Howard does not come from a showbusiness background. Her father is a shipping consultant, her mother a Psychiatrist, and she did not attend drama school. Her first major role came in 1992, playing the teenage daughter Tammy Rokeby in the BBC comedy series So Haunt Me. Since then, Laura has also had a starring role in the Jack Rosenthal drama Eskimo Day and its sequel Cold Enough For Snow. Her other UK television credits include Soldier Soldier, The Bill, Doctors and Casualty.
She has appeared in numerous UK theatre productions, including the premier of Life of Riley by Alan Ayckbourn. In June 2012 she appeared in Ayckbourn's The Norman Conquests at the Liverpool Playhouse. In 2016 she appeared in two plays as part of the RSC's Making Mischief Season.
