Laurence O'Keeffe was born 9 July 1931, the son of Richard O’Keeffe and Alice (née Chase); he was educated at St Francis Xavier’s College, Liverpool and University College, Oxford (scholar). In 1954 he married Suzanne Marie Jousse.

O'Keeffe's career included: Customs and Excise, 1953-62; 2nd, later 1st Secretary (Economic), Bangkok [Thailand], 1962-5; Foreign Office, 1965-8; 1st Secretary and Head of Chancery, Athens [Greece], 1968-72; Commercial Counsellor, Jakarta [Indonesia], 1972-5; Head of Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1975-6; Director-General, British Information Services, and Deputy Consul General (Information), New York [United States], 1976-8; Counsellor, Nicosia [Cyprus], 1978-81; Ambassador to Senegal, 1982-5, and concurrently (non-resident) to Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania and Cape Verde, 1982-5; Ambassador to Czechoslovakia [later Czech Republic and Slovakia], 1988-91. O'Keeffe died on 2 May 2003.

He was awarded the CVO in 1974 and the CMG in 1983.