Laura Allen

In her career as an actress, Laura Allen has had the opportunity to inform some of her roles with her own real-life experiences. Before entering into the industry, Allen was a domestic violence counselor for the NYPD; years later, she guest-starred on the 2007 season premiere of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," a "Law & Order" spin-off focusing on sex crimes. She also had a substantive role in the Julia Roberts film "Mona Lisa Smile," the story of a 1950s barrier-breaking teacher at Wellesley College, which also happened to be Laura Allen's own alma mater. No real-life experience (save for actual alien abduction) would likely have prepared Allen for her recurring role as Lily Tyler on the sci-fi series "The 4400," but her performance nevertheless left such an impression on viewers that she was written back into the show for the final season. Finally, although the show "Terriers" (about two best friends forming a private detective business) was canceled after one season, Allen received praise for her portrayal of the girlfriend of one of the brothers. The show itself was widely seen as one of those unfortunate television creations that exhibits extraordinary artistic quality but never connects with a large enough audience to remain commercially viable.