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Ashley Laurence

Ashley Laurence is an American film and television actor born in Los Angeles on May 28, 1966. Her career began on television, first with a recurring role as Brenda Clegg on the CBS soap opera Capitol in 1984, followed by a guest appearance on Highway to Heaven in 1986. Her film debut brought the role that would remain central to her screen career: Kirsty Cotton in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. Released in 1987, the horror film paired Laurence with a cast that included Clare Higgins and Doug Bradley as Pinhead. As Kirsty, Laurence became the human anchor of a story filled with dangerous bargains and nightmarish figures. She returned for Hellbound: Hellraiser II in 1988, appeared in Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth in 1992 and reprised the role again in Hellraiser: Hellseeker in 2002. Although horror has been a recurring part of Laurence’s work, her filmography extends beyond a single series. Her credits include Face the Edge, Mikey, Lurking Fear, Stranger by Night and the martial arts Western Savate. In 1997 she starred as Jennifer Taylor in Cupid, while 1999 brought roles in the thriller A Murder of Crows and the horror sequel Warlock III: The End of Innocence. She later played Jenny Graves in the 2004 drama Lightning Bug and appeared in Red, based on the novel by Jack Ketchum, in 2008. Television has continued alongside her film work, with guest roles on Monsters, Hunter, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Suddenly Susan, Beverly Hills, 90210 and ER. She also played Dakota in the television films Gentle Ben and Gentle Ben 2: Danger on the Mountain. In 2014, Laurence expanded into voice performance with the video game The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Across these varied projects, Kirsty Cotton remains the defining thread: a heroine Laurence revisited at several points while building a wider career across horror, drama, thrillers and television.