I've been going through the same exercise and although I would like a mixed screen/hedge, I think I will have to go with Leylandi Cypress. I have been looking at the Thujas and in our area, also a deer haven, they all get eaten at the bottom and look quite ugly. The Red Cedar hedges don't seem to get eaten, but they are slower growing. It seems that if Leylandi is pruned properly, it is a hedge that fills a lot of needs.

Thuja plicata grows a lot faster than T. occidentalis.

We planted ceanothus victoria (california lilac, a misnomer because it's nothing like a lilac) with excellent results. It's dense, fast-growing (to 15' in three years, would be 20' if we hadn't trimmed it up). Covered in blue blooms in June which attract honey bees and hummingbirds. Suffered a little in the harsh winter we had two years ago here but has recovered.

Originally planted for practical reasons (to screen a parking area in our driveway) it has become a favourite.

If it's in an exposed area to deer: they will chew down the young plants so it may not work for you (we are now behind a deer fence)

Deer seem to leave the English laurel alone and that might be worth considering.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ceanothus

Well, I live up on the Enumclaw plateau, and I can tell you what not to plant! I once planted a hedge of Escallonia dividing my huge acre lot in 2, with some ceanothus mixed in. It was very pretty for about 5 years, and then the winter beeseeing speaks of completely killed them. The whole hedge. It is colder up here by the mountains, so that probably was not a good choice for me (stating the obvious).

You need ALOT of room for english laurel, there is another kind that is a bit smaller, portuguese laurel or something like that. Looking around my garden at things I planted 15 or so years ago, I think my choice now would be some sort of evergreen viburnums. I don't know about deer, and you would probably need a hella lot, but they grow reasonably fast, and are dense to about 8 feet for me.

I say with the Leyland Cypress. :)
Nothing else looks as crisp & clean & dark green all year round, especially in winter.
Whatever you choose, make sure you always prune it just a tiny bit narrower at the top (it should have a slope on both sides) so that the bottom doesn't die out. Leyland especially will stay full & green all the way down if you prune them like that.

If anything Portugal laurel grows bigger than English laurel. But it's more handsome, with a darker, smaller leaf and more elegant and conspicuous inflorescences.