Alexis Bledel

Kimberly Alexis Bledel ( ; born September 16, 1981 She has a younger brother, Eric. Her mother was born in Phoenix, Arizona and moved with her family to Mexico when she was eight. Her paternal grandfather, Enrique Einar Bledel Huus, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was of Danish and German descent; Huus was Vice President of Coca-Cola Latin America and the Coca-Cola Inter-American Corporation. Bledel's paternal grandmother, Jean (née Campbell), was originally from New York and had Scottish, Irish, and English ancestry. Of her parents' upbringing in Latin America, Bledel said: "It's the only culture my mom knows from life, and my father as well, and they made the decision to raise their children within the context they had been raised in." She identifies as Latina.

Bledel attended Baptist and Lutheran schools, and graduated from the Catholic St. Agnes Academy in Houston in 1999. Her mother encouraged her to try community theater to overcome her shyness. As a child, Bledel appeared in local productions of Our Town and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. She was scouted at a local shopping mall and given work as a fashion model. Bledel attended New York University before dropping out when she was cast in Gilmore Girls at the age of 18.

Career 2000–2008: Debut and rise to stardom Bledel made her television debut in 2000 opposite Lauren Graham in The WB (now CW) comedy-drama Gilmore Girls, which ran for seven seasons from October 5, 2000, to May 15, 2007. She played Rory Gilmore, daughter of single mother Lorelai Gilmore (Graham). Bledel made her feature film in the fantasy romantic drama Tuck Everlasting (2002), based on Natalie Babbitt's novel Tuck Everlasting (1975). Before her work in that film, Bledel was an uncredited extra in the 1998 comedy-drama Rushmore. In 2005, she co-starred in the drama The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, opposite Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, and Blake Lively, based on Ann Brashares' novel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. She played Lena Kaligaris, an aspiring artist on a journey with her three best friends, linked over the summer by a pair of "magical" jeans.

In 2005, Bledel co-starred in the anthology neo-noir crime thriller Sin City where she played Becky, a prostitute. "She's a very professional prostitute. She carries a gun and she kicks ass," said Bledel of her character. In 2006, Bledel co-starred opposite Jay Baruchel in the romantic comedy I'm Reed Fish as the fiancée of Baruchel's title character. After the end of Gilmore Girls, she reprised her role of Lena Kaligaris in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, released in August 2008. The following year, Bledel starred in the comedy Post Grad, which was released on August 21, 2009.

2009–present: Continued recognition Bledel co-starred in the romantic comedy The Good Guy, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival April 26, 2009. In April 2009, Bledel guest-starred in the NBC medical drama ER in the two-hour series finale "And in the End..." as Dr. Julia Wise, a new intern to the hospital. In May 2009, Bledel signed a contract with the modeling division of IMG.

Bledel co-starred in the historical drama The Conspirator, directed by Robert Redford. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United States on April 15, 2011. Also in 2010, Bledel starred as the title role in the Canadian drama The Kate Logan Affair. The film was presented at Montreal's Festival du Nouveau Cinéma in 2010.

Bledel performed in the theatre production Regrets by the Manhattan Theatre Club, staged at the New York City Center. It was confirmed in March 2013 that Bledel would co-star opposite Jason Ritter in the Fox pilot Friends & Family, an adaptation of the British sitcom Gavin & Stacey as Stacey with Ritter as Gavin. The pilot was picked up for a series and was retitled Us & Them. Fox decided not to air the series, which eventually aired in the fall of 2018 on Sony Crackle. In 2015 Bledel starred in the film Jenny's Wedding.

On January 29, 2016, Netflix announced a revival of Gilmore Girls with a series of four 90-minute films set around the four seasons, and Bledel's participation was confirmed. In 2017, she appeared as Ofglen, later known as Emily Malek in The Handmaid's Tale for Hulu; subsequently, her role was expanded to a regular role for the second season. Her acclaimed performance earned Bledel her first Emmy Award nomination and win in the 2017 Creative Arts ceremony in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. She departed after the fourth season and made a special guest appearance in the show's series finale.

Public image

In 2000, she appeared in print advertisements for Bonne Bell lip balm and Naturistics lip gloss.

She has been included in magazine lists of the world's most beautiful women. In 2002, she was named one of Teen People "25 Hottest Stars under 25". Bledel was ranked at number 87 on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100 of 2005" list. Bledel was named one of Us Weekly "25 Most Stylish New Yorkers" in 2010.

Personal life Bledel and fellow former Gilmore Girls co-star Milo Ventimiglia were in a relationship from December 2002 to June 2006.

In 2012, Bledel began dating Vincent Kartheiser. They met during her guest-starring run on Mad Men. They announced their engagement in March 2013 and married in California in June 2014. Bledel gave birth to their son in the fall of 2015. On August 10, 2022, Kartheiser filed for divorce from Bledel; the divorce was finalized on August 30.

Bledel supported the 2012 re-election of Barack Obama and urged her fans to vote.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 Rushmore Student Uncredited 2002 Tuck Everlasting Winifred Foster 2004 DysEnchanted Goldilocks Short film Bride and Prejudice Georgina Darcy 2005 Sin City Becky Lena Kaligaris 2006 I'm Reed Fish Kate Peterson Zoom Ace Uncredited Life Is Short Charlotte Short film 2008 Lena Kaligaris 2009 Beth Vest Post Grad Ryden Malby Lady Jaye Video short 2010 Sarah Weston Kate Logan Girl Walks into a Bar Kim 2011 Violet & Daisy Violet 2012 The Brass Teapot Payton 2014 Parts per Billion Sarah Outliving Emily Emily Hanratty Segment 2: "Discord" 2015 Jenny's Wedding Kitty Friedman 2019 Crypto Katie 2026 Ponderosa Sandra TBA Joy Will Prevail Harriet Pattison

Television

Theater

Music videos "She's Gonna Break Soon" (2003) by Less Than Jake

Awards and recognition

2002 — Voted one of Teen Peoples "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" 2005 — Ranked No. 87 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women 2010 — Named one of Us Magazine "25 Most Stylish New Yorkers"