The bestLaura Dernmovies and TV shows highlight why theJurassic Parkstar is so highly regarded, and showcase just how critically acclaimed she’s become over her decades-long career. Born in L.A. in 1967, Laura Dern has been an active presence on screens since the early 1970s, though her first credited role didn’t come until 1980 when she played the part of Debbie in director Adrian Lyne’s coming-of-age dramaFoxes.
Over the decades since, Laura Dern has taken on dozens of highly acclaimed and celebrated roles, becoming an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Primetime Emmy-winning actress. While many viewers know her most for playing Dr. Ellie Sattlerin theJurassic Parkfranchise, her range is much wider than portraying an awestruck paleontologist who finds herself face-to-face with living dinosaurs. The best Laura Dern movies and TV shows highlight just how talented she truly is, and why she’s one of the most celebrated actresses working today as far as many critics are concerned.
F Is for Family
Cast
Created by Bill Burr and Michael Price, Netflix’s 2D-animated sitcom F is For Family revolves around Frank, Susan, Kevin, William, and Maureen, the dysfunctional Murphy family who tries to survive the hardships of 1970s rural America in the fictional town of Rustvale, Pennsylvania. The series, inspired by Burr’s childhood, received five seasons from 2015 to 2021.
While voice acting hasn’t played a prominent part of her career, her role in the 2015-2021 animated Netflix comedyF is for Familyis more than deserving of a place among the best Laura Dern movies and TV shows. Co-starringalongside comedian Bill Burr,F is for Familyfocuses on the Murphy family in the 1970s. It’s an incredibly well-crafted slice of social satire and critical comedy on the modern era, and many of these themes are explored through Laura Dern’s character, Sue.
Dern gives an exceptional vocal performance as Susan, the aspiring entrepreneur who finds her dreams and ambitions constantly held back both by the glass ceiling and the backward beliefs of her husband, Frank (Burr).While it’s not her most acclaimed role, it’s still one of the strongest performances Laura Dern has given - and among the most subtle - and should be considered essential viewing for her fans.
Blue Velvet
Written and directed by David Lynch, Blue Velvet is a 1986 Thriller and Mystery film. Starring Kyle MacLachlan and Isabella Rossellini, the film follows a young man that becomes embroiled in a crime.
1986’sBlue Velvetwas one of the earliest movies in the career of legendary director David Lynch and his frequent collaboratorKyle MacLachlan ofTwin Peaksfame. It also marks the best movie or TV show appearance from Laura Dern’s earlier career, as her appearance as Sandy Williams was only her 6th credited role in a feature film. It was also an early indicator of the success she’d soon come to enjoy, as critics praised her performance and she was nominated for Best Female Lead at the 1987 Independent Spirit Awards.
Laura Dern gives a memorable performance as Sandy Williams, the daughter of police detective John Williams. Sandy becomes the romantic interest for MacLachlan’s Jeffrey Beaumont, and soon finds herself caught up in a bizarre criminal case alongside him.It’s among the most violent films Laura Dern has appeared in so far, and its many dark moments ensure thatBlue Velvetwill forever stand out among her best movies.
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We Don’t Live Here Anymore
We Don’t Live Here Anymore follows married couple Jack and Terry Linden through relational turmoil as Jack engages in an affair with Edith, the wife of his best friend, Hank Evans. This infidelity triggers a reciprocal relationship between Terry and Hank, threatening the stability of both marriages and friendships.
Director John Curran’s 2004 dramaWe Don’t Live Here Anymoreadapts the short story of the same name alongsideAdultery,both written by author Andre Dubus. One of the best Laura Dern movies from the 2000s saw herstar alongside Mark Ruffalo, Peter Krause, and Naomi Watts, and her role as Terry Linden marks one of the most grounded and relatable of her career.
The story ofWe Don’t Live Here Anymoreexplores a failing marriage and extramarital affairs. Laura Dern has incredible chemistry with Mark Ruffalo as Terry’s husband, Jack, and Peter Krause as Hank Evans, the man with whom Terry has an affair. Like all of her best movies and TV shows,We Don’t Live Here Anymorebrought Laura Dern significant praise from critics, and saw her win the award for Best Supporting Actress from the Boston Society of Film Critics the year the movie was released.
Little Women
The seventh film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel, Greta Gerwig’s Little Women details the coming-of-age story of the March sisters, four young women living in Concord, Massachusetts during the American Civil War. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as Jo March, with Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, and Eliza Scanlen playing Amy, Meg, and Beth respectively. The film received critical acclaim upon its release and garnered six nominations and one win at the 92nd Academy Awards.
2019’sLittle WomenisBarbiedirector Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of the renowned 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott, which has been brought to screens several times over the last few decades. The2019 version featured an all-star ensemble castwhich, alongside Laura Dern, also included Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Meryl Streep, and Timothee Chalamet, among others. The film was received with huge acclaim, being nominated for a staggering 144 awards of which it won 51.
The praise heaped on the 2019 adaptation ofLittle Womenincluded recognition of the strong performance of Laura Dern as Marmee March, the mother of the March sisters on whom the story focuses. Critics lauded Dern’s appearance, andshe received awards for Best Supporting Actress from the National Society of Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Circle for her role in the coming-of-age period drama.
2018’sThe Taleis one of several direct-to-TV movies Laura Dern has appeared in throughout her career, and the HBO original is without a doubt her best work in this format. Directed by Jennifer Fox, who Dern plays in the movie itself,The Taleis a true story adapting Fox’s own experience of child sexual abuse and her attempts to overcome the trauma from it in later life.
Given the incredibly heavy subject matter, it’s no surprise that her performance as Jennifer Fox inThe Talemarks one of the most emotionally intense of Laura Dern’s career.Few other roles she’s taken on showcase her range as an actor quite as well, and this is reflected by the accolades she received for the HBO movie. These include nominations for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture - Television, a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Actress in a Movie/Miniseries, and a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie.
Big Little Lies
Big Little Lies is a television drama from 2017 based on Liane Moriarty’s novel. It features three mothers of first-graders in Monterey, California, whose seemingly idyllic lives begin to deteriorate amid secrets, lies, and a mysterious murder investigation intertwining their personal narratives.
Several of Laura Dern’s best TV shows were HBO originals, and among the strongest is the 2017-2019 black comedy dramaBig Little Lies.Created by David E. Kelley,Big Little Liesadapts the 2014 novel of the same name by Liane Moriarty. Laura Dern appears as part of an ensemble cast that also includes the likes of Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, and Zoe Kravitz, with Alexander Skarsgård, Meryl Streep, and Kathryn Newton also appearing. The series focuses on a group of five women (including Laura Dern’s Renata Klein) who find themselves tied up in a homicide investigation.
Dern’s performance as Renata received an incredible amount of praise, especially when it came to the chemistry she shared with many of her co-stars.Among the accoladesBig Little Liesbrought her are a Golden Globe win for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made For Television, A Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, and a Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Movie/Miniseries.
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2014’sWildis the biographical adventure drama from director Jean-Marc Vallée and screenwriter Nick Hornby (the British author also known for novels likeHigh FidelityandAbout a Boy).It’s one of several entries among the best Laura Dern movies that saw her receive recognition at the Academy Awards, securing her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress (as well as a Best Actress nod forco-star Reece Witherspoon).
The incredibly grounded yet awe-inspiring story ofWildis adapted from the memoir of author Cheryl Strayed titledWild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.Witherspoon plays Cheryl Strayed in the movie, with Laura Dern playing her mother, Barbara “Bobbi” Grey. It’s an incredibly emotional role, as Bobbi’s death is the catalyst for Strayed’s decision to hike 2,650 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail, and the flashbacks Dern features in are among the strongest scenes of her career.
The 2011 to 2013 HBO comedy-dramaEnglIghtenedstands out among the best Laura Dern movies and TV shows not only because of her performance as central character Alice Jellicoe, but also because she co-created the series alongside Mike White. The series focuses on Dern’s Alice who returns to her former employer following a mental breakdown. However, she is demoted from her former position, and this leads her to consider whistleblowing about their many illicit activities.
Like many of the strongest entries among her best TV and movie roles,Enlightenedbrought Laura Dern significant critical acclaim and multiple accolades.These included a Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy in 2012, and a Primetime Emmy nomination for Oustanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series the same year.
Marriage Story
Directed by Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story follows Charlie and Nicole Barber, a theater director and his actress wife, through the dramatic disintegration of their marriage and subsequent divorce. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson star as Charlie and Nicole, with a further cast that includes Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta.
The 2019 dramaMarriage Story,from director Noah Baumbach, is one of the most authentic and grounded portrayals of divorce ever put to screen. While the cast was led by Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson as the central couple in the narrative, Laura Dern also featured in a supporting role as Nora Fanshaw, the lawyer of Scarlett Johansson’s Nicole Barber.
Despite not being one half ofthe coupleMarriage Storyfocused on, the role of Nora afforded Laura Dern plenty of screentime, and her excellent performance ensuredMarriage Storywill forever be counted among her best movies.Dern received multiple accolades for the film too, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe in the same category in 2020.
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park is a science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on Michael Crichton’s novel. Released in 1993, it follows a wealthy entrepreneur who creates a theme park with living dinosaurs. When security systems fail, experts and visitors experience the perilous reality of the park.
While it’s not her most critically acclaimed role, it’s hard to deny that the best Laura Dern movie is 1993’sJurassic Park,in which she played theenthusiastic paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler. No film or TV show Dern has been cast in has had anywhere near the cultural impact of Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed dinosaur epic, which was the highest-grossing movie of all time untilTitanicreleased 4 years later in 1997.
Laura Dern would go on to reprise the role of Ellie in 2001’sJurassic Park IIIand 2022’sJurassic World Dominion.What’s more, she was also nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Film Lead Actress in 1994 for her performance.It’s inarguably the role that defined her career and helped launch to the stardom she currently enjoys, and no other entry in her broad filmography on the big or small screens is more deserving of the title of bestLaura Dernmovie or TV show.
