Laura Ramsey

A native of the Midwest, actress Laura Ramsey grew up in Rosendale, WI, where she attended Laconia High School. Harboring dreams of stardom, Ramsey relocated to Los Angeles after completing secondary school and followed the career route of many an ingenue by waitressing; she was then promptly "discovered" by the producers of Rick de Oliveira's 2003 documentary The Real Cancun, who appointed her as one of the cast members -- kick-starting a long and fruitful screen career in the process. Also like many young female Hollywood upstarts, Ramsey found her strongest foothold, in the beginning, in grisly horror fare; early projects included Venom (2005), Cruel World (2005), and The Covenant (2006). Catherine Hardwicke's 2005 skateboarding drama Lords of Dogtown marked a noteworthy exception to the rule.

Ramsey's career took an unusual turn with her lead role as Lola in director Nabil Ayouch's offbeat romantic comedy Whatever Lola Wants (2007) -- the tale of a young American woman who impulsively follows her dreams of lifelong love and a professional belly dancing career to Cairo, Egypt. Ramsey returned to horror as one of four young people who encounter the nightmare of their lives during a Cancun vacation in Carter B. Smith's 2008 outing The Ruins.

~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide