Lara Flynn Boyle (born March 24, 1970) is an American actress and producer. She first became known for her performance as Donna Hayward in the 1990 cult television series Twin Peaks (1990–1991). She subsequently starred in the films Where the Day Takes You (1992), Wayne's World (1992), Threesome (1994), Men in Black II (2002), and Life Is Hot in Cracktown (2009). Boyle played Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in the television series The Practice from 1997 to 2003. For her role as Helen, she was nominated a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 1999.
Boyle was born in Davenport, Iowa, the daughter of Sally, a clerical worker, assistant, and manager, and Michael L. Boyle. Her paternal grandfather was U.S. Representative Charles A. Boyle. She has German, Irish, and Italian ancestry. She is named after a character in Boris Pasternak's novel Doctor Zhivago. She was raised in Chicago, Illinois and Wisconsin. She graduated from The Chicago Academy for the Arts.