# Lauren Lapkus

Dorthea Lauren Allegra Lapkus (born September 6, 1985) is an American actress and comedian, known for portraying Susan Fischer in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2014, 2019) and Jess in the HBO comedy-drama series Crashing (2017–2019). She has also appeared in the television series Are You There, Chelsea? (2012), Hot in Cleveland (2012), Clipped (2015), The Big Bang Theory (2018–2019), and Good Girls (2020–2021) and in the films Jurassic World (2015), The Unicorn (2018), and The Wrong Missy (2020). She played the voice role of Lotta in the animated comedy series Harvey Girls Forever! (2018–2020).
Lapkus has appeared on various podcasts, including Comedy Bang! Bang!, improv4humans, and her own podcasts With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus, Laptime with Lauren Lapkus, Threedom, Raised by TV, and Newcomers.

## Early life

Dorthea Lauren Allegra Lapkus was born on September 6, 1985 in Evanston, Illinois. At an early age she filmed sketches with her older brother and later at Evanston Township High School she participated in the annual student revue and variety show YAMO.
During her senior year of high school, she began taking improv classes at the iO Theater. She attended DePaul University graduating in 2008 with a degree in English, while she continued performing improv most nights. Lapkus credits watching many television sitcoms and Saturday Night Live while young for inspiring her to become a comedian.
Upon graduation, she moved to New York City where she became involved with Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. After living in New York City for 15 months, she relocated to Los Angeles in 2010.

## Career

After almost a year in Los Angeles, Lapkus began landing roles in a number of commercials, including Snickers and Jack in the Box as well as a sketch on Jimmy Kimmel Live! From these successes, she got herself representation and during pilot season landed a supporting role in the short-lived Are You There, Chelsea?.
After self-taping her audition, Lapkus was cast as correctional officer Susan Fischer on the first and second seasons of the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. In 2015, Lapkus and the cast won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
In 2014, Lapkus launched her own podcast on the Earwolf network, called With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus, in which each week her guest is the host of their own podcast, and she appears as a character on their show. Her guests have included Paul F. Tompkins, Betsy Sodaro, Andy Daly, Nick Kroll, and Scott Aukerman. She has said that she "never expected to get into podcasts at all" and to her it is funny she has one.
In mid-2014, Lapkus was cast in Jurassic World, which she filmed in both Hawaii and New Orleans. Many of her scenes with Jake Johnson were improvised. In 2015, she portrayed Joy the receptionist in TBS's Clipped. In 2016, Lapkus wrote and starred in her own 30-minute episode of the sketch show Netflix Presents: The Characters.
Between 2017 and 2019 Lapkus appeared in the HBO series Crashing in the reoccurring role of Jess, the main character's ex-wife.
In 2020, Lapkus launched a weekly podcast Newcomers with co-host Nicole Byer on the Headgum podcast network, in which the two friends watch film franchises for the first time and provide commentary on them. On the podcast, Lapkus and Byer have covered the Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Tyler Perry, Fast & Furious, Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Batman franchises. Past guests have included John Gemberling, Demi Adejuyigbe, Paul F. Tompkins, and Betsy Sodaro.
Lapkus performs improv regularly. She is a cast member of UCB's flagship show Asssscat and improv group Wild Horses.

## Personal life

Lapkus married actor and improviser Chris Alvarado on May 3, 2014. She announced their separation on February 14, 2016, and they divorced later that year.
Lapkus married actor Mike Castle on October 5, 2018. On May 18, 2021, Lapkus announced that she and her husband were expecting a baby girl in the summer. She gave birth to a daughter named Holly in 2021. On December 8, 2023, Lapkus revealed she was expecting another baby girl and announced on May 5th that she had given birth to a second daughter, Gigi.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | Movie Boy | Pamela | |
| 2011 | Dog DNA | | Short film |
| 2011 | Secrets, Secrets | | Short film |
| 2011 | Plastic Heart | Lauren | Short film |
| 2012 | Dreamworld | Sushi | |
| 2012 | Cleve Dixon: Terrible Detective | Barbara Dietrichson | |
| 2012 | Manhattan Mixup | Agent Smith | Short film |
| 2013 | 3D Printer | | Short film |
| 2013 | Are You Here | Delia Shepard | |
| 2013 | The To Do List | Girl Heckler | |
| 2014 | Bread and Butter | Deirdre Newsome | |
| 2014 | Blended | Tracy the Babysitter | |
| 2015 | Jurassic World | Vivian | |
| 2016 | Opening Night | Alex Bean | |
| 2017 | Girlfriend's Day | Cardie #2 | |
| 2018 | The Unicorn | Malory | |
| 2018 | Dog Days | Daisy | |
| 2018 | Good Girls Get High | Patty | |
| 2018 | Holmes & Watson | Millie | |
| 2019 | Between Two Ferns: The Movie | Carol Hunch | |
| 2020 | The Wrong Missy | Missy | |
| 2020 | For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close | Lynn | |
| 2020 | Happiest Season | Mall Security Crystal | |
| 2020 | The Last Blockbuster | Narrator | Documentary film |
| 2022 | The Curse of Bridge Hollow | Mayor Tammy Rice | |
| 2023 | The Out-Laws | Phoebe King | |
| 2023 | Another Happy Day | Joanna | Also executive producer |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Carpeted Afterhours | Becky | Television film |
| 2010 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Various roles | 2 episodes |
| 2010–2011 | The Parent Project | Angie | 4 episodes |
| 2011 | Video Game Reunion | Luigi's Stalker | 3 episodes |
| 2011 | The Back Room | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2012 | Are You There, Chelsea? | Dee Dee | 12 episodes |
| 2012 | Hot in Cleveland | Oscar | Episode: "A Box Full of Puppies" |
| 2012 | Joe, Joe & Jane | Melissa | TV pilot |
| 2013–2014, 2019 | Orange Is the New Black | Susan Fischer | 14 episodes Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
| 2013–2016 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Various roles | 5 episodes |
| 2013 | You're Whole | Ellie | Episode: "Lemonade/Fishing/Cupcakes" |
| 2014 | House of Lies | Benita Spire | 3 episodes |
| 2014 | The Hotwives of Orlando | Bank Rep | Episode: "Staycation" |
| 2014 | Friends with Better Lives | Deena | Episode: "The Lost and Hound" |
| 2014 | Key & Peele | Marion Glass | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2016 | Drunk History | Herself / Normal Woman | 3 episodes |
| 2015 | Kroll Show | Candace | Episode: "The In Addition Tos" |
| 2015 | Clipped | Joy | Series regular; 10 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Another Period | Penelope | 2 episodes |
| 2015–2017 | Penn Zero: Part-Time Hero | Matilda / additional voices | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Netflix Presents: The Characters | Various | Episode: "Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2016 | Bob's Burgers | Krissy Davis | Voice, episode: "Bye Bye Boo Boo" |
| 2016 | Adventure Time | Patience St. Pim / Blue Tranch / Ted | Voice, 5 episodes |
| 2016 | TripTank | Clarine | Voice, episode: "TripTank 2025" |
| 2016 | The Earliest Show | Samantha Newman | 6 episodes Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series |
| 2016 | Hell's Kitchen | Herself | Episode: "Let the Catfights Begin" |
| 2016–2018 | Animals. | Various voices | 7 episodes |
| 2016–2021 | American Dad! | Various voices | 8 episodes |
| 2017 | Clarence | Lauren / Kim / Square Mom | Voice, episode: "Rock Show" |
| 2017 | Bajillion Dollar Propertie$ | Nadine | Episode: "A Divided House" |
| 2017 | Ginger Snaps | Calista | Voice, 10 episodes |
| 2017 | The Guest Book | Sandy | 2 episodes |
| 2017–2019 | Crashing | Jess | 9 episodes |
| 2017–2019 | Star vs. the Forces of Evil | Higgs | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Life in Pieces | Cindy | Episode: "Reading Egg Nurse Neighbor" |
| 2018 | Lucifer | Bree Garland / Abel | Episode: "Infernal Guinea Pig" |
| 2018 | DIY | Jack | Voice, television film |
| 2018 | Nailed It! | Herself | Episode: "Jingle Fails" |
| 2018–2019 | The Big Bang Theory | Denise | 8 episodes |
| 2018–2020 | Harvey Girls Forever! | Lotta | Voice, 52 episodes |
| 2018–2021 | Big City Greens | Val / Rich Lady / Bella | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2018–2023 | Craig of the Creek | Mackenzie | Voice, 7 episodes |
| 2019 | Lights Out with David Spade | Herself | Episode: "Wayne Brady, Tim Dillon, Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2020 | Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? | Herself (celebrity contestant) | 2 episodes; total winnings: $500,000 |
| 2020 | Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Red Fox | Voice, episode: "Sidekick Ahoy" |
| 2020 | Corporate | Debby Deberson | Episode: "Good Job" |
| 2020 | The George Lucas Talk Show | Herself | Episode: "Revenge of Return of the Jedi" |
| 2020 | Animaniacs | Cupcake / Gabriella | Voice, episode: "The Cutening/Close Encounters of the Worst Kind/Equal Time" |
| 2020–2021 | Good Girls | Phoebe Donnegan | 17 episodes |
| 2020–2021 | Close Enough | Quinn / Kristen | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2020–2024 | Star Trek: Lower Decks | Jennifer Sh'reyan | Voice, 9 episodes |
| 2021–2022 | Inside Job | Deany | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2023 | History of the World, Part II | Shakespeare Writer | Episode: "I" |
| 2023 | A Million Little Things | Mallory | 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Digman! | Gasolina | Voice, 2 episodes |
| 2023 | Family Feud | Herself | Episode: Celebrity Family Feud – Season 9, Episode 8: The Rookie vs. The Rookie Feds and Lauren Lapkus vs. June Diane Raphael |
| 2023 | The $100,000 Pyramid | Herself – Celebrity Player | Episode: "RuPaul vs Lauren Lapkus and Steve Schirripa vs Loni Love" |
| 2023 | Celebrity Wheel of Fortune | Herself - Contestant | Episode: "Lauren Lapkus, Ego Nwodim and Jeff Ross" |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2015 | Lego Jurassic World | Vivian |

### Podcasts

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2012–2023 | improv4humans | Various | 42 episodes |
| 2012–2023 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Various | 54 episodes |
| 2013 | The Reality Show Show | Herself | Episode 39: "There Is Ninjas" |
| 2013, 2014 | Totally Laime | Herself | Episode 160: "Let's All Pee" Episode 242: "One Hundred Percent!" |
| 2014 | Pop My Culture | Herself | Episode 154: "Lauren Lapkus and Chris Alvarado" |
| 2014 | Professor Blastoff | Herself | Episode 175: "Reality TV" |
| 2014, 2017 | Who Charted? | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2020 | Hollywood Handbook | Herself | 4 episodes |
| 2014–2019 | With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus | Various (guest) | 150 episodes |
| 2015 | The Hooray Show with Horatio | Herself | Episode 2: "Cereal" |
| 2015 | Gilmore Guys | Herself | Episode 60: "Lorelai Out of Water" |
| 2015 | Never Not Funny | Herself | Episode 1615: "Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2015 | The Nerdist Podcast | Herself | Episode 692: "Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2015 | Thrilling Adventure Hour | Herself | 5 episodes |
| 2015 | Box Angeles | Herself | Episode 88: "Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2015 | The Dead Authors Podcast | Beatrix Potter | Addendum vi: Beatrix Potter |
| 2015 | Psychic Pshow with Lauren Lapkus | Host | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | Sklarbro Country | Herself | Episode 267: "Hump The Gun" |
| 2015–2018 | SPONTANEANATION with Paul F. Tompkins | Herself | 4 episodes |
| 2015–2019 | Wild Horses: The Perspective | Co-host | 22 episodes |
| 2015–2021 | Will You Accept This Rose? | Herself | 16 episodes |
| 2016 | You Made It Weird | Herself | Episode 297: "Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2016 | If I Were You | Herself | Episode 209: "Friend Group (w/ Lauren Lapkus!)" |
| 2016 | The Longest Shortest Time | Herself | Episode 78: "Lauren Lapkus Answers Kids' Unanswerable Questions" |
| 2016 | WTF with Marc Maron | Herself | Episode 732: "Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2016 | I Was There Too | Herself | Episode 45: "Jurassic World with Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2016–2023 | Doughboys | Herself | 4 episodes |
| 2017 | How Did This Get Made? | Herself | Episode 159: "Sleepwalkers" |
| 2017 | Big Grande's Teacher's Lounge | Ms. Smuckers | Episode 9: "Great Grief with Home Economics Teacher Ms. Smuckers" |
| 2017 | High and Mighty | Herself | Episode 101: "Raised by TV" |
| 2017 | Get Up On This | Herself | Episode 306: "Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2017, 2019 | Bitch Sesh | Herself | 2 episodes |
| 2017–2019 | Raised by TV | Co-host | 71 episodes |
| 2018 | The Andy Daly Podcast Pilot Project | Various | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Womp It Up! | Traci Reardon | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | Hello from the Magic Tavern | Crystal the Genie | Season 2, Episode 63: "Genie" |
| 2018 | Mother May I Sleep With Podcast | Herself | Season 3, Episode 12: "Wicked Moms Club" |
| 2018–2020 | Throwing Shade | Herself | 3 episodes |
| 2018–present | Threedom | Co-host | 173 episodes |
| 2020 | Laptime with Lauren Lapkus | Herself/various | 48 episodes |
| 2020 | Mission to Zyxx | Maxie Wiggs | Episode 415: "Dear Maxie" |
| 2020 | Talk Chef | Guest Star | Season 1, Episode 8: "Lauren Lapkus" |
| 2020–present | Newcomers | Co-host | 54 episodes |
| 2024 | Tiny Dinos | Herself | 1 episode |