Laura Innes

Laura Innes (born August 16, 1957 ) is an American actress and television director. She played Kerry Weaver in the medical drama ER (1995–2009), which earned her two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. In 2001, she received her third Primetime Emmy Award nomination for directing the episode "Shibboleth" of the political drama The West Wing. She also appeared in the thriller drama The Event (2010–2011) and How to Get Away with Murder (2018–2020).

Career

Innes was born in Pontiac, Michigan, and grew up in nearby Birmingham, a suburb of Detroit. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in theater.

Innes's stage credits were in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre and Wisdom Bridge Theatre, where she played Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire. John Malkovich played Mitch in this production. Other major stage credits include Two Shakespearean Actors with Eric Stoltz at Lincoln Center, Our Town at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Three Sisters at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego.

In 1986, Innes co-starred as Krissy Bender Marino, the daughter of Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara in the short-lived sitcom The Stiller and Meara Show. In 1989, Innes played Miss Andrews in the Nickelodeon sitcom Hey Dude in the second season episode "Teacher's Pest". She also played Mrs. Fleeman in the episode "Baby". In the 1990s, Innes guest-starred in television series including Party of Five, My So-Called Life and Brooklyn Bridge and appeared in the Emmy-winning TV movie And the Band Played On before being cast in her first major television role in the NBC sitcom Wings from 1991 to 1993. She played Bunny, the promiscuous ex-wife of Lowell Mather (Thomas Haden Church).

In the fall of 1995, Innes began a recurring role in the second season of the hit NBC medical drama ER, where she was cast as Dr. Kerry Weaver, the skilled chief of the ER with an abrasive exterior and a physical disability. She was added to the main cast in the third season. In 2001, her character came out as gay during the seventh season. She received two Emmy Award nominations for her role, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards with the ER ensemble cast, and has received five nominations for Best Supporting Actress from Viewers For Quality Television. Innes also directed a number of episodes of the series, and episodes of Brothers & Sisters, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, House and The West Wing, one of which earned her an Emmy nomination for directing.

In January 2007, Innes left ER in the middle of the thirteenth season. Having appeared in a total of 249 episodes, she is the second longest-serving cast member in the show's history (behind Noah Wyle who appeared in 254 episodes). From 2008 to 2009, Innes returned to ER during its 15th and final season for two episodes including the series finale "And in the End...". Innes' films include the blockbuster science fiction disaster film Deep Impact (1998) and the comedy Can't Stop Dancing (1999) with her former ER co-star Noah Wyle.

On May 7, 2010, NBC announced that Innes would be co-starring in the short-lived science fiction/mystery/action/thriller drama The Event as Sophia, "the leader of a mysterious group of detainees" with Lisa Vidal, who played Kerry Weaver's wife, Sandy Lopez, in the eighth, ninth and tenth seasons of ER. In 2012, she co-starred as Police Captain Tricia Harper in the short-lived NBC fantasy police procedural drama Awake.

Personal life Innes's first fiancé, actor David Bell, was murdered in December 1980.

In 2006, Innes told the Daily Mirror that ten years of portraying Dr. Weaver's limp had caused her to experience the early stages of actual spinal damage ("the bottom of my spine is starting to curve on one side from 10 years of raising my hip"), and as a consequence, ERs producers introduced a plot arc in which Weaver's disorder was surgically corrected.

Charity work Innes is an advocate for the disabled community, using her role as a director to help employ disabled people. She is a supporter of the Performers with Disabilities Committee, which is associated with the Screen Actors Guild.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1978 The Fury Jody 1986 The Stiller and Meara Show Krissy Bender Marino TV movie 1989 Jacob Have I Loved Mrs. Rice TV movie 1993 Telling Secrets Angelyn Graham TV movie 1993 Torch Song Ronnie TV movie 1993 And the Band Played On Hemophiliac Representative TV movie 1995 See Jane Run Mrs. Klinger TV movie 1995 Just Like Dad Rose TV movie 1998 Deep Impact Beth Stanley 1999 Can't Stop Dancing Landlady 1999 The Price of a Broken Heart Lynn TV movie 2001 Taking Back Our Town Pat Melancon TV movie 2012 Model Minority Judge Keaton 2016 The Good Neighbor Caroline Grainey 2017 Please Stand By Ticket Agent #1

Television Year Title Role Notes 1989–1991 Hey Dude Mrs. Freeman/Miss Andrews Recurring role, 2 episodes 1991–1993 Wings Bunny Mather Recurring role, 4 episodes 1993 Bakersfield P.D. Darcy Wilks Episode: "The Imposter" 1994 The Good Life Actress Episode: "Maureen's Play" 1994 Party of Five Liz Episode: "Homework" 1995 My So-Called Life Cheryl Fleck Episode: "Weekend" 1995–2007, 2008, 2009 ER Dr. Kerry Weaver Series regular, 249 episodesRecurring cast (season 2)Main cast (seasons 3–13, 15)Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (1997–99)Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (1997–98)Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (2000–01)Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Quality Drama Series (1998, 2000) Directed 12 episodes 1996 The Louie Show Sandy Sincic Recurring role, 6 episodes 1997 Rugrats Dr. Brander Episode: "The Smell of Success" 2010–2011 The Event Sophia Maguire Series regular, 21 episodes 2012 Awake Captain Tricia Harper Series regular, 9 episodes 2012 Warehouse 13 Emma Jinks Episode: "Second Chance" 2017–2018 Colony Karen Brun Recurring role2017–2019Sneaky PeteDirected four episodesMr. MercedesDirected three episodes 2018–2020 How to Get Away with Murder Governor Lynne Birkhead Recurring role; seasons 5 & 6; eight episodes. Directed eight episodes.2020The George Lucas Talk ShowHerselfStu-D2 1138 on the Binary Sunset Sith (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip marathon)2026–presentSiloSenator Rosalind ThurmanSeries regular, 5 episodes