Laura Koffman
Encyclopedia
Laura Bonarrigo-Koffman is an American
actress.
. She became a member of The Shoestring Players, a professional children’s theatre group, while still in grade school. While in high school, her family moved from Massachusetts to a large farm in Thomaston, Maine
. She became involved in community theater and in 1981, decided to compete in the Miss Maine National Teenager Pageant. The first year she competed, she came in second and won the congeniality award. She ran again in 1982 and won the overall title in addition to winning the awards for most photogenic, citizenship and again, congeniality. She also competed in the Miss National Teen-agers Pageant in 1982.
In 1986, she graduated from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University
, after studying acting, voice and movement. She returned to Maine to continue her acting studies at both the International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport and the School for Performance Studies. She moved to New York and after doing some modeling, she got an early acting role as the Mother in the independent film The Passing with Marion Seldes and Garrison Keillor
.
soap opera
One Life to Live
.
Before landing the role of Cassie, Koffman played the short-term role of Lindsay on the NBC
soap opera Another World
in 1991.
On One Life to Live, she succeeded Ava Haddad, who portrayed Cassie from 1983–1986, with a brief reprise in 1990. Koffman portrayed the role from March 1991 to January 1999, winning a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination in 1993 for Outstanding Younger Leading Actress. She left the show in 1999 when she was controversially fired while on maternity leave, something that was widely blamed on then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps
. She made several brief appearances on the series in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. She returned once again on February 15, 18 and 26 and March 1 of 2010, when Cassie's family was being terrorized.
After leaving One Life to Live in 1999 & giving birth to her son, Laura performed as Trish in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress by Alan Ball. Her daughter was born in 2001 at which time she took a break from acting to raise her children in Manhattan.
Koffman portrayed the title role in an off-Broadway play by Myra Bairstow entitled The Rise of Dorothy Hale from June 2007 to January 2008.
On October 28, 2008 Koffman returned to daytime television in the role of Rebecca Fowler on ABC's All My Children
.
She has since returned full-time to acting & modeling, playing Angie in the independent film Concertoa, which was a Sundance 2009 Selection and Winner of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Award. She also starred as Kitty in the staged reading of Otherwise by Vincent Crapelli, with Karen Ziemba
and Beth Leavel
.
In 2009, from June 17 to July 26, she portrayed the role of Elly in a production of Dance of the Seven Headed Mouse at the historic Beckett Theater in New York. John Simon
of Bloomberg News, said of her; "Outstanding is the Elly of Laura Bonarrigo, hitherto a model and TV actress; beautiful and talented, she deserves a rich theatrical career."
She has been noted in interviews with Soap Opera Digest
magazine as being a fan of wearing g-string
bikinis. This was only after considerable struggle with her body image as a young actresses.
In 2006 Laura started her own company, Feed Your Mouths helping other moms feed their children healthy nourishing meals & snacks. Since then, she has worked closely with families & individuals interested in changing the way they shop, cook & eat in their own homes.
Laura is a member of the historic acting club The Players
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress.
Early life
Laura Koffman was born in Brookline, MassachusettsBrookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
. She became a member of The Shoestring Players, a professional children’s theatre group, while still in grade school. While in high school, her family moved from Massachusetts to a large farm in Thomaston, Maine
Thomaston, Maine
Thomaston, Maine is a town on the coast of Maine the United States. The name may also refer to:*Thomaston , Maine, a census-designated place comprising the center of the town*South Thomaston, Maine, an adjacent town...
. She became involved in community theater and in 1981, decided to compete in the Miss Maine National Teenager Pageant. The first year she competed, she came in second and won the congeniality award. She ran again in 1982 and won the overall title in addition to winning the awards for most photogenic, citizenship and again, congeniality. She also competed in the Miss National Teen-agers Pageant in 1982.
In 1986, she graduated from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
, after studying acting, voice and movement. She returned to Maine to continue her acting studies at both the International Film and Television Workshops in Rockport and the School for Performance Studies. She moved to New York and after doing some modeling, she got an early acting role as the Mother in the independent film The Passing with Marion Seldes and Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
.
Career
Koffman is best known for her role as the fourth Cassie Callison on the ABCAmerican Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
.
Before landing the role of Cassie, Koffman played the short-term role of Lindsay on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
soap opera Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
in 1991.
On One Life to Live, she succeeded Ava Haddad, who portrayed Cassie from 1983–1986, with a brief reprise in 1990. Koffman portrayed the role from March 1991 to January 1999, winning a Soap Opera Digest Award nomination in 1993 for Outstanding Younger Leading Actress. She left the show in 1999 when she was controversially fired while on maternity leave, something that was widely blamed on then-executive producer Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps
Jill Farren Phelps is an American television producer.-Career:Phelps has been the executive producer of many American television soap operas: Santa Barbara , Guiding Light , Another World , One Life to Live , and currently General Hospital .Phelps got her start...
. She made several brief appearances on the series in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. She returned once again on February 15, 18 and 26 and March 1 of 2010, when Cassie's family was being terrorized.
After leaving One Life to Live in 1999 & giving birth to her son, Laura performed as Trish in Five Women Wearing the Same Dress by Alan Ball. Her daughter was born in 2001 at which time she took a break from acting to raise her children in Manhattan.
Koffman portrayed the title role in an off-Broadway play by Myra Bairstow entitled The Rise of Dorothy Hale from June 2007 to January 2008.
On October 28, 2008 Koffman returned to daytime television in the role of Rebecca Fowler on ABC's All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
.
She has since returned full-time to acting & modeling, playing Angie in the independent film Concertoa, which was a Sundance 2009 Selection and Winner of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Award. She also starred as Kitty in the staged reading of Otherwise by Vincent Crapelli, with Karen Ziemba
Karen Ziemba
Karen Ziemba is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre.-Biography:Ziemba was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and went on to attend the University of Akron , where she studied dance and joined the Ohio Ballet in her sophomore year.Her Broadway debut was in...
and Beth Leavel
Beth Leavel
-Biography:Leavel was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. She attended Meredith College, earning a degree in social work. She completed a graduate theatre degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1980. She acted during college, appearing in productions such as Cabaret and Hello,...
.
In 2009, from June 17 to July 26, she portrayed the role of Elly in a production of Dance of the Seven Headed Mouse at the historic Beckett Theater in New York. John Simon
John Simon (critic)
John Ivan Simon is an American author and literary, theater, and film critic.-Personal life:Simon was born in Subotica, Bačka, County of Bačka, the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, later, known as Yugoslavia . He is of Hungarian descent...
of Bloomberg News, said of her; "Outstanding is the Elly of Laura Bonarrigo, hitherto a model and TV actress; beautiful and talented, she deserves a rich theatrical career."
Personal life
She married Marty Koffman in 1995 and is the mother of two children. Recently, she has reverted back to using her maiden name professionally.She has been noted in interviews with Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest
Soap Opera Digest is a weekly magazine covering American daytime soap operas. It features onscreen and offscreen news about the series, interviews with and articles about performers, storyline summaries and analysis, and related promotional information...
magazine as being a fan of wearing g-string
G-string
A G-string is a type of thong underwear or swimsuit, a narrow piece of cloth, leather, or plastic, that covers or holds the genitals, passes between the buttocks, and is attached to a band around the hips, worn as swimwear or underwear by women and men...
bikinis. This was only after considerable struggle with her body image as a young actresses.
In 2006 Laura started her own company, Feed Your Mouths helping other moms feed their children healthy nourishing meals & snacks. Since then, she has worked closely with families & individuals interested in changing the way they shop, cook & eat in their own homes.
Laura is a member of the historic acting club The Players
The Players (club)
The Players, frequently referred to as the Players Club, is a social club founded in New York City by the noted 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth, who purchased an 1847 mansion located at 16 Gramercy Park. During his lifetime, he reserved an upper floor for his home, turning the rest of...
.