Sheryl Lee played Maddy Ferguson, Laura Palmer’s look-alike cousin, in Twin Peaks.
Lee’s first major screen role was as Maddy, who visits Twin Peaks after Laura’s death and becomes involved in the unfolding mystery. Lee also played Laura Palmer herself in flashbacks and dreamlike sequences, making her dual casting central to the series’ identity.
Maddy is not Laura resurrected; she is a separate character who resembles Laura. That distinction is important because the resemblance helps drive the plot and creates deliberate visual parallels between the two young women.
Lee returned as Laura and related roles in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and Twin Peaks: The Return. Her performance is one reason the series is frequently discussed for its unusual blending of soap-opera drama, mystery, horror, and surrealism.