Lara Flynn Boyle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lara Flynn Boyle
Boyle at the 1990 Primetime Emmy Awards
Born	(1970-03-24) March 24, 1970 (age 55) Davenport, Iowa, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	John Patrick Dee III ​ ​ (m. 1996; div. 1998)​ Donald Ray Thomas II ​ (m. 2006)​
Relatives	Charles A. Boyle (grandfather)

Lara Flynn Boyle (born March 24, 1970) is an American actress. She is famous for her role as Donna Hayward in the TV show Twin Peaks (1990–1991). She also appeared in the comedy movie Wayne's World (1992) and played the bad guy, Serleena, in Men in Black II (2002). From 1997 to 2003, she starred in the ABC series The Practice, which earned her an Emmy Award nomination.

Early Life and Education

Lara Flynn Boyle was born in Davenport, Iowa. Her mother, Sally Flynn, worked in an office. Lara's grandfather was Charles A. Boyle, who was a U.S. Representative. She has Irish, German, and Italian family roots. She was named after a character in the book Doctor Zhivago.

When Lara was six, her father left, and she and her mother moved to a smaller home. Around this time, she found out she had dyslexia, which is a learning difference that can make reading harder. She grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and Wisconsin. She later graduated from The Chicago Academy for the Arts.

Acting Career Highlights

Lara Flynn Boyle and Kyle MacLachlan at the Emmy Awards in 1991

In 1986, Lara Boyle got a small part in the teen comedy movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Even though her scenes were cut from the final movie, this role helped her get her SAG card, which means she could work as a professional actor. After this, she had supporting roles in the TV miniseries Amerika (1987) and made guest appearances on shows like Jack and Mike (1987).

Lara Boyle then got a main role in the horror movie Poltergeist III (1988). In 1989, she became well-known around the world when director David Lynch chose her to play Donna Hayward in the TV series Twin Peaks (1990–1991). The show was about solving the murder of a high school student named Laura Palmer. Lara's character, Donna, was Laura's best friend and tried to find out who killed her.

Twin Peaks first aired on April 8, 1990, on ABC. It quickly became one of the most popular shows of 1990. Lara Boyle appeared in all 30 episodes of the series. She once said that David Lynch gave her unusual but helpful advice, like telling her to "Think of how gently a deer has to move in the snow…" for a scene. She felt that working on Twin Peaks was like being part of "a piece of heaven."

While working on Twin Peaks, Lara Boyle also starred in other movies. She played Sarah in Clint Eastwood's action film The Rookie (1990) and Mara Motes in the crime film Mobsters (1991).

When a movie version of Twin Peaks was planned, Lara Boyle was asked to play Donna Hayward again in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). However, she couldn't do it because she was busy with other movies at the time. These included Where the Day Takes You, the comedy Wayne's World, and the crime drama Equinox. Another actress, Moira Kelly, took her place in the Twin Peaks movie.

In 1993, Lara Boyle starred in the thriller movie The Temp. She also played Suzanne Brown in the film Red Rock West alongside famous actors Nicolas Cage and Dennis Hopper.

In 1997, Lara Boyle got a big role as Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in the TV series The Practice. She starred in this show until 2003. For her acting as Helen Gamble, she was nominated for an Emmy Award. She also appeared as Helen Gamble in an episode of Ally McBeal.

In 2002, Lara Boyle played the main villain, an alien named Serleena, in the big movie Men in Black II. Later, in 2005, she joined the cast of Las Vegas for several episodes, playing a new hotel owner named Monica Mancuso.

After a five-year break from acting, she returned in 2020 to star as Grace in the film Death in Texas.

Personal Life

Lara Boyle was in a relationship with her Twin Peaks co-star Kyle MacLachlan from 1990 to 1992. She has been married two times. Her first husband was John Patrick Dee III. They married in 1996 and divorced two years later. Her second husband is Donald Ray Thomas II, a real estate investor. They married on December 18, 2006, in San Antonio, Texas.

Film Roles

Television Roles

Images for kids

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  Lara Flynn Boyle and Kyle MacLachlan at the Governor's Ball after the 1990 Emmy Awards

See also

In Spanish: Lara Flynn Boyle para niños