Gilmore Girls

Welcome to Stars Hollow


After making many mistakes in her own life, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) spends most of her time trying to keep her daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) from following in her footsteps. Often mistaken for sisters, the two lean on each other as they wade through the trials of small town Connecticut.

Lorelai, becoming pregnant at the young age of 16, found herself facing a very tough decision. Her parents wishes dictated that she marry Rory's father (Christopher), and he would work in her father's firm. Lorelai, headstrong and independent as always, broke ties with her family, taking Rory to raise her alone in the little town of Star's Hollow, Connecticut.

Years later, Lorelai couldn't be more proud of her own daughter. After working hard at Chilton Prep, Rory was valedictorian of her graduating class and is experiencing her sophomore year at Yale. This time, instead of Lorelai asking her parents for tuition money, Rory makes a financial agreement with Richard and Emily, covering her years in college. They agree to help as long as the Friday night dinners continue so they can be a permanent part of Rory and Lorelai's life. However, Richard and Emily's marriage is on the rocks, creating even more family tension. As for Lorelai, now that Rory's taken care of, she can fulfill her dream of owning her own inn with her best friend Sookie. The Dragonfly Inn is open for business.

While both Lorelai and Rory face new challenges in their own lives, their special relationship is a constant reminder that together, they can endure anything.

Cast Members Bio:

1) Lauren Graham is Lorelai Gilmore

After growing up in Northern Virginia, Lauren Graham moved to New York where she received an English degree from Barnard College. Eager to further her education, Lauren then headed south to Southern Methodist University where she earned a Masters of Fine Art in acting.

In 1995, Graham moved to Los Angeles where she landed a role on the hit show "Caroline in the City." From there, she appeared on many popular programs such as "NewsRadio" and "Law & Order."

Since then, Graham's career has continued to grow. She can be remembered as the high school administrator on "M.Y.O.B." and as a regular on "Conrad Bloom" and "Townies." Graham also made guest appearances on high profile shows such as "Seinfeld" and "Third Rock From the Sun." She also had a recurring role on "Law & Order" as the woman who tried to lure Benjamin Bratt's character into an affair when his marriage was on the rocks.

In addition to her television career, Graham has made many appearances on the big screen. In her most recent film, "Sweet November," she portrayed Keanu Reeves' girlfriend. She starred with Patricia Arquette and Ewan McGregor in her first feature film "Nightwatch" and can be remembered as Renee Zellweger's best friend in "One True Thing."

She has been nominated for both a Screen Actors Guild Award for Female Actor in a Drama Series and a Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Lorelai Gilmore.

Graham lives in Los Angeles.

2) Alexis Bledel is Lorelai "Rory" Gilmore

Although Alexis Bledel is making her television debut as Rory Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, she is no stranger to the camera. The 23-year-old began her career as a model in Houston.

Because she was a very shy child, Alexis' parents encouraged her to become involved in the theater at a young age. After performing in many productions such as "Our Town," "Aladdin," and "The Wizard of Oz," she was discovered at a local mall and began her modeling career. Alexis spent the next several years travelling all over the world on modeling jobs while trying to finish her high school education.

After graduating, Alexis moved to New York to attend NYU. At the end of her first year, her manager discovered the role of Rory and she headed to Los Angeles for the first season of Gilmore Girls. She made her feature film debut as Winnie Foster in "Tuck Everlasting," co-starring William Hurt and Sissy Spacek.

In her free time, Alexis enjoys reading, writing, watching movies, and spending time with her family.

3) Melissa McCarthy is Sookie St. James

Melissa McCarthy was born to make people laugh. After growing up in Plainfield, Illinois she moved to New York and began performing stand up comedy at The Improv and Stand Up New York and continued her studies and The Actors Studio.

After moving to Los Angeles McCarthy joined The Groundlings, a comedy and improv group that performs every weekend. She brings all of this experience to the role of Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls, a clumsy but brilliant chef manning the kitchen at the inn and Lorelai's best friend.

Besides her stage work and regular TV role, McCarthy can also be seen in feature films such as the upcoming "Pumpkin," co-starring Christina Ricci, "White Oleander" with Michelle Pfeiffer, and "The Third Wheel" with Ben Affleck. Past roles include "Disney's The Kid," "Charlie's Angels," "Drowning Mona," and "Go."

4) Keiko Agena is Lane Kim

Keiko Agena (pronounced Kay-ko) portrays Lane Kim, Rory's best friend. You may recognize her from a recurring role on the WB drama "Felicity" as a college student who helps Felicity stage a demonstration at the school's health center.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Agena left at age 17 to attend Whitman College in Washington State. The summer after her first year she pursued her love of acting by attending auditions in L.A. She never returned to college.

Agena has had guest appearances on "ER," "Sister, Sister," "Beverly Hills, 90210," and R.L. Stine's Kids' WB series "The Nightmare Room." She can be seen playing the lead in the feature film "Hundred Percent" about the interwoven stories of three couples.

Agena lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys her favorite mode of transportation, her motorcyle, and participates in an Asian-American acting company called hereandnow.

5) Scott Patterson is Luke Danes

He plays Luke Danes, Lorelai's favorite coffee-swiller and crotchety owner of Stars Hollow's best diner, but did you know that Scott Patterson was a major league baseball player? Counting the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and the Los Angeles Dodgers among the teams he's played for, Patterson paired his love of baseball with a love of acting.

While attending Rutgers University he began studying acting in New York with famed coaches Robert Lewis and Sondra Lee and honed his craft at The Actors Studio. His big screen roles include "Little Big League," "Three Wishes" "Highway 395" and "Rhapsody in Bloom."

Patterson has been lucky in his television roles, landing romantic guest-starring roles alongside Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) on "Seinfeld," Grace (Debra Messing) on "Will & Grace," and Jennifer Grey on "It's Like, You Know."
He lives in Los Angeles.

6) Jared Padalecki is Dean

Audiences swooned right along with Rory this past season as Dean, the new boy in town and resident grocery-bagger at the local market, romanced the youngest Gilmore girl.

Jared Padalecki, a native of San Antonio, Texas began taking acting lessons at the age of 12 and won the Claim to Fame Contest in 1999, giving him the opportunity to appear on the Teen Choice Awards. He graduated high school and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

Aside from his role on Gilmore Girls, Padalecki has appeared on "ER," as a patient wheeled in after a car accident with his dad, played by James Belushi. He has also been in the TV movie "Ring of Endless Light" and the feature film "A Little Inside."

7) Kelly Bishop is Emily Gilmore

Kelly Bishop is an accomplished stage, TV and movie actress. Her career began with a bang when she landed the role of the tough as nails Sheila in the original cast of "A Chorus Line" on Broadway. She won Tony and Drama Desk Awards for the performance and decided it was time to make the move to Hollywood.

On the big screen, just as in Gilmore Girls, Bishop has portrayed many "mom" characters. She was Jennifer Grey's mom in "Dirty Dancing," Howard Stern's mother in "Private Parts" and Tobey Maguire's mom in "Wonder Boys." Her TV guest starring roles include "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," and "Murphy Brown."

Bishop lives in New Jersey with her husband, TV talk show host Lee Leonard and enjoys ballet lessons and gardening around her home.

8) Edward Herrmann is Richard Gilmore

Rory's staid and business-minded grandfather is played by veteran actor Edward Herrmann. In a career that spans over 30 years he has been awarded a Tony and an Emmy and spread his talents to stage, screen, TV and voice-over work such as books on tape and documentary narration.

Herrmann's feature film roles include "Nixon," "The Lost Boys," "The Great Gatsby," "Annie," "Overboard," and "The Paper Chase." He can also be seen in the films: "The Cat's Meow" and "Down."

Among his many television roles is a six-episode stint on "The Practice" that earned him an Emmy in 1999. He also has a recurring part on "Oz." Herrmann's three other Emmy nominations were for his work on "St. Elsewhere," "Concealed Enemies" and "Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years."

He performed in "Educating Rita," directed by Bruce Paltrow, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. In his spare time he restores automobiles and hosts the series "The Ultimate Auto." His alma mater Bucknell University honored him for outstanding achievement in his chosen profession.

9) Milo Ventimiglia is Jess

Resident bad-boy and nephew to Luke, Milo Ventimiglia crashed on the scene in Stars Hollow and succeded in stealing Rory's heart away from Dean.

Ventimiglia has approached his acting career with the same determination. Growing up in Orange, Calif., he decided at the age of eight that he wanted to win an Oscar. He then won a scholarship to the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.

After majoring in theater at UCLA, he made his professional acting debut on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" and was subsequently cast as the lead in the film "Must Be the Music" was received praise at the Sundance Film Festival. Other roles include "Massholes," "Sheer Bliss," and "Nice Guys Finish Last" on the big screen and guest-starring stints on TV shows such as "C.S.I.," "Promise Land," and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.

In his spare time Ventimiglia enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding and restoring muscle cars made between 1964 and 1972.

10) Yanic Truesdale is Michel Gerard

He's one of Canada's hardest-working and in-demand actors, but Yanic (pronounced Ya-neek) Truesdale is new to American audiences. The role of Michel Gerard, the uptight and snobbish inn clerk on Gilmore Girls, is his American television debut.

Born in Montreal, Canada, Truesdale's first big break was on the popular series "He Shoots, He Score," about hockey. He followed this with a six-year stint on "The Duval Family" while also co-hosting "Special Delivery," a talk show for teenagers.

A Gemini Award nomination (the Canadian equivalent of the Emmy) and a role in the Canadian stage production of "The Bird Cage" left Truesdale feeling he needed new challenges. He studied at the famed Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in New York and then headed to L.A. He now enjoys dual citizenship and spends his free time writing and traveling.

11) Liz Torres is Miss Patty

Accomplished comedian, singer and actress Liz Torres plays town gossip and dance teacher Miss Patty on Gilmore Girls. She began her career in her native New York City, sharing the same musical conductor, Barry Manilow, with Better Midler.

Torres considers her big break in showbiz to be doing stand-up comedy on The Tonight Show. Following that were many TV roles including "All in the Family" and "City." She has guest-starred on "Ally McBeal," "L.A. Law," "Quantum Leap," "Murder, She Wrote," and "The Wonder Years" as well as the TV movie "Poker Alice" opposite Elizabeth Taylor.

She received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role as Mahalia on "The John Larroquette Show" and was honored with a Bravo Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Comedy Series. Her feature film roles include "Odd Couple II" with Jack Lemmon and "Just Cause" with Sean Connery.

In her spare time Torres focuses on the battle against AIDS, higher education opportunities for minorities and funding for public television. She currently lives in Los Angeles.

12) David Sutcliffe is Christopher Hayden

David Sutcliffe portrays Rory Gilmore's father, Christopher.

A native of Saskatoon, Canada, Sutcliffe began his acting career after suffering a serious back injury which put an end to his basketball career at the University of Toronto. He graduated with a degree in English Literature. His college roommate was a playwright and cast Sutcliffe in several of his plays. From there, Sutcliffe went on to do some commercial work in Canada before deciding to move to New York.

His TV work began with an episode of the syndicated series "Forever Knight." He also guest-starred in the series "Two of a Kind," "Will & Grace" and "Coldfeet."

He has appeared in feature films in Canada including "Two or Three Words" and "Jack and Jill."

Sutcliffe lives in Los Angeles.

13) Liza Weil is Paris Geller

Liza Weil stars as the brainy Paris Geller on "Gilmore Girls."

Although she was born in New Jersey, Weil spent much of her childhood traveling throughout Europe with her parents, who had their own comedy troupe. When Weil was 12, her family settled in Pennsylvania, and her mother began taking her to New York for auditions. At 16, she began traveling to the city alone for auditions. Her first acting jobs came in regional theatre, summer stock and off-Broadway plays. She then moved to New York City to pursue her dream full-time. She began doing student films at Columbia University, which led to an audition for an independent film called "Whatever." Weil landed the lead in the coming-of-age drama and made her film debut. Her other film credits include "Stir of Echoes" opposite Kevin Bacon, and "Dragonfly" with Kevin Costner.

After shooting "Stir of Echoes," Weil moved to Los Angeles, landing memorable guest-starring appearances in "ER," as the wife of a murderous schizophrenic patient, and "The West Wing" as an intern responsible for leaking a White House staffer's drug and alcohol problem.On stage, she recently starred in a production of "Proof," and had the great pleasure of working with her father for the first time.

She currently lives in Los Angeles.

A Mother And Daughter's Love Can Never Be broken,
Lorelai And Rory Gilmore