Lauren Michael Holly is an American-Canadian actress.
Background
Holly was born in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Michael Ann Holly, is an art historian and the Starr Director of Research and Academic Program at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, and former professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Her father, Grant Holly, is a screenwriter and professor of literature at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Education
Graduate, Sarah Lawrence College.
Career
She is known for her roles as Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart in the television series Picket Fences, as Mary Swanson in the 1994 film Dumb & Dumber, as Linda Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, and as Jenny Shepard on the television series NCIS. Holly"s acting career began at the age of 20 when she appeared in Hill Street Blues as Carla Walicki for two episodes. At age 23, she joined the cast of the American Broadcasting Company television soap opera All My Children as Julie Rand Chandler (1986–1989). She portrayed the comic book character Betty Cooper in the television movie Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again in 1990.
In 1992, Holly"s big break came when she was cast as small-town Deputy Sheriff Maxine Stewart opposite veteran movie actor Tom Skerritt on Columbia Broadcasting System"s Picket Fences for four seasons, appearing in every episode except one.
She appeared as Mary Swanson, Lloyd Christmas"s love interest, in the 1994 Jim Carrey comedy Dumb & Dumber. She portrayed Linda Lee Cadwell, the wife of martial artist and actor Bruce Lee, in 1993"s Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.
A doctor in Sydney Pollack"s 1995 remake of Sabrina. And Lieutenant Emily Lake in the 1996 comedy Down Periscope with Kelsey Grammer.
She starred in the movie Any Given Sunday (1999) along with Jamie Foxx and Dennis Quaid.
She appeared in the music video for Dixie Chicks" single "Goodbye Earl" (2000), along with Jane Krakowski, Dennis Franz, Adrian Pasdar, Michael DeLuise and Evan Bernard. Currently, Holly portrays the "worldly and stunning" lead medical examiner Doctor Betty Rogers, a regular character on the CTV series Motive. In 2014, she was reunited with ex-Picket Fences co-star, Tom Skerritt, to star in the movie, Field of Lost Shoes.
Holly is set to star in Oz Perkins" (Son of Anthony Perkins) horror film February, along Emma Roberts, James Remar, Evan Peters and Lucy Boynton.
Achievements
Membership
She was a member of the cast of NCIS as Director Jenny Shepard from 2005 to 2008, reuniting with her former Chicago Hope co-stars Mark Harmon and Rocky Carroll.
Connections
Married Danny Quinn (divorced). Married Jim Carrey September, 1996 (divorced July, 1997). Married Francis Greco March, 2001.