Lauren Ambrose
| Lauren Ambrose | |
|---|---|
 Lauren Ambrose in 2000 |
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| Born | Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso February 20, 1978 New Haven, Connecticut, USA |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Spouse(s) | Sam Handel (m. 2001) |
| Children | 2 |
Lauren Ambrose (born February 20, 1978) is an American film, television, and stage actress.
Contents |
Early life [edit]
Ambrose was born Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso[1] in New Haven, Connecticut. She is the daughter of Anne (née Wachtel), an interior designer, and Frank D'Ambruoso, a caterer. She is of Italian descent on her father's side[2] and German, English, and Irish on her mother's. Ambrose attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, Wilbur Cross High School, High School in the Community, and the ACES Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven. She is also a trained opera singer who studied voice and opera at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.
Career [edit]
Ambrose began her career in New York theater, mainly in Off-Broadway productions. Her early career also included television appearances, most notably playing supporting guest roles on Law & Order, and a feature guest role on the show in the 1998 episode "Damaged" as Valerie Maxwell, a mentally-challenged young woman raped by a group of popular high school students. Her first film role was In & Out (1997), which was followed by a more prominent role in the high school comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998). She was the ingenue lead, Florence "Chicklet" Forrest, in the cult favorite Psycho Beach Party (2000). Ambrose began her role on Six Feet Under in early 2001. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Emmy Award twice, following the 2002 and 2003 seasons of the critically acclaimed drama.
In 2006, Ambrose made her Broadway debut in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Awake and Sing!. In 2007, she appeared as Juliet in the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, to great critical acclaim. She appeared as Ophelia in the 2008 performance of Hamlet for Shakespeare in the Park.[3] Ambrose returned to Broadway in Exit the King (by Eugene Ionesco) at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on Broadway, opposite Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon. Ambrose provided the voice of monster KW in Where the Wild Things Are, which was released in 2009.
In 2011, Ambrose appeared in seven of the ten episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day. She played Jilly Kitzinger, "a sweet-talking PR genius with a heart of stone who's just cornered the most important client of her career … and maybe of all time".[4] For her performance as Kitzinger, Ambrose received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress In Television.[5]
Personal life [edit]
Ambrose has been married to professional photographer Sam Handel[6] of Needham, MA since September 2001. They have a son, Orson (b. January 16, 2007)[7] and a second child, born in 2012.[8] They live in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.[9]
Ambrose sings New Orleans-flavored ragtime with the seven-piece combo Lauren Ambrose and the Leisure Class.
Filmography [edit]
Movies [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | In & Out | Vicky Rayburn | |
| 1998 | Can't Hardly Wait | Denise Fleming | |
| 1998 | Summertime's Calling Me | Tami | |
| 2000 | Swimming | Frankie Wheeler | |
| 2000 | Psycho Beach Party | Florence 'Chicklet' Forrest | |
| 2002 | Showboy | Claire Fisher | |
| 2004 | Admissions | Evie Brighton | |
| 2006 | Diggers | Zoey | |
| 2007 | Starting Out in the Evening | Heather Wolfe | |
| 2009 | A Dog Year | Emma | |
| 2009 | Loving Leah | Leah Lever | Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie Nominated-Satellite Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film |
| 2009 | Cold Souls | Stephanie | |
| 2009 | Where the Wild Things Are | KW | |
| 2009 | Tonight at Noon | Mae | |
| 2009 | Love and Other Impossible Pursuits | Mindy | |
| 2011 | Grassroots | Emily Bowen | |
| 2011 | I'm Coming Over | Greta | Short film |
| 2011 | Weekends at Bellevue | Ellie Harlow | Television film |
| 2011 | About Sunny | Angela | Nominated-Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead |
| 2011 | The Other Woman | Mindy | |
| 2012 | Sleepwalk with Me | Abby | |
| 2012 | Wanderlust | Almond | |
| 2012 | The River | Maria | Short film |
TV [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Law & Order | Jessica | 1 episode: "Skin Deep" |
| 1993 | Law & Order | Maureen McKinnon | 1 episode: "Pride and Joy" |
| 1995 | The State | Audience Member | 1 episode: "#3.10" |
| 1998 | Law & Order | Valerie Maxwell | 1 episode: "Damaged" |
| 1999 | Party of Five | Myra Wringler | 5 episodes |
| 2001-2005 | Six Feet Under | Claire Fisher | 63 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2003-2004) Nominated-Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (2002-2003) Nominated-Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2002, 2005-2006) Nominated-Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress - Drama |
| 2008 | The Return of Jezebel James | Coco Tompkins | 6 episodes |
| 2011 | Torchwood: Miracle Day | Jilly Kitzinger | 7 episodes Nominated-Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television |
| 2012 | Coma | Susan Wheeler | mini-series
2 episodes |
| 2013 | Robot Chicken | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Vanessa Mayer, attorney | 1 episode, Season 14, Episode 24 |
Other work [edit]
- The Darkness (2007), Jenny Romano – Video game
- Across The Universe, Audiobook - Narrator
References [edit]
- ^ JOHNSON, MALCOLM (2007-06-26). "TIMELESS TRAGEDY OF LOVE". www.courant.com Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2009-04-22.
- ^ Windy City Times - Interview: Six Feet Under’s Lauren Ambrose
- ^ Public Theater - Shakespeare in the Park
- ^ Hibberd, James. "'Six Feet Under' star Lauren Ambrose joins 'Torchwood' -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
- ^ Goldberg, Matt (29 February 2012). "Saturn Award Nominations Announced; HUGO and HARRY POTTER Lead with 10 Nominations Each". Collider. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
- ^ "main". Samhandel.com. Retrieved 2013-03-27.
- ^ Alison Singh Gee. "Six Feet Under's Lauren Ambrose Has a Boy". People.
- ^ T.L. Stanley (August 25, 2012). "Lauren Ambrose in fully engaged in 'Coma' on A&E". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
- ^ Nigel M. Smith (August 28, 2012). "'Sleepwalk With Me' star Lauren Ambrose on saying goodbye to 'Six Feet Under' and why she took on A&E medical thriller 'Coma'". Indiewire. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
External links [edit]
- Lauren Ambrose at the Internet Movie Database
- Lauren Ambrose at the Internet Broadway Database
- Lauren Ambrose at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Lauren Ambrose at AllRovi
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- 1978 births
- Actresses from Connecticut
- American film actresses
- American people of Italian descent
- American stage actresses
- American television actresses
- Living people
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- People from New Haven, Connecticut
- Royal National Theatre Company members
- Shakespearean actresses
- American people of German descent
- American people of English descent
- American people of Irish descent
- 20th-century American actresses
- 21st-century American actresses
