Laura Avery Sumner (maiden name Murphy)[1] is a fictional character from the CBS soap opera Knots Landing, a long-running serial about middle class life on the fictional cul-de-sac known as Seaview Circle in Los Angeles, California.
Laura was adopted as a baby by Hank Murphy (Harry Bellaver) and his wife and lived in Pittsburgh.
[1] Laura lived a rather boring life in Knots Landing trying to help support her husband through law school and being a mother.
Laura began an affair with her boss, Scooter, while Richard started seeing neighbor Abby Cunningham (Donna Mills).
Richard became jealous of Laura's closeness with singer Ciji Dunne (Lisa Hartman), and made no attempt to hide his disdain for her.
Laura at first believed Richard left because he had a role in Ciji's death, but as events unfolded, she came to know otherwise and accepted some responsibility for the loss of her marriage.
[1] In 1987, the production of Knots Landing was hit by major budget cuts and many actors were let go, including McCashin.