Lauren Holly first appeared in the 1984 police procedural television series ‘Hill Street Blue,’ where she portrayed ‘Carla Walicki.’ The following year, she made her big-screen debut in the Linda Feferman-directed teen film ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven.’ In 1986, she joined the cast of the television soap opera ‘All My Children’ as ‘Julie Chandler’ which earned her a ‘Daytime Emmy Award’ nomination. Holly remained a part of the show till 1989. After appearing in television films and series like ‘Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again’ (1990), ‘My Two Dads’ (1990), ‘The Antagonists’ (1991), and ‘Fugitive Among Us’ (1992), she grabbed the role of ‘Maxine Stewart’ in the family drama series ‘Picket Fences’ in 1992. The show ran for 4 years, from September 1992 to June 1996.
In 1994, Holly starred as ‘Mary Swanson’ in the American buddy comedy film ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ directed by Peter Farrelly. Even though the film received mixed reviews from critics, it was a phenomenal success at the box office and developed a cult status in the coming years. She was next seen in films like ‘Sabrina’ (1995), ‘Beautiful Girls’ (1996), ‘Turbulence’ (1997), ‘No Looking Back’ (1998), ‘Any Given Sunday’ (1999), ‘What Women Want’ (2000), ‘In Enemy Hands’ (2004), and ‘The Godfather of Green Bay’ (2005).
In 2005, she joined the main cast of the American police procedural television series ‘NCIS.‘ She played the role of NCIS Director ‘Jenny Shepard’ and remained on the show till 2008. Holly became a part of the computer-animated television series ‘The Adventures of Chuck and Friends’ in 2010, where she voiced the character ‘Haulie.’ She continued to make brief appearances in series like ‘Rookie Blue’ (2011), ‘Lost Girl’ (2012), and ‘Alphas’ (2012), before starring as ‘Dr. Betty Rogers’ in the Canadian police procedural crime drama television series ‘Motive’ in 2013. The show aired its final episode in August 2016.
Lauren is currently playing the role of ‘Joanne Kowalski’ in the Canadian drama television series ‘Family Law.’