Gilmore
Girls
CAST BIOS
- LAUREN GRAHAM (Lorelai Gilmore)
- ALEXIS BLEDEL (Rory Gilmore)
- MELISSA McCARTHY (Sookie St. James)
- KEIKO AGENA (Lane Kim)
- YANIC TRUESDALE (Michel Gerard)
- SCOTT PATTERSON (Luke Danes)
- LIZA WEIL (Paris Geller)
- JARED PADALECKI (Dean)
- MILO VENTIMIGLIA (Jess Mariano)
- SEAN GUNN (Kirk)
- KELLY BISHOP (Emily Gilmore)
- EDWARD HERRMANN (Richard Gilmore)
- LIZ TORRES (Miss Patty)
LAUREN GRAHAM (Lorelai Gilmore)
Lauren Graham was recently nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her sarcastic and sassy yet sensitive portrayal of a teen's young mother who is in many ways just a kid herself. This starring role as Lorelai on "Gilmore Girls" has also earned Graham a Best Actress nod from Viewers for Quality Television. Showing her versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles, Graham appeared on the big screen opposite Keanu Reeves in the Warner Bros. film "Sweet November."
Graham grew up an avid equestrian in Northern Virginia. She later enrolled in Barnard College in New York, where she majored in English. She then earned an M.F.A. in acting from Southern Methodist University.
Graham arrived in Los Angeles in 1995. She quickly landed a recurring role as Richard's relentlessly sunny girlfriend in the first season of "Caroline in the City." Recurring roles followed, as Graham played an efficiency expert hoping to downsize the staff of "NewsRadio" and a Los Angeles studio executive who pursues Benjamin Bratt when his marriage is on the rocks in "Law & Order."
Recently, Graham starred as a high school administrator dealing with her disruptive niece on "M.Y.O.B." She was also a regular on the comedy series "Conrad Bloom" and "Townies." In addition, Graham guest starred on "Seinfeld" and "3rd Rock from the Sun."
She starred in the independent film "Dill Scallion." The film is a "mockumentary" on the world of country music in which Graham has very big hair. Graham's first feature film was the Miramax thriller "Nightwatch," starring Patricia Arquette and Ewan McGregor. She also played Renée Zellweger's best friend and confidante in the Meryl Streep drama "One True Thing."
Graham currently lives in Los Angeles.
Although newcomer Alexis Bledel made her television debut in "Gilmore Girls," the Houston, Texas, native had already spent years in front of the camera as a model. Bledel recently enjoyed the release of her feature film debut, "Tuck Everlasting," in which she plays the leading role of Winnie Foster, opposite William Hurt, Sissy Spacek and Ben Kingsley.
Bledel's parents encouraged her to try community theatre in Houston when she was 8 years old, hoping it would help Bledel overcome her shyness. She went on to perform in productions of "Our Town," "The Wizard of Oz" and "Aladdin" and was later scouted in a local mall to model.
She began her modeling career while still in high school, traveling the world to locations such as Tokyo, Milan, New York and Los Angeles. After graduating, she enrolled at New York University, where she completed her first year as a film major. Bledel landed a manager through her modeling agency and headed to Los Angeles for her first pilot season, winning the coveted role of Rory.
When she's not working, Bledel enjoys writing, reading, photography, going to the movies and spending time with her family.
MELISSA McCARTHY (Sookie St. James)
A natural-born comedian with credits that include film, television, stand-up and theatre, Melissa McCarthy was born and raised in Plainfield, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. McCarthy first made her mark on the comedy stage, performing stand-up in New York at The Improv and Stand Up New York. At the same time, she received dramatic training from The Actors Studio in New York and starred in a variety of stage productions throughout the city.
Since McCarthy moved to Los Angeles, her quick wit has been getting a workout every weekend as a member of The Groundlings comedy and improv cast. In addition to sketch comedy, her work includes the feature films "Pumpkin," a dark comedy with Christina Ricci, and "White Oleander," a drama with Noah Wyle, Michelle Pfeiffer and Renée Zellweger. McCarthy appeared in "The Kid," with Bruce Willis; "Charlie's Angels"; "Drowning Mona"; and "Go." McCarthy also stars in John August's independent short film "God," as a young woman having gossipy phone conversations and a short-lived spat with the Almighty.
McCarthy currently lives in Los Angeles.
Ever since she was a young girl, Keiko Agena knew she was destined to be an entertainer. Before landing her gig on "Gilmore Girls," Agena was no stranger to television. She had appeared in a recurring role on The WB's "Felicity" and guest starred on such programs as "Beverly Hills 90210," "ER," "Sister, Sister" and "Renegade." Additionally, she appeared in the telefilm "Terror in the Shadows" and the independent feature "Hundred Percent," an intricate and captivating look at the lives of three Asian-American couples. Agena extends her talent as she takes on the challenging role of a young woman struggling with anorexia nervosa in the series "Strong Medicine." She also guest stars in Nickelodeon's "The Nightmare Room."
Born and raised just outside Honolulu, Hawaii, Agena was bitten by the performance bug at an early age. She started taking hula lessons when she was a mere 4-year-old and went on to participate in other forms of dance, choir and even beauty pageants. When she was 10, she made her acting debut at a community theatre and continued to perform in plays and musicals throughout high school. Soon after graduation, Agena relocated to Los Angeles and has been working steadily in theatre, television and film since her arrival. She was a member of the Incline theatre company and continues to work with the performance art ensemble here and now, a traveling troupe of Asian-American artists.
When not working on her acting career, Agena dedicates her time to furthering herself as an artist. She has begun to develop her own Web site, has discovered a fondness for poetry and has even started to write a series of short stories that fuse the fantastical with real world issues close to her heart. Agena currently resides in Los Angeles with her two cats, Seth and Ben.
YANIC TRUESDALE (Michel Gerard)
Although Yanic (pronounced Ya-neek) Truesdale is a fresh face to American audiences, he has been one of Canada's busiest and most popular actors for years. He made his American television debut in "Gilmore Girls," the first role he auditioned for after relocating to Los Angeles.
Truesdale was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. He got into acting "by accident" at age 17 when he decided on a whim to audition for acting school with a friend. Though his friend was turned down, Truesdale got in and soon discovered a passion for the craft. The talented actor graduated from the National Theatre School of Canada when he was 20, and he was quickly in demand.
His first big break came with a starring role in "He Shoots, He Scores," a hugely popular Canadian television series about hockey. A 6-year role on the series "The Duval Family" followed, during which Truesdale also found time to co-host a live daytime talk show for teenagers called "Special Delivery."
Truesdale was later nominated for a Gemini Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Emmy) for playing the only black child of white parents on the sitcom "Roommates." The role mirrored his own life off screen, as Truesdale was raised solely by his Caucasian mother.
Onstage, he starred as the maid in the long-running Canadian production of "The Bird Cage."
After many professional accomplishments in Canada, Truesdale decided it was time for new challenges. He studied at the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in New York and moved to Los Angeles, which he now calls home, enjoying dual citizenship. The self-described "movie maniac" sees several films each week and also enjoys writing and traveling.
With an impressive body of work that encompasses television, film and theatre, Scott Patterson is quickly emerging as one of Hollywood's most versatile and sought-after talents.
Patterson started his acting career while studying theatre in New York with such legendary acting coaches as Robert Lewis and Sondra Lee. He was exposed to the teachings of such impressive luminaries as Paul Newman, Arthur Penn and Frank Corsaro at the prestigious Actors Studio, where he appeared in numerous productions of plays such as "Rasputin" and "Miss Julie." His off-Broadway debut was his performance in Sondra Lee's production of "The Applicant" at the Samuel Beckett Theatre at Playwrights Horizons. Having achieved much success, Patterson soon started his own theatre company, Arc-light, with which he produced and starred in John Bishop's "The Great Great Grandson of Jedediah Kohler." Arc-light was workshopping Shakespeare's "Hamlet," in which Patterson was to play the title role, when movie studios came knocking on his door.
Patterson's film credits include notable roles in varied films such as "Little Big League," with Timothy Busfield and Jason Robards, and "Three Wishes," with Patrick Swayze and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Always looking for a challenge, Patterson decided to get his feet wet in the independent film world with appearances in "Highway 395" and "Rhapsody in Bloom," with Penelope Ann Miller.
On television, Patterson has landed many memorable guest-starring roles on award-winning shows such as "Seinfeld," where he was deemed "sponge-worthy" by Elaine, and on "Will & Grace," where he had a profound effect on Grace in the ever-popular episode "Das Boob." Patterson has also played the love interests of Jennifer Grey in "It's Like, You Know..." and Sharon Lawrence in "Fired Up," on which he was a recurring character. Other television credits include guest appearances on "Arli$$" and "Get Real."
Patterson currently resides in Los Angeles.
Before becoming a series star on "Gilmore Girls" this season, Liza Weil had a recurring role in the series as Paris, Rory's classmate. Weil has also guest starred on "ER" and "The West Wing."
Her feature film experience includes "Stir of Echoes," "The Cider House Rules" and "Whatever," as well as the independent films "My Baby's Gone," "The Blue Room" and "A Cure for Serpents." Among her theatrical appearances are "Life by Asphyxiation" at Playwrights Horizons and "Our Town" at the Montgomery Theater.
Jared Padalecki so captivated audiences with his recurring role last season as Rory's boyfriend Dean on "Gilmore Girls" that he has returned as a series star. This past hiatus, he spent two months in Australia filming the lead in the television movie "Ring of Endless Light," based on the novel by Madeleine L'Engle.
Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Padalecki developed an interest in acting in middle school when he began taking drama classes and performing in school plays. During high school, he competed in drama competitions, garnering regional, state and even national awards. He won the 2000 Presidential Scholar Award from the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts in a theatre competition with over 7,000 entrants.
It was a national talent search that sent Padalecki on a fateful trip to Hollywood. He auditioned in a local Planet Hollywood restaurant and won the chance to be a trophy presenter for the first Teen Choice Awards. The summer before his senior year of high school, Padalecki appeared on the awards show and caught the attention of a talent manager.
After graduating from high school, he came out to Los Angeles, and that summer he landed the role on "Gilmore Girls." He also guest starred in an episode of "ER," playing an accident victim, opposite James Belushi as his father.
On the big screen, Padalecki appeared in the independent baseball movie "A Little Inside," starring Kathy Baker.
MILO VENTIMIGLIA (Jess Mariano)
Born and raised in Orange, California, Milo Ventimiglia decided at the age of 8 that he would someday win an Oscar. Ten years later, after starring in numerous high school plays, he received a scholarship from San Francisco's prestigious American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) for its summer program.
The young actor returned to Southern California and entered UCLA, where he majored in theatre. During that time, he made his professional acting debut on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Soon thereafter, he was cast as the lead in the short film "Must Be the Music," which earned kudos at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival.
Over the past five years, Ventimiglia has built a varied résumé, balancing film, television and theatre. On the big screen, he has appeared in Miramax's "She's All That," "Speedway Junky," "Massholes" and "Sheer Bliss."
In addition to his "Gilmore Girls" role, Ventimiglia's small-screen experience includes the lead in the series "Opposite Sex." Warner Bros. was so impressed with his performance that they signed him to a holding deal. Ventimiglia has guest starred on "C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation," "Promised Land" and "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch."
The youngest of three children, he is close to his older sisters and parents. His father works in graphic arts, and his mother teaches first grade. A natural athlete, he enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding and wakeboarding. His favorite hobby is restoring "muscle" cars made between 1964 and 1972.
Sean Gunn played the character of Kirk numerous times on "Gilmore Girls" before becoming a series star. He also had guest-starring roles on "Brutally Normal" and "Andy Richter Controls the Universe." In addition to "Pearl Harbor," Gunn's feature film credits include "Jesus, Mary and Joey," "Love, Sex & Murder," "The Specials," "The Auteur Theory," "Stricken" and "Tromeo and Juliet."
Veteran actress Kelly Bishop has portrayed many memorable roles in film, television and theatre since her performance as one of the original cast members of the hit Broadway musical "A Chorus Line."
The Colorado Springs native grew up in Denver, Colorado, where she trained to be a ballet dancer. At 18, she headed to New York and landed her first job dancing in a year-round ballet company at Radio City Music Hall. Bishop did nightclub work after that until she was cast in 1967 in "Golden Rainbow," her first Broadway role.
Her big break came when she was cast as the sexy, hard-edged Sheila in "A Chorus Line." She won Tony and Drama Desk Awards for her breakout performance, giving her the confidence she needed to eventually leave the acclaimed original ensemble and move to Los Angeles to pursue a dramatic acting career.
It wasn't long before she was cast opposite Jill Clayburgh in Paul Mazursky's big-screen drama "An Unmarried Woman." She went on to play "mom" to several high-profile stars in numerous features: Jennifer Grey's mother in the box office hit "Dirty Dancing," Howard Stern's mother in the Betty Thomas-directed comedy "Private Parts" and Tobey Maguire's mom in "Wonder Boys." Her additional feature credits include "Blue Moon," "Cafe Society," "Miami Rhapsody," "Queens Logic" and "Me and Him."
On television, Bishop starred in the Mike Nichols series "The Thorns" and played Lisa Ann Walter's mother on the show "My Wildest Dreams." She has guest starred on "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and "Murphy Brown," and she had recurring roles on "All My Children," "One Life to Live," "Another World" and "As the World Turns."
Bishop's extensive theatre credits include playing the lead in the Broadway production of "Six Degrees of Separation," as well as starring in Broadway productions of Neil Simon's "Proposals," the Tony Award-winning "The Last Night of Ballyhoo" and "Bus Stop." She has also starred in numerous regional theatre and off-Broadway productions.
When she's not working, Bishop still takes ballet lessons and enjoys gardening at her home in New Jersey, where she lives with her husband, television talk show host Lee Leonard.
EDWARD HERRMANN (Richard Gilmore)
The career of Edward Herrmann spans more than 30 years in theatre, film and television. His work on Broadway includes "Mrs. Warren's Profession" (Tony Award), "The Philadelphia Story" (Tony nomination), "Plenty" (Theatre Guild Medal) and "Love Letters" (also in Boston and Chicago). Off Broadway, he has appeared in "Tom and Viv" (NYSF, also in London), "Psychopathia Sexualis" (MTC, Drama Desk nomination, Theatre Guild Award) and "The Deep Blue Sea" (Theatre Guild Award). Regional works include "The Cherry Orchard" (Goodman Theatre, Jefferson nomination), "The Three Sisters" (McCarter), "Twelfth Night" (NJ Shakespeare Festival) and "Old Times" (Williamstown). In London, Herrmann starred in "A Walk in the Woods." He received an Obie Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Herrmann has starred in such films as "The Cat's Meow," "Double Take," "Nixon," "Richie Rich," "Born Yesterday," "Lost Boys," "Compromising Positions," "The Man with One Red Shoe," "The Purple Rose of Cairo," "A Little Sex," "The Great Gatsby," "Annie," "Reds," "The Great Waldo Pepper," "The Day of the Dolphin," "Critical Care," "Overboard," "Big Business," "Mrs. Soffel," "Takedown" and "The Paper Chase." Among his more recent film credits are "Walking Across Egypt" and "Better Living."
On television, he appeared in "James Dean," "St. Maybe" (Hallmark Hall of Fame), "Pandora's Clock," "Soul of the Game" (HBO), "What Love Sees," "The Face on the Milk Carton," "Fire in the Dark" (HBO), "Murrow" (HBO), "The Lawrenceville Stories" (the complete miniseries), "The Electric Grandmother," "A Love Affair: the Eleanor and Lou Gehrig Story" and "The Last Act is a Solo." More recently, Herrmann could be seen in the 200th episode of "Law & Order," "Atomic Train" (NBC telefilm) and "Vendetta" (HBO). He received Emmy nominations for his work in "St. Elsewhere," "Concealed Enemies" and "Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years" (TV Critics Circle Award), and he is a 1999 Emmy Award winner for his six-episode arc on "The Practice."
This year, Herrmann will be honoured by his alma mater, Bucknell University, for outstanding achievement in his chosen profession. He recently finished the premiere of Neil Simon's new play, "The Dinner Party," in Los Angeles, and he continues to perform in A.R. Gurney's latest play, "Ancestral Voices," at Lincoln Center. Herrmann just completed his ninth episode of HBO's "Oz."
Herrmann carries on a full schedule of recording books on tape, having recorded over 50 thus far, including the latest novel in Tom Clancy's Net Force series. In 1999, Herrmann was awarded an AUDIE Award for his work in the complete recording of The King James Bible. He continues his work as the announcer for the History Channel as well as hosting the automobile series "The Ultimate Auto." He is also the narrator for A&E's "History Lost and Found" and a new series, "Founding Fathers."
An Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominee for her portrayal of Mahalia on "The John Larroquette Show," Liz Torres began her career in the small clubs of New York City, where she and Bette Midler shared Barry Manilow as a musical conductor.
A native New Yorker, Torres considers her first big break to have been on "The Tonight Show" doing stand-up comedy. Since then, she has performed in regular roles on numerous series, including "All in the Family," "Over the Top," "Phyllis" and "City." She has guest starred on "Ally McBeal," "L.A. Law," "Quantum Leap," "Murder, She Wrote," "The Wonder Years," "Wise Guys" and many others. She also appeared in the television movies "Kate's Secret" and "Poker Alice," in which she starred with Elizabeth Taylor.
For her performance in the series "The Famous Teddy Z," she received an Emmy and was honoured with a Bravo Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Comedy Series. She has also received two American Comedy Award nominations for Best Female Television Performer.
Torres' feature film credits include the starring role in "If We Knew Then"; "Just Cause," with Sean Connery; "The Odd Couple II," with Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau; "Ordinary Hero"; "Up the Down Staircase"; "The Concrete Jungle"; and "Luminarias." On Broadway, Torres starred in "The Ritz" and toured in "See Saw" with John Raitt and in "Bye Bye Birdie" with Tab Hunter.
Torres also achieved success as an RCA recording artist, gave a command performance for Morocco's King Hussan II and was invited to the White House by President Carter for America's First National Hispanic Week Celebration.
As a champion of numerous worthwhile causes, Torres focuses her talent and attention on higher educational opportunities for minorities, funding for public television and the battle against AIDS.
She currently resides in Los Angeles.
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