From Being the On-screen Daughter of Clint Eastwood to Walking Down the Aisle With Liam Neeson: 7 Facts of Ozark Actress Laura Linney

American actress Laura Leggett Linney has been working in movies for almost three decades now. With her spectacular performance, Laura has garnered several prestigious awards as Emmy and Golden Globe. 

Earning her first Academy Award nomination at the beginning of the 2000s led her to more challenging roles in the later decades. Still, with her strong performances blended with versatility, Linney has made each second of her appearance worth noting and received wide praise for it. Here we will look more into her career and relationship details in seven facts. 

7. She is the Daughter of Romulus Linney

Laura's father, Romulus Zachariah Linney IV, worked as a playwright and novelist. Moreover, Laura's great-great-grandfather is Romulus Zachariah Linney, Republican U.S. Congressman. 

Nevertheless, the 56-years old actress grew up in a homely surrounding with her mother, Miriam Anderson Perse, who worked as a nurse at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Laura has a half-sister, Susan Linney, from her father's second marriage. 

6. Her Character Was Named After Meryl Streep

Linney appeared alongside Jim Carrey in the Academy nominated film The Truman Show. In the movie, her character Hannah Gill plays as Meryl Burbank. In addition to naming the character after Meryl Streep, Laura was also made up to personify the veteran actress. 

What's interesting is that Linney is often paralleled with Streep. Even Tony Award-winning actor Sir Ian Murray McKellen, in an interview with The Sunday Morning Herald, stated, 

"Laura Linney is up there with Meryl Streep to me. She is a dedicated, beautiful person inside and out, and also ultra-professional and easy to work with."

5. Laura Played as Clint Eastwood Daughter in Absolute Power 

Laura Linney played as the estranged daughter of Clint Eastwood in the political thriller movie Absolute Power. Eastwood, who also happens to be the director of the film, chose Laura Linney for the role of Kate Whitney after being impressed by her performance in the movie Primal Fear. 

In an interview with the Vanity Fair, Linney talked about her experience in the movie, 

"During that movie, I learned so much from Clint Eastwood, and those are tools that have helped me throughout the last 25 years. I have a deep fondness for him, as does everybody who works with him.”

Until now, she has worked in three films with Clint Eastwood, including Absolute Power: Mystic River in 2003 and Sully in 2016. 

4. Linney Has Earned Three Oscar Nomination 

With her spectacular performance, Linney has earned both audience and critic's admiration. While the 56-years old actress had already appeared in the commercially successful movies like Primal Fear in the 90s, she truly gained the notability she deserves in the 2000s. 

Her first Academy Award nomination came after she appeared as Samantha Prescott in the movie You Can Count On Me. Laura became nominated in the category of Best Actress. Four years after her first Oscar nomination, in 2004, Linney earned another nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the movie Kinsey. In 2007, Laura Linney earned third Oscar nomination, this time yet again for Best Actress, for the film The Savages. 

3. She Would Introduce Downtown Abbey

To people astonishment, Laura Linney has never appeared in any episode of the beloved show Downtown Abbey. However, she has never missed introducing any season of Downtown Abbey. 

The reason behind introducing the series, according to the statement of the executive producer of the show, Rebecca Eaton, is, 

"We feel that hosts create an atmosphere and provide context for the programs that follow. When Masterpiece did its rebranding in 2008, the series was divided into three seasons. We decided that having a different host for each season would help to differentiate the programming for the audience. Laura Linney is an elegant and classic as the dramas she introduces.”

2. She Walked Down the Aisle with Liam Neeson

Linney, on her wedding ceremony with Marc Schauer, was walked down the aisle by Academy Award-nominated actor  Liam Neeson. Laura shared a close bond with Neeson's wife, actress Natasha Richardson, who lost her life in 2009 after suffering a severe head injury from a tragic skiing accident. 

Linney and Marc, who married on May of 2009, have one son, Bennett Armistead Schauer, born on January 8, 2014. 

The 56-years old actress had married actor and playwright David Adkins in 1995; however, the couple divorced in 2000. 

1. She is the Main Cast of Ozark

Laura Linney joined the cast of television series Ozark in 2017. She plays the lead character Wendy Byrde in the series. Along with Linney, talented actors as Jason Bateman, Sofia Hublitz, Julia Garner, Jordana Spiro, Jason Butler Harner, Esai Morales, Peter Mullan, Lisa Emery, Charlie Tahan, Janet McTeer, Skylar Gaertner, and Tom Pelphrey are also seen in significant roles. 

Ozark is filmed in the homely waterfront resort at Lake of the Ozarks. The series has completed two seasons, and the third season is all set to be released on March 27, 2020.