Piper Laurie Biography

Piper Laurie aka Rosetta Jacobs was born on January 22, 1932, to Charlotte Sadie and Alfred Jacobs in Detroit, Michigan. Her father, a furniture dealer, was of Russian-Polish descent. The family moved to Los Angeles in 1938.

She attended the Hebrew School in Los Angeles and attended elocution classes to grow more confident. This led to her being cast in minor roles at Universal Studios, which was nearby.

Piper Laurie decided to take the plunge in acting and signed a contract with Universal Studios in 1949. She also changed her screen name from Rosetta Jacobs to Piper Laurie. She made her debut in 1950 with the film ‘Louisa’. She also worked in ‘The Milkman’ in the same year.

In 1986, she starred in two major movies. Her role as Mrs. Norman in ‘Children of a Lesser God’ got her another Academy Award nomination, while her portrayal as Annie Gilbert in ‘Promise’ won her an Emmy and earned a Golden Globe nomination.

In 1990, she began starring in the acclaimed TV series ‘Twin Peaks’ as Catherine Martell/Mr. Tojamura. The show was a cult hit and won her a Golden Globe award, in addition to a host of other reputed nominations. Her other TV performances in the 1990s included, appearing on ‘Frasier’, ‘E.R.’, and ‘Diagnosis Murder.’

Piper’s TV credits in the 2000s include TV series, such as ‘Will & Grace’ (2000), ‘Possessed’ (2000), ‘Law & Order’ (2001), and ‘Dead Like Me’ (2004). Her movies from this decade were ‘Eulogy’ (2004), ‘Hounddog’ (2007), and ‘Another Harvest Moon’ (2009).

Her love for theatre didn’t erode despite her growing popularity in other mediums. She starred in the Broadway productions of ‘The Glass Menagerie’ in 1965, ‘The Destiny of Me’ in 1992’, and ‘Morning’s at Seven’ in 2002.

Piper released her autobiography ‘Learning to Live Out Loud’ in 2011, which chronicled her early career and subsequent stardom. She returned to the silver screen for the reprisal of ‘Twin Peaks’ in 2017.

Her final on-screen appearances include an episode of ‘MacGyver’ (2018) and the movie ‘White Boy Rick’ (2018). 

Piper Laurie briefly dated her ‘Louisa’ co-actor and former US president Ronald Reagan in the 1950s. She later married Joe Morgenstern, an entertainment writer, on January 21, 1962. They welcomed a daughter together, Anne Grace Morgenstern. The couple divorced in 1982.

She was conferred an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts by Tucson University in 1996. She was also named ‘Woman of the Year’ by Harvard University in 1962.

She passed away on October 14, 2023, at the age of 91.

Piper Laurie was an accomplished painter and her artwork was displayed in galleries across the United States.

In addition to her acting career, Piper Laurie wrote a memoir titled "Learning to Live Out Loud: A Memoir."

Piper Laurie was known for her love of animals and was a longtime supporter of animal rights organizations.

She was an avid reader and had a passion for literature, often recommending books to friends and colleagues.

Piper Laurie was a skilled cook and enjoyed experimenting with new recipes in her spare time.