Piper Laurie was born Rosetta Jacobs on January 22 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. When she was five years old she stayed at a children's asylum with her sister, who was there because of her health. She was six years old when her family moved to Los Angeles. As a child she was terribly shy, and so her parents enrolled her in elocution lessons. Those lessons helped spark her interest in acting. In high school she trained with a Los Angeles theatre group. She left high school at age 17 to sign a contract with Universal. She was given the stage name "Piper Laurie" by an agent. She made her film debut in 1950 in Louisa, starring Ronald Reagan. The same year she appeared in The Milkman, starring Donald O'Connor.
In the Fifties she appeared in the films Francis Goes to the Races (1951), The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951), No Room for the Groom (1952), Has Anyone Seen My Gal (1952), Son of Ali Baba (1952), The Mississippi Gambler (1953), The Golden Blade (1953), Dangerous Mission (1954), Johnny Dark (1954), Dawn at Socorro (1954), Smoke Signal (1955), Ain't Misbehavin' (1955), Kelly and Me (1956), and Until They Sail (1957). She made her television debut in an episode of The Best of Broadway in 1955. She guest starred on the shows Robert Montgomery Presents, Front Row Center, General Electric Theatre, Studio One, The Seven Lively Arts, Playhouse 90, Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, Goodyear Theatre, and Play of the Week. She was nominated for two Emmy Awards, one for Actress – Best Single Performance – Lead or Support for the Studio One episode "The Deaf Heart" and one for Best Single Performance by an Actress for the Playhouse 90 episode "Days of Wines and Roses."
In 1961 she starred as Sarah Packard in the movie The Hustler, for which she was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress. She guest starred on the shows General Electric Theatre, Westinghouse Presents, The United States Steel Hour, Naked City, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre, Ben Casey, The Eleventh Hour, and Breaking Point. She appeared on Broadway in 1965 in a production of The Glass Menagerie.
In the Seventies Piper Laurie appeared in the movies Carrie (1976), The Woman Rebel (1976), Ruby (1977), The Boss' Son (1978), and Tim (1979). She was a regular on the short-lived TV series Skag. For her role in Carrie she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In the Eighties she appeared in the mini-series The Thorn Birds and Tender is the Night. She had a recurring role for at time on the TV series St. Elsewhere and was a regular on Twin Peaks. She guest starred on the shows Hotel; Murder, She Wrote; The Twilight Zone; Matlock; and Beauty and the Beast. She was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for St. Elsewhere, nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for Twin Peaks, and again nominated for an Emmy for Twin Peaks, this time for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She appeared in the movies Return to Oz (1985), Children of a Lesser God (1986), Appointment with Death (1988), Distortions (1988), Tiger Warsaw (1988), and Dream a Little Dream (1989). She nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Children of a Lesser God.
In the Nineties she continued to appear on Twin Peaks. She was a regular on the TV series Traps. She guest starred on the shows ER, Diagnosis Murder, Touched by an Angel, Brother's Keeper, Frasier, and Will & Grace. She was nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her guest appearance on Frasier. She appeared in the movies Other People's Money (1991), Storyville (1992), Rich in Love (1992), Trauma (1993), Wrestling Ernest Hemingway (1993), The Grass Harp (1995), The Crossing Guard (1995), St. Patrick's Day (1997), The Faculty (1998), Palmer's Pick-Up (1999), and The Mao Game (1999).
In the Naughts she appeared on Broadway in Morning's at Seven. She appeared in the movies Eulogy (2004), The Dead Girl (2006), Hounddog (2007), Saving Grace B. Jones (2009), Hesher (2010), and Another Harvest Moon (2010). She guest starred on the TV shows Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Dead Like Me and Cold Case.
In the Teens Piper Laurie guest starred on MacGyver. She appeared in the movie White Boy Rick (2018).
Piper Laurie leaves behind a legacy of great performances in varied roles. In The Hustler she played Sarah Packard, who enters into a relationship with pool shark Eddie (Paul Newman). In Carrie she played the mother of the title character, an unstable religious fanatic. In Ruby she played the title character, a former gangster's moll whose drive-in theatre is haunted by her dead lover. On Twin Peaks she played Catherine Martell, a tough as nails businesswoman who runs the local lumber mill. On St. Elsewhere she played Fran Singleton, a stroke victim. It should be little wonder that Piper Laurie was nominated for multiple awards. She had the ability to transform herself into any character in which she cast, and given an extremely convincing performance.
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