Lauren Ambrose facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lauren Ambrose
Ambrose in 2000
Born	(1978-02-20) February 20, 1978 (age 46) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Sam Handel ​ (m. 2001)​
Children	2

Lauren Ambrose (born February 20, 1978) is an American actress.

Ambrose gained recognition and critical acclaim for her starring role as Claire Fisher in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under (2001–2005), for which she was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She went on to star as Jilly Kitzinger in the BBC One science fiction series Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011), Dorothy Turner in the Apple TV+ psychological horror series Servant (2019–2023), and as the adult version of Vanessa "Van" Palmer in the Showtime drama thriller series Yellowjackets (2023–present).

Her film credits include In & Out (1997), Can't Hardly Wait (1998), Psycho Beach Party (2000), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), The Other Woman (2009), About Sunny (2011), Sleepwalk with Me (2012), and Wanderlust (2012).

Ambrose's stage credits include Buried Child (2004), Awake and Sing! (2006), and Exit the King (2009). She portrayed the lead role of Eliza Doolittle in the 2018 Lincoln Center Theater revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award and a Grammy Award, and won a Outer Critics Circle Award. She is also the lead singer of the ragtime band Lauren Ambrose and the Leisure Class.

Early life

Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso was born in New Haven, Connecticut on February 20, 1978. She is the daughter of Frank D'Ambruoso, a caterer and Anne (née Wachtel), an interior designer. She is of Italian descent on her father's side, and German, English, and Irish on her mother's. Ambrose attended Choate Rosemary Hall, Wilbur Cross High School, High School in the Community, and the ACES Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven as part of the class of 1996. She is also a trained opera singer who studied voice and opera at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.

Career

1990–1998: Career beginnings

Ambrose began her career in New York theater, starring in the Off-Broadway play Soulful Scream of a Chosen Son at the Vineyard Theatre from August to September 1990. ..... Her first film role was as Vicky Rayburn in the comedy In & Out (1997). She went on to have a prominent role as Denise Fleming in the high school comedy film Can't Hardly Wait (1998).

1999–2005: Breakthrough and Six Feet Under

In 1999, Ambrose had a recurring role as Myra Wringler in five episodes of the Fox teen drama series Party of Five.

She had a role as the ingenue lead, Florence "Chicklet" Forrest, in horror comedy film Psycho Beach Party (2000). That same year, she starred as Frankie Wheeler in the coming-of-age drama film Swimming.

Ambrose gained wider recognition and critical acclaim for her starring role as Claire Fisher in the HBO drama series Six Feet Under (2001–2005). For her performance, she was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Drama Actress. She also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series twice, from five nominations as a part of the ensemble cast.

In 2004, she starred as Shelly in the Royal National Theatre production of the play Buried Child.

2006–2017: Broadway debut

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. She appeared as Ophelia in the 2008 performance of Hamlet for Shakespeare in the Park. 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 the monster KW in Where the Wild Things Are, which was released in 2009. She also appeared in the 2009 Hallmark film "Loving Leah."

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". For her performance as Kitzinger, Ambrose received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress In Television.

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.

2018–present: Broadway return and Servant

In March 2018, Ambrose began a leading role as Eliza Doolittle in the Broadway revival of My Fair Lady at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre, directed by Bartlett Sher. For her performance, she received critical acclaim and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. She also won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.

In October 2018, Ambrose left My Fair Lady to take on the lead role as Dorothy Turner in the psychological horror series Servant, which was produced by M. Night Shyamalan and Tony Basgallop for Apple TV+. The series premiered in November 2019 and ended after four seasons in March 2023. For her performance in the series, she garnered a nomination for the Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actress in a Horror Series.

Ambrose has also narrated various audiobooks, most recently The Maid by Nita Prose in 2022.

In 2023, Ambrose began starring in the Showtime drama thriller series Yellowjackets, portraying the adult version of the character Vanessa "Van" Palmer.

Personal life

Ambrose has been married to professional writer Sam Handel since September 2001. They have two children.

Filmography

Film

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

List of Lauren Ambrose film credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	In & Out	Vicky Rayburn
1998	Can't Hardly Wait	Denise Fleming
	Summertime's Calling Me	Tami	Short film
2000	Swimming	Frankie Wheeler
	Psycho Beach Party	Florence "Chicklet" Forrest
2004	Admissions	Evie Brighton
2006	Diggers	Zoey
2007	Starting Out in the Evening	Heather Wolfe
2009	A Dog Year	Emma
	Cold Souls	Stephanie
	Where the Wild Things Are	KW (voice)
	The Other Woman	Mindy
2011	I'm Coming Over	Greta	Short film
	About Sunny	Angela	Also producer
2012	Sleepwalk with Me	Abby
	Wanderlust	Almond Cohen
	Grassroots	Emily Bowen
2013	The River	Maria	Short film
2018	Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People	Kate Davis
TBA	Caddo Lake	TBA

Television

Video games

Stage

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Lauren Ambrose para niños In Spanish: Lauren Ambrose para niños