Laura Innes

{{Short description|American actress and television director}} {{Infobox person | name = Laura Innes | image = Laura Innes 2010.jpg | caption = Innes in 2010 | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1957|8|16}}  | birth_place = | alma_mater = | occupation = {{Flatlist| * Actress * television director }} | years_active = 1978–present | spouse = | children = }}

'''Laura Innes''' (born August 16, 1957) is an American actress and television director.<ref>{{cite web |title=Laura Innes - Actress, Director |url=https://www.tvinsider.com/people/laura-innes/ |website=TV Insider |access-date=21 January 2025 |date=23 October 2024}}</ref> She played Kerry Weaver in the medical drama ''ER'' (1995–2009), which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 2001, she received her third Primetime Emmy Award nomination for directing the episode "Shibboleth" of the political drama ''The West Wing''. She also appeared in the thriller drama ''The Event'' (2010–2011) and ''How to Get Away with Murder'' (2018–2020).

==Career== {{BLP sources section|date=March 2016}}

Innes's first stage credits were in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre and Wisdom Bridge Theatre, where she played Stella in ''A Streetcar Named Desire''. John Malkovich played Mitch in this production. Other major stage credits include ''Two Shakespearean Actors'' with Eric Stoltz at Lincoln Center, ''Our Town'' at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, and ''Three Sisters'' at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego.

In 1986, Innes co-starred as Krissy Bender Marino, the daughter of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara in the short-lived sitcom ''The Stiller and Meara Show''. In 1989, Innes played Miss Andrews in the Nickelodeon sitcom ''Hey Dude'' in the second season episode "Teacher's Pest". She also played Mrs. Fleeman in the episode "Baby". In the 1990s, Innes guest-starred in television series including ''Party of Five'', ''My So-Called Life'' and ''Brooklyn Bridge'' and appeared in the Emmy-winning TV movie ''And the Band Played On'' before being cast in her first major television role in the NBC sitcom ''Wings'' from 1991 to 1993. She played Bunny, the promiscuous ex-wife of Lowell Mather (Thomas Haden Church).

In the fall of 1995, Innes began a recurring role in the second season of the hit NBC medical drama ''ER'', where she was cast as Dr. Kerry Weaver, the skilled chief of the ER with an abrasive exterior and a physical disability. She was added to the main cast in the third season. In 2001, her character came out as gay during the seventh season. She received two Emmy Award nominations for her role, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards with the ''ER'' ensemble cast, and has received five nominations for Best Supporting Actress from Viewers For Quality Television. Innes also directed a number of episodes of the series, and episodes of ''Brothers & Sisters'', ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'', ''House'' and ''The West Wing'', one of which earned her an Emmy nomination for directing.

In January 2007, Innes left ''ER'' in the middle of the thirteenth season. Having appeared in a total of 249 episodes, she is the second longest-serving cast member in the show's history (behind Noah Wyle who appeared in 254 episodes). From 2008 to 2009, Innes returned to ''ER'' during its 15th and final season for two episodes including the series finale "And in the End...". Innes' films include the blockbuster science fiction disaster film ''Deep Impact'' (1998) and the comedy ''Can't Stop Dancing'' (1999) with her former ''ER'' co-star Noah Wyle.

On May 7, 2010, NBC announced that Innes would be co-starring in the short-lived science fiction/mystery/action/thriller drama ''The Event'' as Sophia, "the leader of a mysterious group of detainees" with Lisa Vidal, who played Kerry Weaver's wife, Sandy Lopez, in the eighth, ninth and tenth seasons of ''ER''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2010/05/07/nbc-picks-up-three-new-series-for-2010-11-season-with-the-event-outsourced-and-love-bites/20100507nbc01| title=NBC Picks Up Three New Series for 2010–11 Season with "The Event", "Outsourced", and "Love Bites"| date=May 7, 2010| website=The Futon Critic| access-date=May 16, 2010}}</ref> In 2012, she co-starred as Police Captain Tricia Harper in the short-lived NBC fantasy police procedural drama ''Awake''.<ref name=Stanhope2012>{{citation| title=ER Alum Laura Innes Joins NBC's Awake| url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/laura-innes-awake-1037120/| date=September 8, 2011| author=Stanhope, Kate| journal=TV Guide| access-date=2012-03-06}}</ref>

==Personal life== Innes's first fiancé, actor David Bell, was murdered in December 1980.<ref>{{cite news| last=Simon| first=Roger| newspaper=Des Moines Tribune| date=January 8, 1981| title=Hollywood Story: A little old lady, a gun and a death| url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/325140765/?terms=Actor%2C%20small%20part%20in%20Quincy%2C%20shot%20by%20woman&match=1| accessdate=2 September 2021}}</ref>

In 2006, Innes told the ''Daily Mirror'' that ten years of portraying Dr. Weaver's limp had caused her to experience the early stages of actual spinal damage ("the bottom of my spine is starting to curve on one side from 10 years of raising my hip"), and as a consequence, ''ER''{{'}}s producers introduced a plot arc in which Weaver's disorder was surgically corrected.<ref name=Spine>[https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2006/10/26/Innes-ER-role-damaged-my-spine/66421161906050/ "Innes: 'ER' role damaged my spine"]. ''United Press International''. October 26, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2020.</ref>

==Charity work== Innes is an advocate for the disabled community, utilizing her role as a director to help employ disabled people. She is a supporter of the Performers with Disabilities Committee, which is associated with the Screen Actors Guild.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=http://abilitymagazine.com/Laura_Innes.html| magazine=Ability| title=Laura Innes — From Acting to Calling Action!| date=March 2008| first1=Chet| last1=Cooper| first2=Pamela| last2=Johnson| access-date=2023-05-23| df=mdy}}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 1978 || ''The Fury'' || Jody || |- | 1986 || ''The Stiller and Meara Show'' || Krissy Bender Marino || TV movie |- | 1989 || ''Jacob Have I Loved'' || Mrs. Rice || TV movie |- | 1993 || ''Telling Secrets'' || Angelyn Graham || TV movie |- | 1993 || ''Torch Song'' || Ronnie || TV movie |- | 1993 || ''And the Band Played On'' || Hemophiliac Representative || TV movie |- | 1995 || ''See Jane Run'' || Mrs. Klinger || TV movie |- | 1995 || ''Just Like Dad'' || Rose || TV movie |- | 1998 || ''Deep Impact'' || Beth Stanley || |- | 1999 || ''Can't Stop Dancing'' || Landlady || |- | 1999 || ''The Price of a Broken Heart'' || Lynn || TV movie |- | 2001 || ''Taking Back Our Town'' || Pat Melancon || TV movie |- | 2012 || ''Model Minority'' || Judge Keaton || |- | 2016 || ''The Good Neighbor'' || Caroline Grainey || |- | 2017 || ''Please Stand By'' || Ticket Agent #1 || |}

===Television=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | 1989-1991 || ''Hey Dude'' || Mrs. Freeman/Miss Andrews || Recurring role, 2 episodes |- | 1991–1993 || ''Wings'' || Bunny Mather || Recurring role, 4 episodes |- | 1993 || ''Bakersfield P.D.'' || Darcy Wilks || Episode: "The Imposter" |- | 1994 || ''The Good Life'' || Actress || Episode: "Maureen's Play" |- | 1994 || ''Party of Five'' || Liz || Episode: "Homework" |- | 1995 || ''My So-Called Life'' || Cheryl Fleck || Episode: "Weekend" |- | 1995–2007, 2008, 2009 || ''ER'' || Dr. Kerry Weaver || Series regular, 249 episodes Recurring cast (season 2) Main cast (seasons 3–13, 15) Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1997–99) Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1997–98) Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2000–01) Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series (1998, 2000) Directed 12 episodes |- | 1996 || ''The Louie Show'' || Sandy Sincic || Recurring role, 6 episodes |- | 1997 || ''Rugrats'' || Dr. Brander || Episode: "The Smell of Success" |- | 2010–2011 || ''The Event'' || Sophia Maguire || Series regular, 21 episodes |- | 2012 || ''Awake'' || Captain Tricia Harper || Series regular, 9 episodes |- | 2012 || ''Warehouse 13'' || Emma Jinks || Episode: "Second Chance" |- | 2017–2018|| ''Colony'' || Karen Brun || Recurring role |- | rowspan="2" |2017–2019 |''Sneaky Pete'' | |Directed four episodes |- |''Mr. Mercedes'' | |Directed three episodes |- | 2018–2020 ||''How to Get Away with Murder'' || Governor Lynne Birkhead || Recurring role; seasons 5 & 6; eight episodes. Directed eight episodes. |- |2020 |''The George Lucas Talk Show'' |Herself |''Stu-D2 1138 on the Binary Sunset Sith'' (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip marathon) |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{IMDb name|0005041}} * {{IBDB name}} * {{iobdb name|10588}}

Category:20th-century American actresses Category:21st-century American actresses Category:American film actresses Category:American television actresses Category:American television directors Category:American women television directors Category:Living people Category:1957 births