Laura Elizabeth Innes born August 16 1957 is an American actress and television director She starred as Dr Kerry Weaver in the NBC medical drama ER from 1995 to 2007 and reprised her role from 2008 to 2009 in the final season Her performance earned her three Primetime Emmy nominations She also starred as Sophia in the shortlived NBC thriller The Event from 2010 to 2011 She was introduced to professional theater by her father who often took the family to the Stratford Festival of Canada in Stratford Ontario With the support of her father she attended Northwestern University and earned a degree in theater She went on to appeared in several theater productions before her film debut in Brian De Palmas The Fury 1978 played the role of Jody She then played the daughter to Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara in the shortlived television sitcom The Stiller Meara Show 1986 In the Fall of 1995 she joined the medical drama sitcom ER 1994 in its second season