Sheryl Lee

About Sheryl Lee

Sheryl Lynn Lee is an American film, stage, and television actress best known for her haunting portrayal of Laura Palmer, the murdered homecoming queen whose death launches David Lynch and Mark Frost’s landmark series Twin Peaks. Born in Augsburg, Germany, and raised in Boulder, Colorado, Lee trained at several acting programs before moving to Seattle to pursue stage work. While there, her headshot came to Lynch’s attention, leading to her casting as Laura Palmer; she later expanded her presence in the series through the additional role of Laura’s cousin, Maddy Ferguson.

Lee reprised Laura Palmer in Lynch’s 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, a performance that earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Her other screen credits include Wild at Heart, Backbeat, Mother Night, John Carpenter’s Vampires, Winter’s Bone, and Texas Killing Fields, along with television appearances in One Tree Hill, Dirty Sexy Money, and other series and films.

Beyond her screen work, Lee has also acted on stage, including the title role in the 1992 Broadway production of Salome opposite Al Pacino. In later years, she has also taught and mentored actors and filmmakers, bringing her experience in psychologically layered performance to a new generation of artists.