Laura Harring Biography

Laura Harring (born Laura Elena Herring Martínez; March 3, 1964) is a American actress and former Miss USA (1985). She is known for her role as Rita in Mulholland Drive.

Early life

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. 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. 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.

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.

Career

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 twice more 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 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.

Since 2010, Harring has starred in Gossip Girl as Evelyn Bass/Elizabeth Fisher.

Filmography 2

List of works

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1987	'	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	'	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	'	Paula
2003	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Joan Quentin	1 episode, as Laura Elana Harring
2003	Loco Love: orinal title Mi Casa Su Casa	Catalina
2004	'	Livia Saint
2005	All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos	Martia
2005	'	Twyla
2006	Inland Empire	Jane Rabbit
2006	Ghost Son	Stacey
2006	Walkout	Francis Crisostomo
2006	'	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	Mrs. Raymond	uncredited
2008	'	Eileen
2008	Drool	Anora
2009	Gossip Girl	Evelyn Bass/Elizabeth	4 episodes
2010	Law and Order: Criminal Intent	Marta	1 episode
2012	Return to Babylon	Alla Nazimova	completed
2012	NCIS: Los Angeles	Julia Feldman (Kensi Blye's mother)	1 episode