Laura Helene Prepon (born March 7, 1980) is an American actress. She rose to fame with her role as

Donna Pinciotti This is a list of characters appearing in the television series ''That '70s Show'' and ''That '90s Show''. Cast table Main characters Eric Forman Portrayed by Topher Grace: The protagonist; Eric is a nice guy, generally nerdy, clumsy, and ac ...

in the

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

sitcom ''

That '70s Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television Period piece, period teen sitcom that aired on Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the ficti ...

'' (1998–2006). She is also known for portraying

Alex Vause Alex Pearl Vause is a fictional character played by Laura Prepon on the Netflix series '' Orange Is the New Black''. The character is loosely based on the real ex-girlfriend of Piper Kerman, author of '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Wom ...

in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

comedy-drama series ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Wo ...

'' (2013–2019). Prepon made her film debut in 2001 with the independent drama ''

Southlander ''Southlander'' (also known as ''Southlander: Diary of a Desperate Musician'') is a 2001 American independent film by Steve Hanft and Ross Harris. Originally titled '' Recycler'', after the Los Angeles magazine of the same name, the film wri ...

''. Her other films include the romantic drama ''

Come Early Morning ''Come Early Morning'' is a 2006 American film starring Ashley Judd and Jeffrey Donovan. It marked the List of directorial debuts, directorial debut of Joey Lauren Adams. The film was shot throughout the metropolitan Little Rock, Arkansas area incl ...

'' (2006), the comedy ''

Lay the Favorite ''Lay the Favorite'' is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by D.V. DeVincentis, and stars Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joshua Jackson. Based on Beth Raymer's 2010 memoir of the same na ...

'' (2012), the thriller '' The Girl on the Train'' (2016), and the drama '' The Hero'' (2017).

Early life

Prepon was born in

Watchung, New Jersey Watchung () is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States, located approximately west of New York City. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 5,801, She is the youngest of five children of Marjorie (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Coll), a high school teacher and gourmet home chef, and Michael Prepon, an

orthopedic surgeon Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

. Prepon's father died during heart surgery in 1993 at age 49; she was 13 at the time. She attended

Watchung Hills Regional High School Watchung Hills Regional High School is a regional comprehensive public high school and school district serving students in portions of Somerset and Morris Counties in New Jersey, United States. Students from Warren Township and from the neig ...

and later studied at the Total Theatre Lab in New York City. Her father was Jewish, of

Russian Jewish The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest pop ...

descent, and her mother has mostly

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...

ancestry. Her maternal great-great-great-grandfather was Union Army General

Joseph Bradford Carr Joseph Bradford Carr (August 16, 1828 – February 24, 1895)Eicher, p. 165. was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life Carr was born in Albany, New York, the son of Irish immigrants, and worked as a tobacconist ...

Career

1995–2005

Prepon appeared in plays such as ''A Woman of Property'' and ''Ascension Day'' while in New York. In 1996, she studied drama with acting teacher Caroline Thomas at Thomas' Total Theatre Lab. Later, in September 1997, she premiered on a

Levi Strauss Levi Strauss (; born Löb Strauß ; February 26, 1829 – September 26, 1902) was a German-born American businessman who founded the first company to manufacture blue jeans. His firm of Levi Strauss & Co. (Levi's) began in 1853 in San Francisco ...

-developed show called ''

They Go On ''They Go On'' is a 1997 soap opera web series developed by Levi Strauss & Co. and NBC and streamed at NBC.com. The show, funded entirely by Levi Strauss, was based on characters from their advertising campaign of the same name. The show feature ...

'', an Internet-based

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 ...

. Prepon had also worked as a model and has done photo shoots in Paris, Milan, and Brazil. Prepon starred as

on the

sitcom ''

'' from 1998 to 2006. Donna became the girlfriend and next-door neighbor of Eric Forman (

Topher Grace Christopher John Grace ( ; born July 12, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Eric Forman in the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show'', Eddie Brock / Venom in Sam Raimi's film ''Spider-Man 3'', Pete Monash in '' Win a Date with Tad H ...

). Randy Pearson ( Josh Meyers), who was introduced in the eighth and final season of the series, became Donna's third love interest after Grace left the series. Prepon attended film school while she worked on ''That '70s Show''. Prepon co-starred in the college comedy ''

Slackers A slacker is someone who habitually work aversion, avoids work or lacks work ethic. Origin According to different sources, the term ''slacker'' dates back to about 1790 or 1898. "Slacker" gained some recognition during the UK, British Gezira Sch ...

'' (2002), about three best friends who are blackmailed for cheating their way through college. She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2002 for her role in ''That '70s Show''. In 2001, she made her film debut in Steve Hanft's musical comedy-drama ''

'' with

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician, known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, ...

and

Hank Williams III Shelton Hank Williams (born December 12, 1972), known as Hank Williams III, is an American musician, singer and multi-instrumentalist, known for his unique fusion of traditional country music, rockabilly, heavy metal and punk rock. He was the ...

, where she played Seven=Five, a young TV telepathic. In 2004, Prepon worked on the independent drama film ''The Pornographer: A Love Story''. The film tells the story of an obsessive relationship between a director and an actress. Prepon was named one of ''

Stuff Stuff, stuffed, and stuffing may refer to: *Physical matter *General, unspecific things, or entities Arts, media, and entertainment Books *''Stuff'' (1997), a novel by Joseph Connolly (author), Joseph Connolly *''Stuff'' (2005), a book by Jere ...

'' magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" in 2002 and one of ''

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment * ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim Radio, ''Maxim'' magazine's radio channel on Sir ...

'' magazine's "Hot 100" in 2005. Prepon had a cameo voice appearance as a United Nations Space Command marine in ''

Halo 2 ''Halo 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Bungie and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox console. ''Halo 2'' is the second installment in the ''Halo'' franchise and the sequel to 2001's critically acclaimed '' ...

'', which was released in 2004. Her first notable film role came in 2004 with the dark drama '' Lightning Bug'' with

Bret Harrison Bret Michael Harrison (born April 6, 1982) is an American actor and musician known predominantly for his work on comedy television series such as ''Grounded for Life'', '' The Loop'', ''Reaper'', and '' Breaking In''. Early life Harrison was bo ...

, Kevin Gage and

Ashley Laurence Ashley Laurence is an American actress and visual artist. She made her film debut in 1987 as the lead character, Kirsty Cotton, in Clive Barker's horror film ''Hellraiser'' (1987), a role she later reprised in '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988 ...

. Branching into other arenas than acting, Prepon also served as executive producer of the film. She also appeared on an episode of '' MTV's Cribs'' in 2003.

2005–2010

In 2006, Prepon co-starred with

Misha Collins Dmitri "Misha" Collins "My mom went to Russia when she was in college, and ��she had a boyfriend whose name was Mitya, which she thought was the same as Misha, which it's not. And his real name was Dmitri, so my real name, actually—my birth c ...

in the psychological thriller '' Karla'', based on the true story of

Paul Bernardo Paul Kenneth Bernardo (born August 27, 1964), also known as The Scarborough Rapist and The Schoolgirl Killer, is a Canadian serial killer and serial rapist. He is known for initially committing a series of rapes in Scarborough, Ontario, a sub ...

and his wife

Karla Homolka Karla Leanne Homolka (born May 4, 1970), also known as Karla Leanne Teale, Leanne Teale, and Leanne Bordelais, is a Canadian serial killer who acted as an accomplice to her husband, Paul Bernardo, taking active part in the actual rapes and murde ...

, a Canadian couple who kidnapped, sexually abused, and murdered three girls, marking a contrast to her usual lighthearted roles. She was also an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

of ''

E! Hollywood Hold'em ''E! Hollywood Hold'em'' is a poker television program. It aired in 2005 on the E! television network. The show featured young celebrities (including co-executive producer Laura Prepon and brothers Chris and Danny Masterson) hosting single table ...

'' the same year."Home-Game Honey"
''

Card Player Card players are those participating in a card game. Various names are given to card players based on their role or position. Position Games of Anglo-American origin In games of Anglo-American origin played in English-speaking countries, ...

''. April 2005. Prepon co-starred with

Bryan Greenberg Bryan Greenberg (born May 24, 1978) is an American actor and singer, known for his starring role as Ben Epstein in the HBO original series ''How to Make It in America'' as well as a recurring role as Jake Jagielski in the WB series ''One Tree H ...

as Hannah Daniels in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

drama '' October Road'', which debuted March 15, 2007. The show was canceled by ABC on May 12, 2008, despite strong ratings and a grassroots campaign from the show's fanbase to keep the show alive. In April 2007, she starred in a dramatic short film ''Once Upon a Time''. She also appeared in the 2005

Oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

romantic comedy '' Romancing the Bride''. She also was the original voice for Hayley Smith on the Fox animated sitcom ''

American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...

'' and voiced her in an unaired pilot. She appeared as Lauren, the long-lost sister of Mary Shannon (

Mary McCormack Mary Catherine McCormack (born February 8, 1969) is an American actress. She has had leading roles as Justine Appleton in the series '' Murder One'' (1995–97), as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in ''The West Wing'' (2004–06), a ...

) in 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 Madison ...

mystery drama ''

In Plain Sight ''In Plain Sight'' is an American drama television series that premiered on the USA Network on June 1, 2008. The series revolves around Mary Shannon ( Mary McCormack), a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico, offic ...

'' in the episode "A Frond in Need". On February 5, 2010, it was announced that Prepon signed on to star in ''Awkward Situations for Men'', a pilot on ABC. In 2009, Prepon appeared in the CBS sitcom ''

How I Met Your Mother ''How I Met Your Mother'' (often abbreviated as ''HIMYM'') is an American sitcom, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays for CBS. The series, which aired from September 19, 2005 to March 31, 2014, follows the main character, Ted Mosby, and his ...

'' as Karen, one of the girlfriends of

Ted Mosby Theodore Evelyn Mosby is a fictional character and the protagonist in the American sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother'', portrayed by Josh Radnor. He serves as the show's narrator from the future, voiced by Bob Saget, as he tells his children the " ...

(

Josh Radnor Joshua Thomas Radnor (born July 29, 1974) is an American actor, filmmaker, author, and musician. He is best known for portraying Ted Mosby on the popular and Emmy Award–winning CBS sitcom ''How I Met Your Mother''. He made his writing and dir ...

), in the episode "

Sorry, Bro "Sorry, Bro" is the 16th episode in the fourth season of the television series ''How I Met Your Mother'' and 80th overall. It originally aired on March 9, 2009. Plot At 1:45 am, Robin gets up so she will be in time for her 4 am talk show that sh ...

". She reprised her role in the episodes "

The Front Porch "The Front Porch" is the 17th episode in the fourth season of the television series ''How I Met Your Mother'' and 81st overall. It originally aired on March 16, 2009. Plot After Robin gets upset about the gang not watching her show, they all ag ...

" in 2009 and "

Say Cheese "Say 'cheese is an English-language instruction used by photographers who want their subject or subjects to smile. By saying "cheese", most people form their mouths into what appears to be a smile-like shape. History In the late 19th century, d ...

" in 2010. She also appeared in the Fox medical drama ''

House M.D. ''House'' (also called ''House, M.D.'') is an American medical drama television series that originally ran on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network for eight seasons, from November 16, 2004, to May 21, 2012. The series' main character is G ...

'' in the episode "Private Lives". Prepon had been taking directing classes at the

Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California. History ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School. In 1935, Fred R. ...

. She directed a short film, ''Abide with Me'', about a 10-year-old boy who, "upon bearing witness to his father's murder, is rendered mute". Prepon stated she plans on making ''Abide with Me'' into a feature film.

2011–present

In early 2011, Prepon guest-starred in an episode of the ABC police procedural drama ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

'' as an actress studying for the role of Nikki Heat, a character created by

Nathan Fillion Nathan Fillion (; born March 27, 1971) is a Canadian-American actor. He played the leading roles of Captain Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds on '' Firefly'' and its film continuation '' Serenity'', and Richard Castle on '' Castle''. , he was starring as J ...

's title character. Prepon had been working on a web series, ', which she directed and edited, starring her then-boyfriend

Scott Michael Foster Scott Michael Foster (born March 4, 1985) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Captain John Paul "Cappie" Jones in the ABC Family comedy-drama series ''Greek'' (2007–11), Leo Hendrie in the ABC Family drama ''Chasing Life'' ...

. They had sold the series to

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

. In February 2011, she was cast as the title character Chelsea Newman on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

sitcom ''

Are You There, Chelsea? ''Are You There, Chelsea?'' (formerly known as ''Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea'') is an American television sitcom created by Dottie Zicklin and Julie Ann Larson for NBC. It is based on Chelsea Handler's 2008 best-selling book '' Are Y ...

'', based on

Chelsea Handler Chelsea Joy Handler (born February 25, 1975) is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She hosted the late-night talk show ''Chelsea Lately'' on the E! network from 2007 to 2014 and released a documentary series, ...

's 2008 book '' Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea''. NBC premiered the show on January 11, 2012, and cancelled it on May 11, 2012. She guest-starred in the TBS sitcom ''

Men at Work Men at Work are an Australian rock band formed in Melbourne in 1978 and best known for breakthrough hits such as " Down Under", "Who Can It Be Now?", " Be Good Johnny", " Overkill", and " It's a Mistake". Its founding member and frontman is C ...

''. In mid-2012, Prepon signed on to co-star with

Taylor Schilling Taylor Jane Schilling (born July 27, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her role as Piper Chapman on the Netflix original comedy-drama series ''Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–2019), for which she received a nomination for the Pr ...

in the

original comedy-drama series ''

'', based on

Piper Kerman Piper Eressea Kerman (born September 28, 1969) is an American author. She was indicted in 1998 on charges of felonious money-laundering activities, and sentenced to 15 months' detention in a federal correctional facility, of which she eventually ...

's 2010 memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison''. She was cast as

, a former drug importer and girlfriend of

Piper Chapman Piper Elizabeth Chapman (played by Taylor Schilling) is the protagonist of the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black''. The character is based on Piper Kerman, author of the non-fiction book '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Pris ...

(Schilling). The series premiered on July 11, 2013. Prepon was a regular in the first season, but appeared in only four of the 13 episodes in the second season. She returned as a series regular in the third season. In 2016, Prepon and nutritionist Elizabeth Troy co-wrote ''The Stash Plan'', a wellness book that draws on Prepon's experiences eating organic foods since she was a child, and her struggles with weight, low energy, and digestive issues. The book debuted at #10 under "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous" on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list. Since publishing ''The Stash Plan'', Prepon has expanded her cooking career, launching a line of kitchenware products called PrepOn Kitchen and regularly posting instructional videos online. In 2016, Prepon appeared in the psychological thriller '' The Girl on the Train'', based on Paula Hawkins' novel of the same name. In 2017, she played Charlotte opposite

Sam Elliott Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...

in '' The Hero''. Prepon directed the tenth episode of ''Orange Is the New Black''s fifth season, titled "The Reverse Midas Touch". On April 30, 2022, it was announced that Prepon would have a guest appearance in the follow-up sitcom, ''

That '90s Show ''That '90s Show'' is an upcoming American television period teen sitcom set during the summer of 1995, featuring characters and locales which debuted in its predecessor, ''That '70s Show.'' It is set to premiere on Netflix on January 19, 2023 ...

''.

Personal life

Prepon was in a relationship with her ''That ‘70s Show'' co-star's brother

Christopher Masterson Christopher Kennedy Masterson (born January 22, 1980) is an American actor and disc jockey known best for his role as Malcolm's oldest brother Francis on the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle''. He is the younger brother of Danny Masterson, an ...

from 1999 to 2007. She later dated

for several years, but said in 2013 they had broken up. In August 2017, Prepon gave birth to her and fiancé actor

Ben Foster Ben Foster may refer to: *Ben Foster (actor) (born 1980), American actor *Ben Foster (footballer) (born 1983), English goalkeeper *Ben Foster (composer) (born 1977), British composer, orchestrator and conductor * Ben Foster (director) (born 1984), ...

's daughter in August 2017. Prepon and Foster married in June 2018. In October 2019, Prepon announced on social media that the couple were expecting their second child. Their child, a son, was born in February 2020. Prepon became a

Scientologist Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious movement. The most recent published census data in ...

in 1999. In 2021, she revealed that she had not practiced Scientology since 2016 and it was no longer a part of her life.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prepon, Laura 1980 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from New Jersey Jewish American actresses American film actresses American television actresses American people of Irish descent American people of Russian-Jewish descent American former Scientologists People from Watchung, New Jersey Watchung Hills Regional High School alumni