because it boasts the title of "the longest running 1-hour drama in Canadian television history," but also because it was based on her favorite book series as a teen; a book series she fell in love with long before embarking on her own adventures in film and television. The current culmination of her career was the opportunity to star as Wren Williams in the Lifetime USA Drama/Thriller, Murder Runs in the Family (2023).
Music is a signature element of her life. Some say she has an unquenchable habit of breaking into song at random points throughout the day. Laura is also an accomplished equestrian. She began riding lessons at just six years old and competed in a variety of English disciplines including Stadium Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. She later gave up competing and started a business training and selling horses in order to study acting.
Laura's career began when she booked the supporting role of an impressionable posh girl who struggles to find her way as a singer and pianist in an all-girl school rock band in The Kois: Fish Out of Water (2009), which received three nominations in the Alberta Film and Television Awards. This also marked her first in-studio experience, as she recorded vocals and piano for the soundtrack.
She went on to star in Inner Quest (2010), a movie that explores a forbidden friendship between two girls from clashing cultures and beliefs. Laura played the role of Samantha, a free-spirited individual who sees no boundaries in cultural differences and fights to protect her best friend, a Muslim girl, from the harshness of the western world. Inner Quest (2010) won a Canadian Film Critics Award and an Award of Merit at The Accolade Film Festival.
In the spring of 2012, tragedy struck when a beloved friend was killed in an accident. Searching for beauty in pain, Laura wrote and recorded a song in her honor. She included this song in her next audition which booked her the lead role of "Rachel Winslow" - a vibrant, free-spirited singer, songwriter and pianist - in a web series filmed in the mountains of Colorado and based on the bestselling novel, "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon. She returned to Colorado the following year to reprise the role when the series was expanded into a movie, In His Steps (2013). The Dove Foundation commended her work in a review of the film which states that Laura "stands out as Rachel Winslow, and has a real singing talent."
Shortly after wrapping In His Steps (2013), she received the surprise phone call offering her a supporting role in Stolen Life (2015) and was flown to Europe the following week where she spent the latter part of the summer in a Croatian palace on set of this powerful true story of love and sacrifice from the 1900s.
Upon returning to Canada, Laura packed up and moved out of her country home base in Alberta to the big city of Toronto, Ontario - a move which only lasted three months before she found herself back in Alberta to be a live-in caregiver for her beloved grandma who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In the summer of 2016, Laura received a $10,000 grant from TELUS Storyhive to write and produce a short film inspired by this experience, Heartsong: Silver Lining (2016).
Working on Higher Ground (2022) was a personal highlight for Laura, not just because it boasts the title of "the longest running 1-hour drama in Canadian television history," but also because it was based on her favorite book series as a teen; a book series she fell in love with long before embarking on her own adventures in film and television. The current culmination of her career was the opportunity to star as Wren Williams in the Lifetime USA Drama/Thriller, Murder Runs in the Family (2023).
Music is a signature element of her life. Some say she has an unquenchable habit of breaking into song at random points throughout the day. Laura is also an accomplished equestrian. She began riding lessons at just six years old and competed in a variety of English disciplines including Stadium Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. She later gave up competing and started a business training and selling horses in order to study acting.
