Laura Harrington

Laura Harrington is an American actress and screenwriter born on April 29, 1958, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She studied at Boston University under David Wheeler, who served as artistic director of the Theater Company of Boston.

Wheeler directed Harrington in her Broadway debut, a 1979 revival of Richard III starring Al Pacino, in which she played the role of Margaret. Bergen Record critic Emory Lewis, writing an otherwise lukewarm assessment of the production, singled out Harrington's performance for praise, noting her ability to communicate through physical expression even without dialogue and calling her debut impressive.

Wheeler's mentorship extended beyond the stage. He recommended Harrington to director Jan Egleson, which led to her screen debut in the 1981 film The Dark End of the Street. Three years later, she appeared as Mrs. Johnson in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension, the 1984 cult film. In 1986, she played the love interest opposite Emilio Estevez in Maximum Overdrive, a film written and directed by Stephen King. Harrington is perhaps most widely recognized for her role as the main character's sister in the 1993 film What's Eating Gilbert Grape. She later appeared in a supporting capacity in the 1997 film The Devil's Advocate, which also featured Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino. Her television work includes an appearance in Quantum Leap.

In addition to acting, Harrington has worked as a screenwriter. In 2013, Screen International reported that she had collaborated with producer Bill Mechanic and writers Bill Berman and James Schamus on a screen adaptation of Vonda N. McIntyre's novel The Moon and the Sun. A follow-up report in 2014 added Ron Bass as a co-writer on the project. When the finished film was released under the title The King's Daughter, only Berman and Schamus received writing credits.