Biography

"Jeanne Lauren Smith is always there on the money, centered, clear, and dependable."

• Tony award® nominated director John Tillinger

Born in Los Angeles and raised outside of Seattle, from the time she knew what it was she wanted to be an actor. Jeanne remembers watching a black-and-white movie musical, pointing at the screen, and exclaiming "I want to do that!" Her beloved mom signed her up for dance class the next day. That inspired her first play Ballerina Girl (which she wrote, directed, and starred in) at 9 years old.

Many performances, plays and episodes of "Inside the Actors Studio" later, she had her sights set on NYC. After being accepted to the theatre performance program at Marymount Manhattan College, Jeanne moved across the country to develop her craft and pursue her dreams.

The Downtown theatre community swiftly became her home. There she had the opportunity to explore bold storytelling across genre and style. A lover of new play development and having been a reader for writers for years, she circled back to her Ballerina Girl roots and (re)discovered the desire to create. Consequently, she wrote and produced a virtual reading of Spider Play, which raised funds and awareness for domestic violence. Jeanne is enjoying studying writing for television and continuing to develop new works across mediums.

Jeanne's sweet spot is playing characters that have more going on than meets the eye. Whether that's a whistle-blower at a big pharma company, an up-and-coming prosecutor who believes in justice, or a cutting-edge woman of science, she loves portraying women willing to get in the ring and go the extra mile for what they believe in.

Her mission as an artist is to uplift untold stories. Through crafting nuanced characters on stage and screen, shining light on events that can otherwise isolate us with writing, or experimental performance that breaks the boundaries of what storytelling structure can be, she is passionate about the ways art can create connection and understanding in unexpected ways.
- IMDb mini biography by: Jeanne Lauren Smith