Laura Prepon ( ; born March 7, 1980) is an American actress and television director. She rose to fame with her role as Donna Pinciotti in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006). She is also known for portraying Alex Vause in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). Prepon made her film debut in 2001 with the independent drama Southlander. Her other films include the romantic drama Come Early Morning (2006), the comedy Lay the Favorite (2012), the thriller The Girl on the Train (2016), and the drama The Hero (2017).
Prepon starred as Donna Pinciotti on the Fox sitcom That '70s Show from 1998 to 2006. Donna became the girlfriend and next-door neighbor of Eric Forman (Topher Grace). Randy Pearson (Josh Meyers), who was introduced in the eighth and final season of the series, became Donna's third love interest after Grace left the series. Prepon attended film school while she worked on That '70s Show.
Prepon co-starred in the college comedy Slackers (2002), about three best friends who are blackmailed for cheating their way through college. She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award in 2002 for her role in That '70s Show. In 2001, she made her film debut in Steve Hanft's musical comedy-drama Southlander with Beck, Beth Orton and Hank Williams III, where she played Seven=Five, a young TV telepathic. In 2004, Prepon worked on the independent drama film The Pornographer: A Love Story. The film tells the story of an obsessive relationship between a director and an actress.
Prepon was named one of Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" in 2002 and one of Maxim magazine's "Hot 100" in 2005. Prepon had a cameo voice appearance as a United Nations Space Command marine in Halo 2, which was released in 2004. Her first notable film role came in 2004 with the dark drama Lightning Bug with Bret Harrison, Kevin Gage and Ashley Laurence. Branching into other arenas than acting, Prepon also served as executive producer of the film. She also appeared on an episode of MTV's Cribs in 2003.
Prepon had been taking directing classes at the Art Center College of Design. She directed a short film, Abide with Me, about a 10-year-old boy who, "upon bearing witness to his father's murder, is rendered mute". Prepon stated she plans on making Abide with Me into a feature film.
In 2016, Prepon and nutritionist Elizabeth Troy co-wrote The Stash Plan, a wellness book that draws on Prepon's experiences eating organic foods since she was a child, and her struggles with weight, low energy, and digestive issues. The book debuted at No. 10 under "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous" on The New York Times Best Seller list. Since publishing The Stash Plan, Prepon has expanded her cooking career, launching a line of kitchenware products called PrepOn Kitchen and regularly posting instructional videos online.
In 2016, Prepon appeared in the psychological thriller The Girl on the Train, based on Paula Hawkins' novel of the same name. In 2017, she played Charlotte opposite Sam Elliott in The Hero. Prepon directed the tenth episode of Orange Is the New Blacks fifth season, titled "The Reverse Midas Touch". On April 30, 2022, it was announced that Prepon would have a guest appearance in the follow-up sitcom, That '90s Show. That 90's Show debuted January 19, 2023 on Netflix.
In August 2017, Prepon gave birth to a daughter with fiancé actor Ben Foster. Prepon and Foster married in June 2018. Their second child, a son, was born in February 2020. Ben Foster filed for divorce from Prepon on November 12, 2024, citing “irreconcilable differences”.
Prepon became a Scientology in 1999. In 2021, she revealed that she had not practiced Scientology since 2016 and it was no longer a part of her life.
1998 | Pleasantville | Extra | |
2001 | Southlander | Seven Equals Five | |
2002 | Slackers | Reanna Cass | |
2004 | Lightning Bug | Angevin Duvet | Also executive producer |
2004 | The Pornographer: A Love Story | ||
2006 | Karla | Karla Homolka | |
2006 | Come Early Morning | Kim | |
2007 | Once Upon a Time | The Witch | Short film |
2007 | Rachel Cruz (voice) | ||
2012 | Lay the Favorite | Holly | |
2012 | Jennifer | ||
2016 | The Girl on the Train | Cathy | |
2017 | The Hero | Charlotte Dylan |
1998–2006 | That '70s Show | Donna Pinciotti | Main role; 200 episodes |
2004 | King of the Hill | April (voice) | Episode: "Talking Shop" |
2005 | American Dad! | Hayley Smith (voice) | Unaired pilot |
2005 | Romancing the Bride | Melissa | Television film |
2007–2008 | October Road | Hannah Jane Daniels | Main role; 19 episodes |
2009–2010 | How I Met Your Mother | Karen | Guest role; 3 episodes, seasons 4 and 5 |
2009 | In Plain Sight | Lauren Hefferman | Episode: "A Frond in Need" |
2010 | Medium | Kira Hudack | Episode: "How to Beat a Bad Guy" |
2010 | House | Frankie | Episode: "Private Lives" |
2010 | Celebrity Ghost Stories | Herself | Episode #2.9 |
2011 | Castle | Natalie Rhodes/Nikki Heat | Episode: "Nikki Heat" |
2011 | Love Bites | Alex | Episode: "Keep on Truckin |
2011 | Eve Duncan | Television film | |
2011 | L Boogie | Web series; director and editor | |
2012 | Are You There, Chelsea? | Chelsea Newman | Main role; 12 episodes |
2012 | Men at Work | Hannah | Episode: "Plan B" |
2013–2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Alex Vause | Main role (season 1, 3–7), recurring role (season 2); 82 episodes Directed season 5, episode 10: "The Reverse Midas Touch", season 6, episode 11: "Well This Took a Dark Turn", season 7, episode 5: "Minority Deport" |
2023–2024 | That '90s Show | Donna Pinciotti-Forman | Guest role (7 episodes) Director (10 episodes) |
1999 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a TV Series – Young Ensemble | That '70s Show | ||
Teen Choice Awards | TV – Breakout Performance | ||||
2002 | Teen Choice Awards | TV – Choice Actress, Comedy | |||
2014 | Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Orange Is the New Black | ||
Best Cast – Television Series | |||||
2016 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |||
2017 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | |||
The Creative Coalition Spotlight Initiative Awards |
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