Laura Innes
Encyclopedia
Laura Elizabeth Innes is an American actress and director
, probably best known for her role as Dr. Kerry Weaver
on ER
, and most recently, as Sophia on the NBC
thriller The Event
.
in Stratford, Ontario
. Following his advice to "do what you love", she attended Northwestern University
where she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega
sorority and earned a degree in theater.
Her first stage credits were in Chicago
at the renowned 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 played the young daughter of Jerry Stiller
and Anne Meara
in the short-lived television sitcom The Stiller and Meara Show
, but the series was canceled within a few weeks. In 1989, Innes played the character of Miss Andrews in the second season of the Nickelodeon TV show "Hey Dude
" episode 7, "Teacher's Pest." She also made an appearance in the same series in episode 57 called "Baby" as the clueless Mrs. Fleeman. In the 1990s, Innes guest-starred on television series such as Party of Five
, My So-Called Life
, and Brooklyn Bridge
and appeared in the Emmy-winning cable movie And the Band Played On
before being cast in her first major TV role as Thomas Haden Church
's promiscuous ex-wife Bunny on the NBC
comedy series Wings from 1991-1993.
In the fall of 1995, she joined the hit NBC
medical drama ER
in its second season, where she was cast as the skilled but abrasive Dr. Kerry Weaver
. Her recurring role led her to become a series regular at the start of the 3rd season. In 2001, her character, who had a physical disability, came out of the closet. She received two Emmy Award
nominations for her portrayal, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards
as part of the “ER” ensemble, and has received five nominations for Best Supporting Actress from Viewers For Quality Television
. Innes also directed several episodes of the series, as well as episodes of Brothers & Sisters, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
, House
, The West Wing, one of which earned her an Emmy nomination for directing.
In January 2007, Innes left ER
after twelve seasons, becoming the longest serving cast member in the show's history (Noah Wyle
, however, appeared in slightly more episodes). In 2008-2009, Innes returned to ER during its 15th and final season for two episodes including the series finale. In film, Innes has co-starred in the blockbuster film Deep Impact
and, with former ER castmate Noah Wyle
, in Can't Stop Dancing
.
On May 7, 2010, NBC announced that Innes would be appearing in the new action drama The Event
as Sophia, "the leader of a mysterious group of detainees", alongside Lisa Vidal
, who played Kerry Weaver's lover in ER
.
, the youngest daughter of six children to Laurette and Robert Innes, a tool and die company executive. Her first fiance was murdered in the early eighties. A few years after the murder, she married actor David Brisbin
and, in 1990, gave birth to their son, Cal. They have since adopted another child, Mia Luna, from China.
Innes is close friends with Megan Mullally
and with former ER co-star Maura Tierney
.
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
, probably best known for her role as Dr. Kerry Weaver
Kerry Weaver
Dr. Kerry Weaver, portrayed by Laura Innes, was an fictional character on the NBC television series ER; she first appeared as a recurring character actor in season 2, and became a regular cast member in season 3. In January 2007, Innes left the show after 12 years and Kerry Weaver moved to...
on ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, and most recently, as Sophia on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
thriller The Event
The Event (TV series)
The Event is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. The show was created by Nick Wauters, and premiered on NBC on September 20, 2010...
.
Career
Innes was introduced to professional theater by her father, who frequently took the family to the Stratford Festival of CanadaStratford Festival of Canada
The Stratford Shakespeare Festival is an internationally recognized annual celebration of theatre running from April to November in the Canadian city of Stratford, Ontario...
in Stratford, Ontario
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
. Following his advice to "do what you love", she attended Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
where she was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
sorority and earned a degree in theater.
Her first stage credits were in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
at the renowned Goodman Theatre
Goodman Theatre
The Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
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
Eric Stoltz
Eric Hamilton Stoltz is an American actor, director and producer. He is widely known for playing the role of Rocky Dennis in the biographical drama film Mask, which earned him the nomination for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
at Lincoln Center, Our Town
Our Town
Our Town is a three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder. It is a character story about an average town's citizens in the early twentieth century as depicted through their everyday lives...
at the Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle Repertory Theatre is a major regional theatre located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and Theatre Communications Group. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Jerry Manning and Managing Director Benjamin Moore...
, and Three Sisters
Three Sisters (play)
Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
at the La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. -Background:...
in San Diego.
In 1986, Innes played the young daughter of Jerry Stiller
Jerry Stiller
Gerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
and Anne Meara
Anne Meara
Anne Meara is an American actress and comedian. She and Jerry Stiller were a prominent 1960s comedy team, appearing as Stiller and Meara, and are the parents of actor/comedian Ben and actress Amy Stiller.- Personal life :...
in the short-lived television sitcom The Stiller and Meara Show
The Stiller and Meara Show
The Stiller and Meara Show is a 1986 television sitcom featuring the comedy duo Stiller and Meara as the deputy mayor of New York and his wife, a TV commercial actress...
, but the series was canceled within a few weeks. In 1989, Innes played the character of Miss Andrews in the second season of the Nickelodeon TV show "Hey Dude
Hey Dude
Hey Dude is an American Western comedy series that aired from 1989 to 1991. The show was broadcast on the Nickelodeon network, and currently airs reruns on Teen Nick...
" episode 7, "Teacher's Pest." She also made an appearance in the same series in episode 57 called "Baby" as the clueless Mrs. Fleeman. In the 1990s, Innes guest-starred on television series such as Party of Five
Party of Five
Party of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation...
, My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life
My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the...
, and Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge (TV series)
Brooklyn Bridge is an American television program which aired on CBS between 1991 and 1993. It is about a Jewish American family living in Brooklyn in the middle 1950s...
and appeared in the Emmy-winning cable movie And the Band Played On
And the Band Played On
And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic is a nonfiction book written by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Randy Shilts, published in 1987...
before being cast in her first major TV role as Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church
Thomas Haden Church is an American actor. After co-starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings, Church became well known for his film roles, including his Academy Award-nominated performance in Sideways and his role as the Sandman in Spider-Man 3.-Early life:Church, the fourth of six children, was born...
's promiscuous ex-wife Bunny on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy series Wings from 1991-1993.
In the fall of 1995, she joined the hit NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
medical drama ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
in its second season, where she was cast as the skilled but abrasive Dr. Kerry Weaver
Kerry Weaver
Dr. Kerry Weaver, portrayed by Laura Innes, was an fictional character on the NBC television series ER; she first appeared as a recurring character actor in season 2, and became a regular cast member in season 3. In January 2007, Innes left the show after 12 years and Kerry Weaver moved to...
. Her recurring role led her to become a series regular at the start of the 3rd season. In 2001, her character, who had a physical disability, came out of the closet. She received two Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nominations for her portrayal, as well as three Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
as part of the “ER” ensemble, and has received five nominations for Best Supporting Actress from Viewers For Quality Television
Viewers For Quality Television
Viewers for Quality Television was an American nonprofit organization founded in 1984 to advocate network television series that members of the organization voted to be of the "highest quality." The group's goal was to rescue "...critically acclaimed programs from cancellation despite their...
. Innes also directed several episodes of the series, as well as episodes of Brothers & Sisters, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was an American dramedy television series created and written by Aaron Sorkin. It ran for 22 episodes.The series takes place behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show on the fictional television network NBS , whose format is similar to that of NBC's...
, House
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
, The West Wing, one of which earned her an Emmy nomination for directing.
In January 2007, Innes left ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
after twelve seasons, becoming the longest serving cast member in the show's history (Noah Wyle
Noah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
, however, appeared in slightly more episodes). In 2008-2009, Innes returned to ER during its 15th and final season for two episodes including the series finale. In film, Innes has co-starred in the blockbuster film Deep Impact
Deep Impact (film)
Deep Impact is a 1998 science-fiction disaster-drama film released by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks in the United States on May 8, 1998. The film was directed by Mimi Leder and stars Robert Duvall, Elijah Wood, Téa Leoni, and Morgan Freeman...
and, with former ER castmate Noah Wyle
Noah Wyle
Noah Strausser Speer Wyle is an American film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. John Truman Carter III in the Medical drama ER. He has also played Steve Jobs in the 1999 docudrama Pirates of Silicon Valley and Flynn Carsen in The Librarian franchise...
, in Can't Stop Dancing
Can't Stop Dancing
Can't Stop Dancing is a 1999 feature length film written and directed by Steven Falick and Ben Zook and starring Ben Zook.-Plot:Randy Rubio, a leader of a small-time dance troupe, learns that their fifteen-year run at a Kansas theme park is coming to an end...
.
On May 7, 2010, NBC announced that Innes would be appearing in the new action drama The Event
The Event (TV series)
The Event is an American television series containing elements of science fiction, action/adventure and political allegory. The show was created by Nick Wauters, and premiered on NBC on September 20, 2010...
as Sophia, "the leader of a mysterious group of detainees", alongside Lisa Vidal
Lisa Vidal
Lisa Vidal is an American film and television actress.-Early years:Vidal was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of Josie, a secretary, and Manny Vidal, a tax consultant and businessman. Her parents moved from Puerto Rico and settled in Manhattan, New York, where Vidal and her two...
, who played Kerry Weaver's lover in ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
.
Personal life
Innes was born and raised in Pontiac, MichiganPontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
, the youngest daughter of six children to Laurette and Robert Innes, a tool and die company executive. Her first fiance was murdered in the early eighties. A few years after the murder, she married actor David Brisbin
David Brisbin
David Brisbin is an American television actor who gained fame as Mr. Ernst on the television show Hey Dude and as a newscaster in Forrest Gump. He has made frequent guest appearances on ER....
and, in 1990, gave birth to their son, Cal. They have since adopted another child, Mia Luna, from China.
Innes is close friends with Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally
Megan Mullally is an American actress and singer.After working in the theatre in Chicago, Mullally moved to Los Angeles in 1985 and began to appear in supporting roles in film and television productions. She made her Broadway debut in Grease in 1994 and she has since appeared in several Broadway...
and with former ER co-star Maura Tierney
Maura Tierney
Maura Therese Tierney is an American film and television actress, who is best known for her roles as Lisa Miller on NewsRadio and Abby Lockhart on the television medical drama ER.-Early life:...
.