Lauren Ambrose

Lauren Ambrose

Ambrose looking toward the camera

Ambrose in 2000
Born Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso
(1978-02-20) February 20, 1978
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
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. She is known for her television roles as Claire Fisher in Six Feet Under (2001–2005), for which she won two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and as Jilly Kitzinger in Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011). Her film credits include Can't Hardly Wait (1998) and Psycho Beach Party (2000).

Early life

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

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 Eugène 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]

Ambrose is the lead singer of Lauren Ambrose and the Leisure Class, a ragtime dixieland jazz band formed in 2009. They have performed several times at Joe's Pub and charity events.[6]

Personal life

Ambrose has been married to professional photographer Sam Handel[7] of Needham, MA since September 2001. They have two children.[8][9][10]

Filmography

Film

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
2004 Admissions Evie Brighton
2006 Diggers Zoey
2007 Starting Out in the Evening Heather Wolfe
2009 Dog Year, AA Dog Year Emma
2009 Loving Leah Leah Lever Television movie
2009 Cold Souls Stephanie
2009 Where the Wild Things Are KW
2009 Tonight at Noon Mae
2009 Other Woman, TheThe Other Woman Mindy
2011 Grassroots Emily Bowen
2011 I'm Coming Over Greta Short film
2011 Weekends at Bellevue Ellie Harlow Television movie
2011 About Sunny Angela
2012 Sleepwalk with Me Abby
2012 Wanderlust Almond
2012 River, TheThe River Maria Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Law & Order Jessica Episode: "Skin Deep"
1993 Law & Order Maureen McKinnon Episode: "Pride and Joy"
1995 State, TheThe State Audience Member Episode: "3.10"
1998 Law & Order Valerie Maxwell Episode: "Damaged"
1999 Party of Five Myra Wringler 5 episodes
2001–05 Six Feet Under Claire Fisher 63 episodes
2008 Return of Jezebel James, TheThe Return of Jezebel James Coco Tompkins 6 episodes
2011 Torchwood: Miracle Day Jilly Kitzinger 7 episodes
2012 Coma Susan Wheeler 2 episodes
2013 Robot Chicken Anita Radcliffe / Natasha Fatale Episode: "Papercut to Aorta"
2013 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Vanessa Mayer 2 episodes
2014 Deliverance Creek Belle Gatlin Barlow
2015 Dig Debbie Morgan 7 episodes
2016 The X-Files Special Agent Einstein 2 episodes

Other work

Year Title Role Notes
2007 The Darkness Jenny Romano Video game
Across The Universe Narrator Audiobook

Award and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
2002 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Six Feet Under Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Drama Actress Nominated
2003 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Won
2004 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Won
2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2009 Satellite Awards Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Loving Leah Nominated
2012 Independent Spirit Awards Best Supporting Female About Sunny Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Supporting Actress on Television Torchwood: Miracle Day Nominated

References

  1. JOHNSON, MALCOLM (June 26, 2007). "TIMELESS TRAGEDY OF LOVE". www.courant.com Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
  2. Windy City Times. "Windy City Times - Interview: Six Feet Under's Lauren Ambrose". Windycitymediagroup.com. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  3. Public Theater - Shakespeare in the Park
  4. Hibberd, James. "'Six Feet Under' star Lauren Ambrose joins 'Torchwood' -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  5. Goldberg, Matt (February 29, 2012). "Saturn Award Nominations Announced; HUGO and HARRY POTTER Lead with 10 Nominations Each". Collider.com. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  6. Schulman, Michael (November 13, 2009). "Lauren Ambrose's Jazz Habit". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  7. "main". Samhandel.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  8. Alison Singh Gee. "Six Feet Under's Lauren Ambrose Has a Boy". People.
  9. T.L. Stanley (August 25, 2012). "Lauren Ambrose in fully engaged in 'Coma' on A&E". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  10. 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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.