America Olivo’s birthday: Looking back at Chicago PD’s Laura Dawson
Today we’re saying happy birthday to Chicago PD alum America Olivo, who has portrayed Antonio Dawson’s now ex-wife Laura Dawson since season 1.
Friday is the birthday of Chicago PD recurring guest star America Olivo, whom One Chicago fans will know as Laura Dawson, the wife (and now angry ex-wife) of Antonio Dawson.
It’s almost hard to remember, but there was a time when Antonio (Jon Seda) had a happy home life. When Chicago PD season 1 began, Antonio was happily married to Laura and raising their two kids, Diego and Eva Dawson.
We met Laura as the owner of a bakery, which Diego and Eva often helped in, and someone who was pretty okay with her husband’s demanding job. There was even an episode where she talked about having one of his confidential informants over for dinner!
But the relationship went south very fast.
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In the very first Chicago PD episode, Diego Dawson was kidnapped by a drug lord named Mateo, and that started the all too familiar story of a marriage and a family torn apart by police work.
Even though Diego was rescued, by the end of Chicago PD season 1, Laura had moved out of the Dawson home and taken the kids with her. Laura and Antonio were divorced by the second season, and the relationship we’ve seen and heard about since hasn’t been very amicable.
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The last time we saw Laura Dawson, it was during a guest appearance on Chicago Fire, where she was taking Antonio’s girlfriend Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) to task for trying to get close to Diego. It was a confrontation that directly led to Antonio and Brett’s breakup.
But while Laura has become difficult, America Olivo has helped create some backstory and some tension in the One Chicago fandom. She did a fantastic job portraying an ordinary woman who had an understandably hard time when her family fell victim to the dangers of life in the Intelligence Unit:
We watched America Olivo and Jon Seda build a marriage that, ultimately, cracked under pressure. And even though Laura’s become a character that can get on Antonio’s (and our) nerves, we can still recall when we loved watching them together, and how much our hearts broke for him when she left.
While we don’t know if America Olivo will be back on Chicago PD this season, we do know that she’ll be on another NBC series, as she has an unspecified role in Blindspot season 3, episode 12 later this year. She also recently appeared on another police drama, TNT’s Major Crimes.
Today we’re wishing her a happy birthday—and hoping that if she does turn up again, maybe Antonio and Laura can finally find some way to get along.
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Join us in wishing America Olivo a happy birthday in the comments! Do you think we’ll see Laura Dawson again on Chicago PD? Let us know below.
Chicago PD airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC.