Biography
Date of Birth
7 December 1980, Watchung, New Jersey, USA
Birth Name
Laura Helene Prepon
Nickname
Pre
Snaps
Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)
Mini Biography
Laura Helene Prepon was born on March 7, 1980, in Watchung, New Jersey. She is the daughter of Marjorie (Coll) and Michael Prepon. Her father died in 1993, when she was 13 years old. Laura is the youngest of five children--she has a brother named Brad and three sisters: Danielle, Jocelyn, and Stephanie. She attended Watchung Hills Regional High School. She studied at the Total Theater Lab in New York City, where she appeared in a number of theatrical productions.
Before acting became her profession, Laura was a model, working in Paris, Milan, and elsewhere in Europe. She began acting at the young age of 15 as well as dancing--ballet, jazz, and modern. She also played soccer and other sports. Laura loves vintage clothes. Her hobbies include cooking, traveling, horseback riding, playing piano, and dancing. Her favorite book is 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien. Laura resides in New York when not filming in Los Angeles.
Trivia
Hobbies include horseback riding, gymnastics, ice skating, ballet, tennis, and playing the piano.
Resides in Watchung, New Jersey, when not filming in Los Angeles.
Ranked #84 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The World" (2002)
Her father was from a Russian Jewish family. Her mother has Irish, English, and German ancestry.
Hated the Catholic school girl uniform she had to wear during the fifth season of That '70s Show (1998).
Due to the seven inch height difference between her and co-star Mila Kunis on That '70s Show (1998), Laura and Mila were often filmed sitting down so that they could appear in the frame together. At other times, Mila wore platform shoes to give herself four extra inches.
Is proud of being a New Jersey native.
Said her favorite actor is probably Harrison Ford.
Is a natural redhead despite common misconception. Prepon stated in an interview that she dyed her hair black, for the role of "Alex Vause" in Orange Is the New Black (2013), to give her character the 'rockabilly look', but she is, in fact, naturally redheaded.
Named #77 on the Maxim magazine "Hot 100 of 2005" list.
Was featured as #50 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2002" supplement. (2002)
Has attended U.F.C. shows.
Her father was an orthopedic surgeon. Her mother is a high school teacher. One of her sisters is a lawyer.
Used to be a ballet dancer.
Her last name is officially pronounced "PREE-pon".
She is the youngest of 5 children. She has 3 sisters and 1 brother.
Was a cheerleader in 8th grade.
Close friends with her Orange Is the New Black (2013) co-stars, Taylor Schilling and Natasha Lyonne.
Is a Scientologist.
Friends with her That '70s Show (1998) co-star Topher Grace, and Wilmer Valderrama.
She moved to Paris when she was 15 years old to do modeling.
(June 3, 2018) Married her longtime boyfriend Ben Foster following nearly a 2-year-long engagement. They have 10-month-old daughter Ella together.
Mother, with husband Ben Foster, of daughter Ella Foster (b. August 2017), and a son (b. February 2020).
Returned to work a month after giving birth to her daughter in order to continue filming on Orange Is the New Black (2013).
Began her YouTube channel on September 17, 2018 sharing new recipes and tutorials.
In 2018, she became pregnant with her second child with husband Ben Foster. A sonogram at 16 weeks pregnant, showed that the baby has cystic hygroma which stopped brain and bones' growing. Doctors said that the pregnancy would not go to full term and Prepon was at risk carrying the baby any longer so she terminated the pregnancy.
Began a line of cooking products in 2021.
Trademarks:
Deep, husky voice
Quotes
I'm not a sun person.
I don't like wearing '70s clothes at all.
I'm a Jersey girl and proud of it.
When people meet me, they think I'm going to be outgoing, but I like things low- key. I don't like people to think I'm bragging.
Even in real life, I'd rather hang out with guys.
[on an acting role] I'm the tomboy so I got to be a little butch.
I never wear makeup. When I wear makeup on the show I take it off as soon as I can. I just like the au natural thing.
So when I first got into Scientology, I did 'Personal Values' and 'Integrity' and then 'Overcoming Ups and Downs in Life'. These courses touched on the observations I was aware of when I was younger. It was right there in black and white. It was amazing, and I felt that finally something was speaking my language. It totally connected with me. Pretty soon after that I got onto the 'Purification Rundown', and I started moving up the Bridge. [Scientology's Celebrity Magazine, 2015]
It's not that I really hate the clothes, I just don't like all the polyester. And the bell-bottoms-the big ones-are pretty bad. Some of the stuff that Wilmer wears is bad. And Debra Jo [Rupp, who plays Kitty Forman]. But, I swear, they're turning Donna into Annie Hall this season. More ties. More suits. But they're also keeping her really motivated, ya know? Like, wanting to be a rock journalist. Wanting to be the first woman president.
My family was very unorthodox. My mother was very eccentric and amazing. She always treated us like adults. She trusted us to have a head on our shoulders, and thank God she did.
I eat organic and cook my food whenever possible, and I live by the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time I'm Stash all the way, 20 percent I enjoy the things I want.
I get to wake up and do what I love every day and I don't take that for granted. I feel grateful for it everyday.
There's nothing you could say that would shock me.
Food is a passion because I basically grew up in a kitchen. My mother was a gourmet chef and I'm the youngest of five kids. We would always congregate in the kitchen.
I love being a redhead. It's a rare thing, so I think there's a bond between redheads.
I know that when you take care of yourself and are happy and healthy, you are better for those around you and your environment. I also know that many ailments can be healed with food by nourishing your body instead of taking drugs.
I went to Milan when I was 15. I was always looking for something; I never really felt like I belonged where I was, so I went to live overseas.
They have to be funny. That's top of the list. They have to be able to spark my interest so I want to pursue it, and they have to have an awesome personality, really laid-back. All those things are sexy to me. But he can't be anal. I can't stand being around anal people, especially anal people with big egos.
A lot of things inspire me. When I see a beautiful piece of art, it inspires me to be creative. When I see an amazing play or movie, it inspires me as an actress and a filmmaker. I recently saw Annette Bening in Ruth Draper's Monologues (2014). Her performance blew me away. She completely inspired me as an actress. Also, eating healthy and taking care of my body and my mind really make me come alive, and seeing others doing that inspires me to stay with it. I always feel great when I do.
For some reason, I like to put myself in situations where I don't even know how I ended up there. I never want to be complacent or comfortable in a role.
There's a much bigger picture we're all striving for. To sweat the small stuff just stresses you out for no reason.
The worst diets are the ones that restrict your calories too much and try to trick your body. You have no energy, and it's ridiculous.
When I'm working, it's next to impossible. I like to think I'll just be walking down the street one day and stop and meet someone, like, Oh my god, you're awesome, and then we start dating. But, no. [Laughs].
