- In her 2011 autobiography, "Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir", she revealed that she and Mel Gibson had a one-night stand while working together on the movie Tim (1979), despite their almost-25-year age difference and the fact that she was married at the time.
- In her 2011 autobiography, "Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir", she revealed that she lost her virginity to Ronald Reagan during the time they were filming Louisa (1950) together. Reagan was nearly 40, while Laurie was still in her teens; in the movie, Reagan plays her father.
- Starred alongside Sissy Spacek in three movies: Carrie (1976) (she played her mother), The Grass Harp (1995) (she played her sister!), and the TV movie Midwives (2001).
- Has daughter Anne Grace Morgenstern (b. January 9, 1971) with ex-husband Joe Morgenstern.
- To combat her shyness, her parents provided her with weekly elocution lessons; she eventually landed minor roles at Universal Studios.
- Laurie did not appear in another feature film until she accepted the role of religious fanatic Margaret White in the horror film Carrie (1976). She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance; the commercial success of the film, and recognition for her performance, relaunched her career. Her co-star Sissy Spacek praised her acting skill: "She is a remarkable actress. She never does what you expect her to do-she always surprises you with her approach to a scene.".
- Brief social connection to G. David Schine (1927-96), the hotel heir and staff assistant to the notorious Sen. Joseph McCarthy. When Schine was drafted into the Army, McCarthy and Schine's staff colleague Roy Cohn unsuccessfully sought to exert their influence to get him a commission as an officer, which he was not qualified for. This led to a congressional investigation and the 1954 televised Army-McCarthy hearings.
- Discouraged by the lack of substantial film roles, she moved to New York City to study acting and to seek work on the stage and in television. She appeared in Twelfth Night, produced by Hallmark Hall of Fame; in Days of Wine and Roses with Cliff Robertson, presented by Playhouse 90 on October 2, 1958 and in Winterset, presented by Playhouse 90 in 1959.
- In 1965, she starred in a Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams's 'The Glass Menagerie', opposite Maureen Stapleton, Pat Hingle, and George Grizzard.
- In 2000, she received the Spirit of Hope Award in Korea for her service during the Korean War. She appeared at the September 2014 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Hunt Valley, Maryland.
- In 1962, she was Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year,.
- In Italy, almost all her films were dubbed by Rosetta Calavetta. She was dubbed, albeit briefly by Miranda Bonansea at the beginning of her career; and later on by Maria Pia Di Meo. The talented Fiorella Betti lent her distinctive voice to Laurie in the acclaimed The Hustler (1961).
- After her 1981 divorce, Laurie moved to California. She received a third Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Mrs. Norman in Children of a Lesser God (1986). The same year, she was awarded an Emmy for her performance in Promise, a television movie, co-starring James Garner and James Woods.
- Laurie was also a sculptor who worked in marble and clay.
- Laurie's mother and grandmother placed Laurie's older sister in a sanitarium for her asthma. Laurie was sent along to keep her company.
- She was lured back to Hollywood by the offer to co-star with Paul Newman in The Hustler, released in 1961. She played Newman's girlfriend, Sarah Packard, and for her performance, she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Substantial movie roles did not come her way after The Hustler, so she and her husband moved to New York.
- She has appeared in two films that have been selected for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant": The Hustler (1961) and Carrie (1976).
- To enhance her image, Universal Studios told gossip columnists that Laurie bathed in milk and ate flower petals to protect her luminous skin.
- Laurie was married to New York Herald Tribune entertainment writer and Wall Street Journal movie critic Joe Morgenstern. They met shortly after the release of 'The Hustler' in 1961 when Morgenstern interviewed her during the film's promotion. They soon began dating, and nine months after the interview, they were married on January 21, 1962.
- She received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards and a BAFTA Award.
- She had a featured role in the Off-Broadway production of The Destiny of Me in 1992, and returned to Broadway for Lincoln Center's acclaimed 2002 revival of Paul Osborn's 'Morning's at Seven', with Julie Hagerty, Buck Henry, Frances Sternhagen, and Estelle Parsons.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content