Laurel was born on the 23rd of May 1971, as the youngest child in her family, in the politically liberal town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Shy as a child, Laurel discovered acting in her late teens. After her first year of college, she moved to Chicago to work with the Piven Theatre Workshop, and studied in London at the British American Dramatic Academy.  She credits this time as coinciding with her decision to become a full time actress.  After studying with John Lynn in Los Angeles, she was in David Orr's independent feature "Blossom Time."

Laurel moved to New York in 1994 and began acting off-Broadway in "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" at Theatre for the New City. As well as notable performances in “Equus” at the Raleigh Little Theatre (with James Denton), and Julia Jordan's “Night Swim“ at Playwright's Horizons.

Laurel’s first film break came in The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, playing baby butch Randy Dean in Maria Maggenti’s 1995 love story between two young women of different social and economic backgrounds who find themselves going through all the typical struggles of a new romance.

Laurel has appeared in over 25 feature films including the Academy Award nominated film Tumbleweeds with Janet McTeer (1999).  She has worked continuously since her 1995 debut and had roles in The Myth of Finger Prints (1997), Boogie Nights (1997) and the Rising Place (2001) 

Laurel is probably best known for her acting in two major TV drama series’ appearing in 9 episodes of Angel, taking on the role of Justine Cooper, a grief stricken vampire hunter, determined to avenge the death of her twin sister. As well as her biggest role to date in the L Word, playing the part of Tina one half of the shows “perfect” couple, alongside Jennifer Beals.  A role which won her a satellite award in 2004

Laurel spends her time between Vancouver where The L word is filmed and her home in New York with Husband - Production Designer Paul Macherey, who she married on 13th July 2002.  They have a daughter Lola Reiko Macherey who was born on the 4th November 2004.  Laurel’s nickname for her daughter is Baby Monkey, a derivative of her own nickname of Little Monkey.