Lauren has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Auckland in German and Film, TV & Media Studies and a Bachelor of Performing Arts from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. She has directed and written her own short film and documentary and had her writing on the German and New Zealand film industries published here and in Germany.

Lauren attended film school in Germany in 1998 and in 2004 represented New Zealand at the 40th International Young Theatre Practitioners Forum in Berlin. Lauren has taught and directed theatre at the Otara Music Arts Centre. Last year she won the Chapman Tripp Most Outstanding New Playwright of the Year Award for her play Exchange, which she has since adapted for Radio New Zealand.

Lauren Jackson began her career playing the lead in the NZ feature film Alex Following her graduation from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 2001, Lauren has enjoyed constant stage, screen and radio work. ?Most recent theatre performances include Mr Marmalade, Land of Make Believe and Mr Kolpert at the SiLO Theatre. Other shows include the Downstage productions Up for Grabs and Foolish Acts, Speed-The-Plow, Motormouth at Capital E National Childrens Theatre, Laughing Wild, Play 2, Abigail's Party and Te Kauta.

Her most recent screen work includes playing Simone Weston in Maori Televisions Korero Mai, Steph in Glen Standring's feature film Perfect Creature (to be released 2006) and the role of Daisy Cook in Terry Johnsons BBC tele-feature Not Only But Always. Lauren has also appeared in feature films 1nite and Futile Attraction and in the television series Good Hands.