Lauren Lapkus

Dorthea Lauren Allegra Lapkus was born on September 6, 1985, in Evanston, Illinois. Her career began to take shape early, filming sketches with her older brother and participating in the annual student revue at Evanston Township High School. She further honed her comedic skills by taking improv classes at the iO Theater during high school and continued to perform consistently while attending DePaul University, where she graduated in 2008 with a degree in English. After college, Lapkus moved to New York City and became involved with the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, a pivotal experience that shaped her comedic approach. In 2010, she relocated to Los Angeles, a move that proved instrumental in advancing her professional acting career.

After moving to Los Angeles, Lapkus quickly began securing commercial roles for brands such as Snickers and Jack in the Box, as well as a sketch on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’. These early successes led to representation and a supporting role in the television series ‘Are You There, Chelsea?’ in 2012. A significant turning point in her career was her casting as correctional officer Susan Fischer in the Netflix comedy-drama series ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ a role she held from 2013 to 2014 and again in 2019. Her performance contributed to the cast winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series in 2015. That same year, she appeared in the blockbuster film ‘Jurassic World’ and later created and starred in an episode of ‘Netflix Presents: The Characters’ in 2016. She also became recognized for her role as Jess in the HBO comedy-drama series ‘Crashing’ from 2017 to 2019 and Denise in ‘The Big Bang Theory’ from 2018 to 2019. In 2017, she received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for ‘The Earliest Show’.

Beyond her acting roles, Lapkus has established a strong presence in the podcasting world. In 2014, she launched ‘With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus’ on the Earwolf network, which quickly reached number one on the comedy section of iTunes. She co-hosts ‘Threedom’ and ‘Raised by TV’ and, in 2020, launched ‘Newcomers’ with Nicole Byer on Headgum, where they review film franchises for the first time. Her extensive voice acting credits include roles like Lotta in ‘Harvey Girls Forever!’ (2018–2020), Val in ‘Big City Greens’ (2018–2025), and Jennifer Sh’reyan in ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ (2020–2024). Her work demonstrates a consistent career trajectory marked by diverse roles across various media, including notable films such as ‘The Wrong Missy’ (2020) and ‘The Out-Laws’ (2023), reflecting her range and adaptability.