Laura Prepon | |
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Born | [1] Watchung, New Jersey, U.S. | March 7, 1980
Occupations |
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Years active | 1997–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 2 |
Relatives | Jon Foster (brother-in-law) |
Laura Prepon ( /ˈpriːpɒn/ PREE-pon; born March 7, 1980) is an American actress and television director. She rose to fame with her role as Donna Pinciotti in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006). She is also known for portraying Alex Vause in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). Prepon made her film debut in 2001 with the independent drama Southlander . Her other films include the romantic drama Come Early Morning (2006), the comedy Lay the Favorite (2012), the thriller The Girl on the Train (2016), and the drama The Hero (2017).
Prepon was born in Watchung, New Jersey. [1] She is the youngest of five children of Marjorie (née Coll), a high school teacher and gourmet home chef, and Michael Prepon, an orthopedic surgeon. [1] When Prepon was 13, her father died during heart surgery in 1993 at age 49. [2] She attended Watchung Hills Regional High School until she was 15, then studied at the Total Theatre Lab in New York City. [1] Her father was Jewish, of Russian Jewish descent, and her mother has mostly Irish Catholic ancestry. [3] [4] Her maternal great-great-great-grandfather was Union Army General Joseph Bradford Carr. [5]
Prepon appeared in plays such as A Woman of Property and Ascension Day while in New York. [1] In 1996, she studied drama with acting teacher Caroline Thomas at Thomas' Total Theatre Lab. [6] Later, in September 1997, she premiered on a Levi Strauss-developed show called They Go On , an Internet-based soap opera. [7] Prepon had also worked as a model and has done photo shoots in Paris, Milan, and Brazil. [1]
Prepon starred as Donna Pinciotti on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006. Donna became the girlfriend and next-door neighbor of Eric Forman (Topher Grace). Randy Pearson (Josh Meyers), who was introduced in the eighth and final season of the series, became Donna's third love interest after Grace left the series. Prepon attended film school while she worked on That '70s Show. [8]
Prepon co-starred in the college comedy Slackers (2002), about three best friends who are blackmailed for cheating their way through college. [9] She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2002 for her role in That '70s Show. [10] In 2001, she made her film debut in Steve Hanft's musical comedy-drama Southlander with Beck, Beth Orton and Hank Williams III, where she played Seven=Five, a young TV telepathic. In 2004, Prepon worked on the independent drama film The Pornographer: A Love Story. The film tells the story of an obsessive relationship between a director and an actress.
Prepon was named one of Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" in 2002 and one of Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" in 2005. [11] Prepon had a cameo voice appearance as a United Nations Space Command marine in Halo 2 , which was released in 2004. [12] Her first notable film role came in 2004 with the dark drama Lightning Bug with Bret Harrison, Kevin Gage and Ashley Laurence. Branching into other arenas than acting, Prepon also served as executive producer of the film.[ citation needed ] She also appeared on an episode of MTV's Cribs in 2003. [13]
In 2006, Prepon co-starred with Misha Collins in the psychological thriller Karla , based on the true story of Paul Bernardo and his wife Karla Homolka, a Canadian couple who kidnapped, sexually abused, and murdered three girls, marking a contrast to her usual lighthearted roles. [14] She was also an executive producer of E! Hollywood Hold'em the same year. [15] Prepon co-starred with Bryan Greenberg as Hannah Daniels in the ABC drama October Road , which debuted March 15, 2007. The show was canceled by ABC on May 12, 2008, despite strong ratings and a grassroots campaign from the show's fanbase to keep the show alive. In April 2007, she starred in a dramatic short film Once Upon a Time. She also appeared in the 2005 Oxygen romantic comedy Romancing the Bride . She also was the original voice for Hayley Smith on the Fox animated sitcom American Dad! and voiced her in an unaired pilot.[ citation needed ] She appeared as Lauren, the long-lost sister of Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack) in the USA Network mystery drama In Plain Sight in the episode "A Frond in Need". [16] On February 5, 2010, it was announced that Prepon signed on to star in Awkward Situations for Men, a pilot on ABC. [17] In 2009, Prepon appeared in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother as Karen, one of the girlfriends of Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), in the episode "Sorry, Bro". She reprised her role in the episodes "The Front Porch" in 2009 and "Say Cheese" in 2010. She also appeared in the Fox medical drama House M.D. in the episode "Private Lives". [18]
Prepon had been taking directing classes at the Art Center College of Design. She directed a short film, Abide with Me, about a 10-year-old boy who, "upon bearing witness to his father's murder, is rendered mute". Prepon stated she plans on making Abide with Me into a feature film. [19]
In early 2011, Prepon guest-starred in an episode of the ABC police procedural drama Castle as an actress studying for the role of Nikki Heat, a character created by Nathan Fillion's title character. [20] Prepon had been working on a web series, Neighbros, which she directed and edited, starring her then-boyfriend Scott Michael Foster. They had sold the series to Comedy Central. [21] [22] In February 2011, she was cast as the title character Chelsea Newman on the NBC sitcom Are You There, Chelsea? , based on Chelsea Handler's 2008 book Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea . [23] NBC premiered the show on January 11, 2012, [24] and canceled it on May 11, 2012. She guest-starred in the TBS sitcom Men at Work . [25] In mid-2012, Prepon signed on to co-star with Taylor Schilling in the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black , based on Piper Kerman's 2010 memoir Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison . She was cast as Alex Vause, a former drug importer and girlfriend of Piper Chapman (Schilling). The series premiered on July 11, 2013. [26] Prepon was a regular in the first season, but appeared in only four of the 13 episodes in the second season. She returned as a series regular in the third season. [27]
In 2016, Prepon and nutritionist Elizabeth Troy co-wrote The Stash Plan, a wellness book that draws on Prepon's experiences eating organic foods since she was a child, and her struggles with weight, low energy, and digestive issues. [28] [29] [30] The book debuted at No. 10 under "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous" on The New York Times Best Seller list. [31] Since publishing The Stash Plan, Prepon has expanded her cooking career, launching a line of kitchenware products called PrepOn Kitchen and regularly posting instructional videos online. [32]
In 2016, Prepon appeared in the psychological thriller The Girl on the Train , based on Paula Hawkins' novel of the same name. [33] In 2017, she played Charlotte opposite Sam Elliott in The Hero . [34] Prepon directed the tenth episode of Orange Is the New Black's fifth season, titled "The Reverse Midas Touch". [35] On April 30, 2022, it was announced that Prepon would have a guest appearance in the follow-up sitcom, That '90s Show . [36] That 90's Show debuted January 19, 2023 on Netflix.
Prepon was in a relationship with Christopher Masterson, Danny Masterson's brother, from 1999 to 2007. [37] [38] She later dated Scott Michael Foster for several years, but said in 2013 they had broken up. [39] [22]
In August 2017, Prepon gave birth to her and fiancé actor Ben Foster's daughter. [40] [41] Prepon and Foster married in June 2018. [42] Their second child, a son, was born in February 2020. [43] Ben Foster filed for divorce from Prepon on November 12, 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences”. [44]
Prepon became a Scientologist in 1999. [45] In 2021, she revealed that she had not practiced Scientology since 2016 and it was no longer a part of her life. [46]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | Pleasantville | Extra | |
2001 | Southlander | Seven Equals Five | |
2002 | Slackers | Reanna Cass | |
2004 | Lightning Bug | Angevin Duvet | Also executive producer |
2004 | The Pornographer: A Love Story [47] | ||
2006 | Karla | Karla Homolka | |
2006 | Come Early Morning | Kim | |
2007 | Once Upon a Time[ citation needed ] | The Witch | Short film |
2007 | The Chosen One | Rachel Cruz (voice) | |
2012 | Lay the Favorite | Holly | |
2012 | The Kitchen | Jennifer | |
2016 | The Girl on the Train | Cathy | |
2017 | The Hero | Charlotte Dylan |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1998–2006 | That '70s Show | Donna Pinciotti | Main role; 200 episodes |
2004 | King of the Hill | April (voice) | Episode: "Talking Shop" |
2005 | American Dad! | Hayley Smith (voice) | Unaired pilot |
2005 | Romancing the Bride | Melissa | Television film |
2007–2008 | October Road | Hannah Jane Daniels | Main role; 19 episodes |
2009–2010 | How I Met Your Mother | Karen | Guest role; 3 episodes, seasons 4 and 5 |
2009 | In Plain Sight | Lauren Hefferman | Episode: "A Frond in Need" |
2010 | Medium | Kira Hudack | Episode: "How to Beat a Bad Guy" |
2010 | House | Frankie | Episode: "Private Lives" |
2010 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Herself | Episode #2.9 |
2011 | Castle | Natalie Rhodes/Nikki Heat | Episode: "Nikki Heat" |
2011 | Love Bites | Alex | Episode: "Keep on Truckin'" |
2011 | The Killing Game | Eve Duncan | Television film |
2011 | Neighbros | L Boogie | Web series; director and editor |
2012 | Are You There, Chelsea? | Chelsea Newman | Main role; 12 episodes |
2012 | Men at Work | Hannah | Episode: "Plan B" |
2013–2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Alex Vause | Main role (season 1, 3–7), recurring role (season 2); 82 episodes Directed season 5, episode 10: "The Reverse Midas Touch", season 6, episode 11: "Well This Took a Dark Turn", season 7, episode 5: "Minority Deport" |
2023–2024 | That '90s Show | Donna Pinciotti-Forman | Guest role (7 episodes) Director (10 episodes) |
Year | Organization | Category | Work | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble | That '70s Show | Nominated | [48] |
Teen Choice Awards | TV – Breakout Performance | Nominated | |||
2002 | Teen Choice Awards | TV – Choice Actress, Comedy | Nominated | [49] | |
2014 | Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Orange Is the New Black | Won | [50] |
Best Cast – Television Series | Won | ||||
2016 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | [51] | |
2017 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Won | [52] | |
The Creative Coalition Spotlight Initiative Awards | — | — | Won | [53] [54] |
That '70s Show is an American television teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin from 1976 to 1979. The ensemble cast features Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon, Wilmer Valderrama, Lisa Robin Kelly, Debra Jo Rupp, Kurtwood Smith, Don Stark, Tommy Chong, and Tanya Roberts.
Christopher Kennedy Masterson is an American actor and disc jockey known best for his role as Francis on the Fox sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. He is the younger brother of actor Danny Masterson, and the older half-brother of Alanna Masterson and Jordan Masterson, who are also actors.
Justina Milagros Machado is an American actress. She began her career playing secondary roles on television and film before starring as Vanessa Diaz in the HBO comedy-drama series, Six Feet Under (2001—05), for which she received Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Machado later starred in the short-lived series Missing, Three Rivers and Welcome to the Family and was a regular cast member in the first season of the USA Network crime drama Queen of the South.
John Allen McDorman IV is an American actor best known for the 2014 film American Sniper and starring on television shows such as CBS' Limitless (2015–2016) and the Disney+ historical drama The Right Stuff as Alan Shepard. He is also well known for his roles on the ABC Family comedy-drama Greek (2007–2011), the fourth season of the Showtime comedy-drama Shameless (2014), the revival season of the CBS sitcom Murphy Brown (2018), FX's What We Do in the Shadows (2019), and Peacock's sci-fi comedy drama series Mrs. Davis (2023).
Tiffany Cornilia Haddish is an American stand-up comedian and actress. Her breakthrough came in with a leading role in the comedy film Girls Trip (2017), which earned her several accolades and was included on The New Yorker's list of the best film performances of the 21st century. She was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine in 2018, and The Hollywood Reporter listed her among the 100 most powerful people in entertainment in both 2018 and 2019.
Taylor Jane Schilling is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Piper Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy and Best Actress – Television Series Drama. She made her film debut in the 2007 drama Dark Matter. She also starred as Nurse Veronica Flanagan Callahan in the short-lived NBC medical drama Mercy (2009–2010). Her other films include Atlas Shrugged: Part I (2011), the romantic drama The Lucky One (2012), the comedy Take Me (2017), and the science-fiction thriller The Titan (2018).
Orange Is the New Black is an American comedy-drama television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum security federal prison. Produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television, Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on July 11, 2013. Its seventh and final season was released on July 26, 2019.
Dorthea Lauren Allegra Lapkus is an American actress and comedian, known for portraying Susan Fischer in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black and Jess in the HBO comedy-drama series Crashing (2017–2019). She has also appeared in the television series Are You There, Chelsea? (2012), Hot in Cleveland (2012), Clipped (2015), The Big Bang Theory (2018–2019), and Good Girls (2020–2021) and in the films Jurassic World (2015), The Unicorn (2018), and The Wrong Missy (2020). She played the voice role of Lotta in the animated comedy series Harvey Girls Forever! (2018–2020).
The second season of the American comedy-drama television series Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on June 6, 2014, at 12:00 am PST in multiple countries. It consists of thirteen episodes, each between 51 and 60 minutes, with a 90-minute finale. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. The series is created and adapted for television by Jenji Kohan.
The first season of the American comedy-drama television series Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on July 11, 2013, at 12:00 am PST in multiple countries. It consists of thirteen episodes, each between 51–60 minutes. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. Created and adapted for television by Jenji Kohan. In July 2011, Netflix was in negotiations with Lionsgate for a 13-episode TV adaptation of Kerman's memoirs. The series began filming in the old Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center in Rockland County, New York, on March 7, 2013. The title sequence features photos of real former female prisoners including Kerman herself.
Selenis Leyva is an American actress. She began her career appearing in Off-Broadway productions and had supporting roles on television, before her breakthrough role as Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix comedy-drama series, Orange Is the New Black (2013–19). She later starred in the Disney+ comedy-drama series, Diary of a Future President (2020–21), and the NBC sitcom Lopez vs Lopez (2022–). Leyva also appeared in films Custody (2016), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Breaking (2022) and Creed III (2023).
Piper Elizabeth Chapman is the protagonist of the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. The character is based on Piper Kerman, author of the non-fiction book Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, upon which the series is based. Schilling was nominated for awards in both comedy and drama categories for this role.
The third season of the American comedy-drama television series Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on June 11, 2015, at 12:00 am PST in multiple countries. It consists of thirteen episodes, each between 53–60 minutes, with a 90-minute finale. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. The series is created and adapted for television by Jenji Kohan.
Alex Vause is a fictional character played by Laura Prepon on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black. The character is loosely based on the real ex-girlfriend of Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison. Before her arrest, Vause worked for an international drug cartel and was in a relationship with protagonist Piper Chapman, who once transported drug money for her during their travels. Vause is portrayed as the catalyst for Chapman's indictment. She is reunited with her ex-lover in federal prison, nearly a decade after the events that led to their breakup. Her relationship with Chapman is reignited, as they carry out a tumultuous love affair in prison. Vause is noted for her pragmatism, forthrightness, wit and veiled vulnerability. She is a main character in seasons one, three, four, five, six, and seven and a recurring character in season two.
The fifth season of the American comedy-drama television series Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on June 9, 2017, at 12:00 am PST in multiple countries. It consists of thirteen episodes, each between 51 and 60 minutes. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. The series is created and adapted for television by Jenji Kohan.
The seventh and final season of the American comedy-drama television series Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on July 26, 2019, at 12:00 am PDT in multiple countries. It consists of thirteen episodes, each between 55 and 89 minutes. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. The series was created and adapted for television by Jenji Kohan.
The fourth season of the American comedy-drama television series Orange Is the New Black premiered on Netflix on June 17, 2016, at 12:00 am PST in multiple countries. It consists of thirteen episodes, each between 54–60 minutes, with a 77-minute finale. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), about her experiences at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. The series is created and adapted for television by Jenji Kohan.
"Lesbian Request Denied" is the third episode of the first season of the American comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (OITNB), based on Piper Kerman's memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison (2010), regarding her time at FCI Danbury, a minimum-security federal prison. The episode was released on Netflix on July 11, 2013, along with the rest of the first season. It was written by Sian Heder, and is one of two OITNB episodes directed by actress and director Jodie Foster.