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Laurie Holden
Laurie Holden 2023 Publicity Photo.jpg
Holden in 2023
Born
Heather Laurie Holden

(1969-12-17) December 17, 1969 (age 54)
Education McGill University
University of California, Los Angeles (BA)
Columbia University (MA)
Occupation Actress, Producer, Human rights activist
Years active 1980–present
Parent(s)
  • Adrienne Ellis (mother)
Relatives Michael Anderson (stepfather)

Heather Laurie Holden (born December 17, 1969) is a Canadian and American actress, producer, and human rights activist. She is best known for her portrayals as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files (1996–2002), Andrea Harrison in AMC's The Walking Dead (2010–2013, 2020–2022), and Amanda Dumfries in The Mist (2007).

Holden is also known for her roles as Adele Stanton in The Majestic (2001), Cybil Bennett in Silent Hill (2006), Amanda Dumfries in The Mist (2007), Olivia Murray in The Shield (2008), Renee in The Americans (2017–2018), and the Crimson Countess in Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (2021) and The Boys (2022).

Early life

Born in Los Angeles and raised in Toronto, Holden holds dual citizenship in the United States and Canada. After her parents, actors Glenn Corbett and Adrienne Ellis, divorced, her mother married director Michael Anderson. Laurie then split her time between Los Angeles and Toronto.

Holden received her first film role when she was a young child. While her stepfather was directing The Martian Chronicles, she visited him on the set. A child actress hired to play Rock Hudson's daughter never arrived, so Laurie filled in for her. As a teenager, she won the Look of the Year modeling contest in Toronto and was given a minor role as a babysitter in Anderson's comedy Separate Vacations (1986).

After graduating from the Bishop Strachan School, Holden attended McGill University, where she studied economics and political science. She transferred to University of California, Los Angeles and received a degree in theater and film in 1993. At UCLA, she was a member of the National Honor Society and received the Natalie Wood Acting Award. Holden then pursued a master's degree in human rights at Columbia University.

Career

Laurie Holden
Holden at San Diego Comic Con in 2007 to promote The Mist
Laurie Holden 2012
Laurie Holden at the ACE Eddie Awards
in 2012.

Early in her career, Holden made a name for herself by co-starring opposite Burt Reynolds in Physical Evidence (1989), Vanessa Redgrave in Young Catherine (1991), and William Shatner in the TV Movie TekWar: TekLab (1994). She also played Mabel Dunham in the TV Movie The Pathfinder (1996) (based on the novel of James Fenimore Cooper). Onstage, she starred in Time and the Conways, written by J. B. Priestley, and The Winter's Tale, based on the play by William Shakespeare. Other stage roles include Regina in Ghosts and Procne in The Love of the Nightingale. After making various guest appearances on Due South, Murder, She Wrote, and Poltergeist: The Legacy (when she played a dual role), Holden found some success playing a recurring role on the seminal sci-fi series The X-Files: Marita Covarrubias, a mysterious government worker who becomes an informant to Special Agent Fox Mulder, from seasons four through nine (1996–2002). She also had a supporting role, as Mary Travis, opposite Michael Biehn and Ron Perlman, in the CBS TV series based on the MGM classic, The Magnificent Seven (1998–2000) and a role as Debra Campbell on Highlander: The Series.

Some of Holden's most notable roles include starring opposite Jim Carrey in Frank Darabont's film The Majestic (2001) (It was while performing on stage in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, that Holden was discovered by Darabont). As Carrey's long lost love, she received critical acclaim for her performance. She also co-starred alongside Dean Cain, Jennifer Tilly, and Tim Curry in the Canadian comedy Bailey's Billion$. Other movie roles have included those of Michael Chiklis' character's former love interest in Fantastic Four (2005), Cybil Bennett in Christophe Gans' artistic-horror video game adaptation of Silent Hill (2006), Amanda Dumfries in The Mist (2007), and Olivia Murray in The Shield.

From 2010 to 2013, she played the role of Andrea, a civil rights attorney and survivor of a global zombie plague in The Walking Dead, an AMC television horror drama series. In 2013, she worked on the movie Honeytrap as an executive producer. In 2014 she played the role of Ann McGinnis in the third season of Major Crimes. Also in 2014, she co-starred in the movie Dumb and Dumber To, opposite Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels and Kathleen Turner. She played Adele Pinchelow, the main antagonist of the Farrelly brothers comedy.

In 2015, she appeared as Dr. Hannah Tramble, an ER surgeon, in the third season of Chicago Fire. It was announced Holden would reprise her role as Dr. Tramble in a planned spinoff, Chicago Med. Holden was set to co-star opposite Epatha Merkerson and Yaya Dacosta in the ensemble medical drama. The series is being conceived and written by Chicago Fire creators/executive producers Derek Haas and Michael Brandt. However, she dropped out of the project for "family reasons".

In 2016, she appeared in The Abolitionists, a documentary film by Darrin Fletcher. In 2017, Holden joins the cast of The Americans in the fifth season, when she plays Renee. She was cast in indie thriller Pyewacket, a movie directed by Adam MacDonald.

In 2018, Laurie Holden appeared in the crime thriller Dragged Across Concrete, starring Mel Gibson and Vince Vaughn.

Holden joined the cast of American legal drama television series Proven Innocent (which premiered in 2019 on Fox), where she plays Greta Bellows.

In 2022, she joins The Boys season 3, in the role of Crimson Countess, while also performing the songs "America's Son" and "Chimps Don't Cry".

Charity work and human rights activism

Holden is a supporter of women's rights and racial justice.

Holden is a founding board member of the Canadian Somaly Mam Foundation, which campaigns against human trafficking, and an advisory board member of the Somaly Mam Foundation in the U.S.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1986 Separate Vacations Karen
1989 Physical Evidence Matt's Girl
1995 Expect No Mercy Vicki
1996 Past Perfect Ally Marsey
2001 The Majestic Adele Stanton
2004 Meet Market Billy Uncredited
2005 Bailey's Billion$ Marge Maggs
Fantastic Four Debbie McIlvane
2006 Silent Hill Cybil Bennett
2007 The Mist Amanda Dumfries
2014 Honeytrap N/A Executive producer
Dumb and Dumber To Adele Pinchelow
2016 The Abolitionists Herself Documentary
2017 The Time of Their Lives N/A Executive producer
Pyewacket Mrs. Reyes
2018 Dragged Across Concrete Melanie Ridgeman
2019 Arctic Dogs Dakota Voice
2022 Fireheart Pauline Voice

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1980 The Martian Chronicles Marie Wilder Television miniseries
1988 Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future Erin Episode: "Gemini and Counting"
1991 Young Catherine Princess Catherine Dashkova 2 episodes
Father Dowling Mysteries Joyce Morrison / Judith Carswell Episode: "The Hardboiled Mystery"
1993 Secret Services Suki Episode: "Larceny Inc./Reach Out and Rob Someone/Jet Threat"
Scales of Justice Nancy Oakes Episode: "Who Killed Sir Harry Oakes?"
Family Passions Claire Season 1
Destiny Ridge Darlene Kubolek Season 2
1994 TekWar Rachel Tudor Episode: "TekLab"
1995 Due South Jill Kennedy Episode: "Letting Go"
1995–1996 Highlander: The Series Debra Campbell 2 episodes
1996 Murder, She Wrote Sherri Sampson Episode: "What You Don't Know Can Kill You"
Poltergeist: The Legacy Cora Jennings / Sarah Browning Episode: "Thirteenth Generation"
Two Madeline Reynolds Episode: "Many Happing Return"
The Pathfinder Mabel Dunham Television film
1996–2002 The X-Files Marita Covarrubias 10 episodes
1997 Dead Man's Gun Bonnie Lorrine Episode: "Fool's Gold"
Echo Scarlett Antonelli Television film
Alibi Beth Polasky Television film
1998–2000 The Magnificent Seven Mary Travis 18 episodes
2000 The Outer Limits Susan McLaren Episode: "Breaking Point"
The Man Who Used to Be Me Amy Ryan Television film
2001 Big Sound Piper Moran Episode: "Shabbas Bloody Shabbas"
2008 The Shield Olivia Murray 13 episodes
2010–2013, 2020-2022 The Walking Dead Andrea Harrison Main cast; 33 episodes (Starring; seasons 1-3, guest seasons 10 and 11)
2014–2015 Major Crimes Ann McGinnis 3 episodes
2015 Chicago Fire Dr. Hannah Tramble Episode: "I am the Apocalypse"
2017–2018 The Americans Renee 12 episodes
2019 Proven Innocent Greta Bellows 7 episodes
2022 The Boys Crimson Countess, Voice of Fox Crimson Countess 5 episodes

Video game

Year Title Voice role Notes
2004 The X-Files: Resist or Serve Marita Covarrubias

Online

Year Title Role Notes
2021 Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman Crimson Countess Guest role; web series promoting The Boys

Theatre

  • The Only Game in Town (2000), based on the play by Frank D. Gilroy
  • Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (2000), based on the play by Tennessee Williams
  • The Love of the Nightingale, based on the play Procne by Timberlake Wertenbaker
  • Ghosts, based on the play Regina by Henrik Ibsen
  • Toros Y Hevos
  • A Chorus Line, based on the book Kristine by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante
  • The Winter's Tale, based on the play Hermione by William Shakespeare
  • Time and the Conways, based on the play Madge by J. B. Priestley

Awards and nominations

Holden was named as one of the top 100 Most Creative People in Hollywood in Entertainment Weekly's It List and One of Ten Actors to Watch by Variety. She also won "The Look of The Year" Elite model search in Toronto and was nominated in 1996 for a Gemini Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for Due South (1994). Laurie is named as one of "Ten Actors To Watch" by Variety in 2002.

She was nominated in 2011 for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress in Television for the series The Walking Dead. For her role in this series, she was also nominated in 2011 for the Scream Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2013, Laurie Holden won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work on The Walking Dead.

Year Award Category Work Result
1986 Look of the Year Won
1993 Natalie Wood Acting Award Natalie Wood Acting Award for Best Actress Won
1996 Gemini Award Gemini Award for Best Guest Star in Television Due South Nominated
2011 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress on Television The Walking Dead Nominated
Scream Award Best Supporting Actress on Television The Walking Dead Nominated
2012 Satellite Award Best Cast – Television Series The Walking Dead Won
2013 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress on Television The Walking Dead Won
2019 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series The Americans Nominated
2020 CinEuphoria Awards Merit – Honorary Award The Walking Dead Won

See also

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