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Piper Laurie

Piper Laurie is an American actress. Born Rosetta Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Los Angeles, California when she was young. She signed a contract with Universal Studios when she was 17, co-starring with Ronald Reagan in Louisa.

Dissatisfied with the work she was being offered in Hollywood, Laurie went to New York City in 1955 to work on the live television programs of the 1950s, in such productions as Twelfth Night and Days of Wine and Roses. In 1961 she returned to Hollywood to star opposite Paul Newman in The Hustler, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Once again disenchanted with the work available, Laurie returned to semi-retirement to raise a family. She appeared in the Australian film Tim opposite a very young Mel Gibson, but perhaps her most famous role in her later career was as the fanatically religious mother in Carrie, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received another Supporting Actress nomination in 1987 for Children of a Lesser God.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2004.

Piper Laurie Facts

Birth NameRosetta Jacobs
OccupationActress
BirthdayJanuary 22, 1932 (92)
SignAquarius
BirthplaceDetroit, Michigan, USA
Height5' 4½" (1m64)  How tall is Piper Laurie compared to you?
Awards1991 Golden Globe Awards: Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Film (for Twin Peaks)

Selected Filmography

Another Harvest Moon
Dawn at Socorro
Take These Broken Wings
Return To Oz
Love, Lies & Lullabies
The Hustler
Carrie
Francis the Talking Mule Complete Collection
The Faculty
Children of a Lesser God
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