Laura Allen (born March 21, 1974) is an American actress. She is known for her roles on the ABC Daytime soap opera All My Children (2000–2002) and the USA Network television series The 4400 (2004–2005, 2007). She has also been a regular cast member on Dirt (2007 to 2008), Terriers (2010), and Awake (2012).
Early life
Allen was born in Portland, Oregon, and grew up on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Career
1997–2002: Early work and All My Children
While pursuing her career in social work, Allen became drawn to the theatre. She took a job as a crew member for the Blue Man Group, then won a role as Maid Marion in a touring production of Robin Hood. Despite the grueling experience of the Robin Hood tour, Allen decided she wanted to focus on acting.
She auditioned unsuccessfully for the roles of Michelle Bauer on Guiding Light and Melanie MacIver on One Life to Live before being cast as Laura Kirk-English on All My Children. The role had previously been played by Lauren Roman. Allen played Laura from October 2000 to January 2002. On television, she guest starred on Cold Case, North Shore, House, and Criminal Minds. In 2004, Allen was cast as Samantha Wade in Sucker Free City, a Showtime film directed by Spike Lee. This was followed by a leading role as Jane Carol Webb in the film How You Look to Me.
She landed a starring role on USA Network's hit series, The 4400, playing the role of Lily Tyler.
In 2007, Allen was cast in a regular role on the FX drama series Dirt, playing Julia Mallory. She guest starred on CSI: Miami and appeared in the films Hysteria and Old Dogs. Allen then had a regular role as Katie Nichols on the short-lived FX series Terriers in 2010. In 2012, she was initially cast in a supporting role on the NBC series Awake (then titled REM), but was promoted to a leading role as Hannah Britten.
Allen was cast in a Lifetime pilot, The Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives, in 2012. In early 2013, it was announced that the project wasn't going forward.
2014–present
In 2014, Allen had a recurring role as Rochelle Matheson on Ravenswood, a spinoff of Pretty Little Liars. She portrayed Meg in the horror film Clown. Allen starred as Linda Kessler in the Lifetime movie Nanny Cam. The project was dropped before it could air. In May 2016, Allen guest starred on Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
In the 2018 film The Tale, a drama about sexual abuse, Allen played a younger version of Ellen Burstyn's character. She continued to take on dramatic roles, appearing in the short film Unspeakable, directed by Milena Govich. On television, she had a regular role as Officer Reynolds in the third season of Hap and Leonard.
Allen had recurring roles on 9-1-1 and Suits in 2019. In 2024, she began appearing in the recurring role of Chief Robinson on Chicago Fire.