Chicago is the birthplace of many successful women who have made a global impact. Laura Harrier, a model and actress, is one of them. We’ll take a closer look at her life on chicagoka.com.
Childhood and Modeling Career
Laura was born on March 28, 1990, in Chicago, but she grew up in Evanston. Her father, Temujin, is African American, and her mother, Linda, is of Polish and English descent. Temujin worked in insurance, while Linda was a speech pathologist. In her early childhood, the future model had a speech impediment, but her mother helped her overcome it by the age of three. Laura was a shy child; she didn’t like playing with other kids and preferred to be alone. Noticing this, Linda enrolled her in acting classes to help her build self-confidence. In high school, Laura developed a keen interest in fashion, often wearing stylish outfits to school and skillfully putting pieces together.
Harrier began her modeling career at 17, thanks to a friend of her mother’s who discovered her. In 2008, after graduating from high school, Laura moved to New York City to pursue modeling full-time. Soon, her face graced the covers of numerous major magazines, and she began posing for top American companies. For a time, she was the face of the brand Garnier and appeared in one of its commercials. Harrier also collaborated extensively with international brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada. During this period, Laura began studying art history at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University. She soon realized she wanted to pursue acting and enrolled at the William Esper Studio, where she studied acting for two years, graduating in 2015.
Conquering the Big Screen
While still studying at the William Esper Studio, Harrier landed her first acting job: the main role of Destiny Evans in the one-season reboot of the American soap opera One Life to Live (2013). In 2014, Laura appeared as Amber in the TV series Unforgettable (2014). From that point on, her career began to take off, with offers pouring in from leading directors and her performances earning positive reviews from critics.
In 2016, Harrier appeared alongside Rowan Blanchard and Mahershala Ali in “The Realest Real,” a short promotional film for the French fashion brand Kenzo. During this time, Laura also starred in various campaigns for brands like Calvin Klein and Louis Vuitton and became an ambassador for the luxury Italian jewelry brand Bulgari. In 2017, the actress played the role of Liz Allan in the film Spider-Man: Homecoming. Notably, this film grossed over $880 million worldwide and received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The project brought the actress widespread popularity.
In 2018, Laura Harrier took on Hollywood, playing the role of Patrice Dumas, a civil rights activist, in the film BlacKkKlansman. The movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2018. Notably, in preparation for the role, Laura met with activist Kathleen Cleaver and other women involved in the Black Power movement, and she also studied the work of Angela Davis. Her hard work paid off, as her powerful performance earned her critical acclaim and nominations for both a Black Reel Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
In 2019, Laura was offered the lead role in the film Balance, Not Symmetry by Jamie Adams. In 2020, she appeared in the miniseries Hollywood as Camille Washington, a budding Black actress facing prejudice during Hollywood’s “golden age.” In 2022, Harrier starred in the biographical miniseries Mike, based on the life of American boxer Mike Tyson. During this time, she also lent her voice to the animated special Entergalactic.
A Hit Collection
Laura continues her career in the fashion industry. In 2024, she teamed up with Reformation, a popular sustainable clothing brand, to create a summer capsule collection inspired by her personal wardrobe. She drew inspiration from her own favorite pieces, revealing a love for collecting vintage clothing. In an interview, Harrier admitted that ’90s fashion heavily influenced the collection. Laura’s 18-piece collection included cocktail dresses, cute sets, mules, and mix-and-match separates. The line’s vintage aesthetic also echoes Harrier’s personal style, seen in fitted one-shoulder tops and miniskirts.
Interestingly, Laura Harrier genuinely admires women who embody strength, beauty, and self-confidence. She strives to offer stylish clothing that perfectly accentuates these qualities and flatters the figure.