Laura Harring

A multi-award-winning actress, Laura Harring has worked extremely hard to demolish stereotypes of beauty pageants, and prove to casting director that she could act.

Years later and she starred in films such as The Punisher and Love in the Time of Cholera, John Q, Little Nicky in addition to television shows such as the critically acclaimed The Shield and the hugely successful Gossip Girl.

Her breakthrough performance came in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, in which she played the role of Rita/Camilla Rhodes. She earned an Alma Award for her performance and a Golden Eagle. She traveled the world promoting Mulholland Drive even went to Japan talking to fans and press. She is still adored by fans worldwide for her dual performance. Mulholland Drive was recently voted Best Film of the 21st Century, by two different polls. A surprise and “a huge honor” she said.

Since the filming of Mulholland Drive, Laura Harring has served the David Lynch Foundation as a Goodwill Ambassador, and has worked with Stop Hunger Now and Children Uniting Nations in her efforts to help others. As a teenager, she went to India to be a social worker at the foothills of the Himalayas, and before becoming Miss USA. After winning the Miss USA title, she visited over 100 hospitals, nursing homes, visited veterans and touched many peoples’ hearts often staying extra hours than was asked.

Laura was inspired to win, by the story of her grandfather who was Mexico’s national champion in equestrian and fencing in 1948. Isauro M. Cairo died in a car accident a month before the Olympics. His 1st runner up won the Olympics that year. Isauro was a military man.

After winning Miss USA, Laura Harring starred alongside Raul Julia in The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory, a movie made for television, and an experience that she has said she can never forget. Watching Raul Julia, who had won numerous prestigious awards for his roles, prepare for a scene gave her inspiration to commit to acting. She said there was magic in the air right before the camera started rolling. It was a small room, and Laura was hiding under a table just to watch him act.