Laura Allen (born March 21, 1974) is an American actress. She starred as Lily Tyler during the first two seasons of the

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Mad ...

television series ''

The 4400 ''The 4400'' (pronounced "the forty-four hundred") is a science fiction television series produced by CBS Paramount Network Television in association with BSkyB, Renegade 83, and American Zoetrope for USA Network in the United States and Sky ...

''.

Personal life

Allen was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populou ...

, the daughter of Julie and David Allen. She grew up on

Bainbridge Island, Washington Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census and an estimated 25,298 in 2019, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County. ...

, as the middle child of three sisters. She attended

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficia ...

as a

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and ...

major and graduated in 1996. She worked with the

NYPD The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...

as a domestic violence counselor before pursuing acting. She and Bruce Weyman married at the Relais Palazzo del Capitano in

Pienza Pienza () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Siena, Tuscany, in the historical region of Val d'Orcia. Situated between the towns of Montepulciano and Montalcino, it is considered the "touchstone of Renaissance urbanism". In 1996, UNES ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, on September 23, 2006. They have two sons.

Career

Allen first established her career portraying Laura Kirk-English DuPres on the

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 2013, via Hulu, Hulu Plus, and ...

'' from 2000 to 2002, taking over the role from Lauren Roman who originated the role from 1995 to 1998. After departing AMC, Allen went on to play Susan Delacorte in Mike Newell's ''

Mona Lisa Smile ''Mona Lisa Smile'' is a 2003 American drama film produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures in association with Red Om Films Productions, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia ...

''. She later starred in

's hit series, ''

''. She played the role of Lily Tyler. However, her character was written out of the show before its third season. She reprised the role of Lily Tyler in 2007 in the fourth season of ''The 4400'' for one episode. In 2006, Allen was a guest star on '' House M.D.'' in the episode "All In", as Sarah, the mother of a sick 6-year-old boy. She was also a guest star in the season 2 episode of ''

Criminal Minds ''Criminal Minds'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series created and produced by Jeff Davis. The series premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005, and originally concluded on February 19, 2020; it was revived in 2022. It ...

'' "Open Season" as the victim of two serial killers and in the 2007 season premiere of '' Law & Order: SVU''. She starred as Julia Mallory in the first season of the FX drama series ''

Dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debris: scattered pieces of waste or remains * Dust: a genera ...

''. Her character was a Hollywood heroin addict. She also appeared as a former love interest of

Owen Hunt Major (Ret.) Owen Hunt, M.D., F.A.C.S. is a fictional character from the medical drama television series '' Grey's Anatomy'', which airs on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in the United States. The character was created by series' produ ...

on the ABC's ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into ...

'' in 2009. Other recent projects include the thrillers ''Hysteria'', '' From Within'', ''The Collective'', and '' Old Dogs''. She has played regular characters in two television series: Katie Nichols in ''

Terriers Terrier (from Latin ''terra'', 'earth') is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. Terrier breeds vary g ...

'' in 2010 and Hannah Britten in '' Awake'' in 2012. In 2014 she portrayed Meg in the American horror film ''

Clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

''. She also portrayed Linda Kessler in the drama thriller film ''Nanny Cam''.Nanny Cam - MarVista Entertainment
In May 2016, Allen guest starred in the thirteenth episode of the first season of '' Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders'', titled "Paper Orphans". She played Emily Wagner, the mother of a young girl who was kidnapped in Haiti.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Laura 1974 births American soap opera actresses American television actresses 21st-century American actresses Living people Actresses from Portland, Oregon Actresses from Washington (state) Wellesley College alumni American film actresses