Laura Elizabeth Dern (born February 10, 1967) is an American actress, film director and producer. Dern has acted in such films as Smooth Talk (1985), Blue Velvet (1986), Fat Man and Little Boy (1988), Wild at Heart (1990), Jurassic Park (1993 plus sequels) and October Sky (1999). She received critical acclaim for her performance in the 1991 film Rambling Rose, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She was awarded a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Television Film for her portrayal of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in the film Recount (2008).

Dern was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd and the great-granddaughter of former Utah governor George Dern. Her great uncle was the Scottish-American poet, writer and Librarian of Congress Archibald MacLeish. Laura Dern's film debut was a cameo in her mother's film White Lightning. She also made a brief appearance in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, one of Ladd's signature roles. Her mother objected to the 13-year-old's presence on the set of Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, but a defiant Dern sued for emancipation.

In the mid-1980s she gained critical acclaim for roles in films by Peter Bogdanovich (Mask) and David Lynch (Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart). Dern's starring role in Blue Velvet appeared to be a breakthrough but her next notable film took almost four years to be released, Wild at Heart, also directed by Lynch. Dern's affiliation with Lynch has continued with her recent role in Inland Empire.