Laura Harring

harvester · December 4, 2004

Born Laura Elena Martinez Herring of German and Austrian ancestry in Los Mochis, a small city in northern Mexico, she moved to the United States with her mother and two sisters at age 11. While in Texas, multi-lingual Laura spent her high school years at Aiglon College in Switzerland. While studying abroad, she was chosen to participate in a summer project that took her to India as a social worker, spending a month digging ditches and planting vegetable gardens. The following year she spent backpacking around the world. Returning to the United States, Laura entered the Miss El Paso competition. Laura won, went on to become Miss Texas, and subsequently garnered the distinction of being the first Hispanic ever to walk away with the title of "Miss USA."

The following year her good looks and dynamic personality brought her the attention of Hollywood where she was cast in the telefilm "The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory" as the young wife of the President of Mexico played by Raul Julia. However, because another actress carried Laura's name, she made a slight alteration in the spelling of her surname and has used Harring as her professional name. Laura was riding the whirlwind of popularity when she met Count Carl von Bismarck, whom she later married. The newly titled Countess Laura Harring von Bismarck continued with her burgeoning acting career, but later an amicable separation ensued and Laura focused all her energies toward developing into the formidable talent that she is. From features to television to hosting, Laura Harring is proving to be potent and versatile talent.

Laura is now divorced, making her an ex-countess. But, her movie career has just begun to flourish. Her recent movie, "Mulholland Dr.," written and directed by David Lynch, is now in theaters. Coming up, she can be seen in "New Shoes" and "John Q."