| Laura Harring | |
|---|---|
Harring at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival |
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| Born | Laura Elena Herring Martínez March 3, 1964 Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico |
| Other names |
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| Spouse | Carl-Eduard von Bismarck (1987–1989) |
Laura Harring (born Laura Elena Herring Martínez; March 3, 1964) is a Mexican-American actress and former Miss USA (1985). She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.
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She was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico. Her mother, María Elena Cairo, is a spiritual teacher, real estate investor, and secretary. Her father, Raymond Herring, was a developer and organic farmer of Austrian-German descent.[1][2] The two divorced in 1971. Harring lived the first ten years of her life in Mexico, before her family relocated to San Antonio, Texas. Caught by stray fire from a driveby shooting at age 12, Harring suffered a head wound from a .45 bullet.[3][4] At age 16, she convinced her family to let her study in Switzerland at Aiglon College. She eventually returned to America, settling down in El Paso, Texas and entered the world of beauty pageants. She won the title of Miss El Paso USA, and soon after, Miss Texas USA. In 1985, she became the first Hispanic to win the Miss USA crown, and the first of 5 consecutive Texan winners. She went on to make the top 10 at the 1985 Miss Universe pageant.
Harring spent the next year traveling through Asia, exploring Europe and working as a social worker in India. In 1987, she married Count Carl-Eduard von Bismarck-Schönhausen, great-great-grandson of Otto von Bismarck. While she retains the title of Countess von Bismarck-Schönhausen, the couple divorced in 1989. Harring studied theatre at the London Academy of Performing Arts and is skilled in the Italian style of Commedia dell'arte, as well as Latin dances, including the Argentine Tango.
Harring had two recurring television roles. During 1990-1991, she played Carla Greco on ABC's soap General Hospital, and during 1997, she played Paula Stevens on NBC's soap Sunset Beach.
She is perhaps best known for her performance in David Lynch's cult film Mulholland Drive (2001), opposite Naomi Watts and Justin Theroux. Harring went on to work two more times with Lynch - as an anthropomorphic rabbit in Rabbits (2002) and in a cameo appearance in Inland Empire (2006). In 2003, she starred in Mi Casa, Su Casa together with Barbara Eden of I Dream of Jeannie fame.
In 2004, she starred as John Travolta's spoiled wife in the movie adaptation of Marvel Comics's The Punisher. In 2006, she joined the cast of the FX Networks crime drama, The Shield. She has most recently starred in Mike Newell's adaptation of Gabriel García Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera (2007). Later film projects include Bitter Grapes and Kluge.[5]
Since 2010, Harring appears as Evelyn Bass, but uses the alias Elizabeth Fisher on Gossip Girl.[6]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory | Santa Anna's bride | as Laura Martinez Harring |
| 1988 | Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge | unknown | |
| 1988 | Beauty and the Beast | Carmen | 1 episode |
| 1989 | Alien Nation | Female Newcomer | 1 episode, as Laura M. Herring |
| 1989 | Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out! | Jerri | as Laura Herring |
| 1990 | The Forbidden Dance | Nisa | as Laura Herring |
| 1990 | General Hospital | Carla Greco | unknown episodes, 1990–1991 |
| 1991 | Dead Women in Lingerie | Marcia | as Laura Herring |
| 1992 | Baywatch | Princess Catherine Randenberg | 1 episode, as Laura Herring |
| 1993 | Rio Diablo | Maria Benjamin | |
| 1993 | Blossom | Nurse | 1 episode |
| 1994 | Exit to Eden | MC Kindra | |
| 1995 | Empire | Gabriella Cochrane | un-aired TV series |
| 1995 | Flipper | Garcia | 3 episodes, 1995–1996 |
| 1996 | Baywatch Nights | Charlotte 'Charlie' McBride | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Silk Stalkings | Paula Houston / Yvette | 2 episodes, 1996–1999 |
| 1997 | Sunset Beach | Paula Stevens | |
| 1997 | Black Scorpion II: Aftershock | Babette | |
| 1997 | Hoover Park | unknown | |
| 1997 | California | Christina Guevara | unknown episodes |
| 1998 | Frasier | Rebecca Wendell | 1 episode |
| 2000 | A Family in Crisis: The Elian Gonzales Story | Marisleysis Gonzalez | as Laura Elena Harring |
| 2000 | Little Nicky | Mrs. Dunleavy | |
| 2000 | Black Scorpion | Ariana | 1 episode |
| 2000 | Final Payback | Gina Carrillo | |
| 2000 | Feather Pimento | Woman in Red | |
| 2001 | Mulholland Drive | Rita | as Laura Elena Harring |
| 2002 | John Q | Gina Palumbo | |
| 2002 | Derailed | Galina Konstantin | |
| 2002 | Rabbits | Jane | |
| 2003 | Willard | Cathryn | |
| 2003 | The Poet | Paula | |
| 2003 | SVU | Joan Quentin | 1 episode, as Laura Elana Harring |
| 2003 | Mi Casa, Su Casa | Catalina | |
| 2004 | The Punisher | Livia Saint | |
| 2005 | All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos | Martia | |
| 2005 | The King | Twyla | |
| 2006 | Inland Empire | Jane Rabbit | |
| 2006 | Ghost Son | Stacey | |
| 2006 | Walkout | Francis Crisostomo | |
| 2006 | The Shield | Rebecca Doyle | 8 episodes |
| 2007 | My Neighbor's Keeper | Kate Powell | |
| 2007 | Nancy Drew | Dehlia Draycott | as Laura Elena Harring |
| 2007 | Love in the Time of Cholera | Sara Noriega | |
| 2008 | One Missed Call | Beth's Mom | uncredited |
| 2008 | Return to Babylon | Alla Nazimova | |
| 2008 | The Caller | Eileen | |
| 2008 | Drool | Anora | |
| 2009 | Gossip Girl | Evelyn Bass/Elizabeth | 4 episodes |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Laura Shaw |
Miss Texas USA 1985 |
Succeeded by Christy Fichtner |
| Media offices | ||
| Preceded by Angie Dickinson |
Miss USA color commentator (with Leeza Gibbons) 1990 |
Succeeded by Barbara Eden and Deborah Shelton |
| Preceded by Leeza Gibbons and Courtney Gibbs |
Miss USA color commentator (with Arthel Neville) 1994 |
Succeeded by Daisy Fuentes |
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