Lauren Ambrose

Lauren Ambrose (born February 20, 1978) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for playing Claire Fisher on the HBO funeral drama series Six Feet Under.

Personal life

Ambrose was born Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso^[1] in New Haven, Connecticut, the daughter of Anne, an interior designer, and Frank D'Ambruoso, a caterer.^[2] She is of Italian descent on her father's side,^[3] and attended Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, Wilbur Cross High School, High School in the Community, and the ACES Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven. She is also a trained opera singer who studied voice and opera at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. Ambrose also sings New Orleans-flavored ragtime with the seven-piece combo Lauren Ambrose and the Leisure Class. Ambrose has been married to professional photographer Sam Handel^[4] of Needham, MA since September 2001. They have a son, Orson (b. January 16, 2007)^[5] and currently live in Great Barrington, MA.

Career

Ambrose began her career in New York theater, mainly in Off-Broadway productions. Her early career also included television appearances, most notably playing supporting guest roles on Law & Order, and a feature guest role on the show in the 1998 episode "Damaged" as Valerie Maxwell, a mentally-challenged young woman raped by a group of popular high school students. Her first film role was In & Out (1997), which was followed by a more prominent role in the high school comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998). She was the ingenue lead, Florence "Chicklet" Forrest, in the cult favorite Psycho Beach Party (2000). Ambrose began her role on Six Feet Under in early 2001. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Emmy Award twice, following the 2002 and 2003 seasons of the critically-acclaimed drama.

In 2006, Ambrose made her Broadway debut in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Awake and Sing!. In 2007, she appeared as Juliet in thePublic Theater's Shakespeare in the Park performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, to great critical acclaim. She appeared as Ophelia in the 2008 performance of Hamlet for Shakespeare in the Park.^[6] Ambrose recently returned to Broadway in Exit the King (by Eugene Ionesco) at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on Broadway, opposite Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon. Ambrose provided the voice of monster KW in Where the Wild Things Are, which was released in 2009. She has been cast as Jilly Kitzinger in seven of the ten episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day. She will play "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."^[7]

Filmography

Film and TV

• In & Out (1997) - Vicky Rayburn
• Can't Hardly Wait (|1998) - Denise Fleming
• Summertime's Calling Me (1998) - Tami
• Saving Graces (1999) (TV series) - Grace Whitmore
• Swimming (2000) - Frankie Wheeler
• Psycho Beach Party (2000) - Florence 'Chicklet' Forrest
• Six Feet Under (2001) (TV series) - Claire Fisher (63 Episodes)
• Admissions (2004) - Evie Brighton
• Diggers (2006) - Zoey
• Starting Out in the Evening (2007) - Heather Wolfe
• A Dog Year (2008) - Emma
• The Return of Jezebel James (2008) (TV series) - Coco Tompkins
• Loving Leah (2009) - Leah Lever
• Cold Souls (2009) - Stephanie
• Where the Wild Things Are (2009) (voice only) - KW
• Tonight at Noon (2009) - Mae
• Love and Other Impossible Pursuits (2009) - Mindy
• Wanderlust (2011)
• Grassroots (2011)
• Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011)

Other work

• The Darkness (video game) (2007) - Jenny Romano

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