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A tall, attractive brunette who
excels at playing comic roles with whip-fast dialogue, Lauren Graham was
the highlight of several failed TV series until finally snaring her
breakout role as Lorelai Gilmore, the wisecracking young mother who shares
a sisterly bond with her teen daughter in the WB's "Gilmore Girls" (2000-
).
An only child born in Honolulu but raised in Northern Virginia after her
parents divorced and her single father took a congressional staffer
position in Washington, D.C., she began her show business career while an
undergraduate, performing with the a capella/comedy troupe the Metronomes.
After majoring in English at Barnard and graduating with an MFA from
Dallas' Southern Methodist University, Graham moved to New York, landed an
agent and has worked fairly steadily since. After a few stage appearances,
in 1995 she relocated to Los Angeles and landed the recurring role of
Shelley, the perky but needy girlfriend of artist Richard Karinsky on the
NBC sitcom "Caroline in the City."
"Good Company" (CBS, 1996) offered Graham her first regular series role as
a bright copywriter while "Townies" (ABC, 1996) cast her as a
twentysomething new mother trying to get her live-in boyfriend to the
altar. While most praised the shows three female leads (Graham, Jenna
Elfman and Molly Ringwald), she was singled out for her skill in
negotiating her character's mercurial moods. Following a three-episode
1997 guest arc on "Law & Order" and a subsequent one-shot as Jerry
Seinfeld's speed-dial-obsessed girlfriend on "Seinfeld," the actress then
won kudos for her playing the perky but ruthless efficiency expert Andrea
in a recurring role on the NBC sitcom "NewsRadio" during the 1997-98
season.
Graham segued to the big screen in a supporting role in "Nightwatch" and
had a larger part as a soap opera actress in "Confessions of a Sexist Pig"
(both 1998). She rounded out the year by appearing in support of Renee
Zellweger in "One True Thing" and returning to series TV as Molly, the
former girlfriend, now best buddy of advertising executive "Conrad Bloom"
in the short -lived 1998 NBC sitcom. In 1999 she appeared opposite Billy
Burke as the title character's girlfriend in "Dill Scallion," director
Jordan Brady's low-budget mockumentary about a country-music star that has
steadily gained a devoted cult following.
When she found out that she had been hired for ''Gilmore Girls'' in 2000
Graham was headlining a short-lived NBC show called ''M.Y.O.B.'' as Opal
Marie Brown, a high school administrator trying to keep the lid on a
rebellious niece. She was hired in ''second position'' for ''Gilmore
Girls,'' meaning the producers would have to recast if ''M.Y.O.B'' to
which she was legally bound was picked up for a full season but the
sit-com bombed after only five airings. Free to move forward with "Gilmore
Girls," Graham finally found the perfect star vehicle for all of her
comedic strengths, as well as her inherent relateability. Playing the
fast-talking but financially struggling 30-ish mom Lorelai, who has to
turn to the wealthy, proper and hypercritical parents whom she's been
estranged from for 16 years in order to fund her bright daughter's
education, Graham and her young co-star Alexis Bledel struck a chord with
TV viewers and the warm, family-friendly but never saccharine "Gilmore
Girls" became one of the WB's most reliable ratings-grabbers. The role
would also earn Graham a Family Television Award as best actress, as well
as nominations from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards.
Upon the success of "Gilmore Girls" Graham continued to land movie roles
as her schedule allowed, appearing in the indie romantic comedy "Lucky 13"
and as Keanu Reeves' girlfriend in "Sweet November" (2001). Throwing her
TV image aside, she had a memorable turn romping with a seedy Billy Bob
Thornton as the sex-crazed department store Santa groupie Sue in director
Terry Zwigoff's gleefully cynical comedy "Bad Santa" (2003). She also
played a high school principal who clashes with Navy
SEAL-turned-government babysitter Vin Diesel in the Disney comedy "The
Pacifier" (2005). |
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"Perspective is the most
important thing to have in life."
"Belly buttons are cool".
[On her career prior to "Gilmore Girls" (2000)]: "I kept playing the
bland friend, and my line was like 'Let's go get a sandwich!'".
"These days I have to be extra nice in stores. It never fails that
whenever I look as bad as I can possibly look or I am sort of cranky
because the store is out of something, that is precisely the time
when someone one will recognize me and say: 'I really like your
show.'"
My character has louder taste in clothes, I think. Personally, all I
ever want to be wearing are jeans. - on Lorelai Gilmore
"Nobody ever seems to want my advice about serious stuff. People
will be like: 'Who made that sweater?' Or 'How did you get your hair
so straight?' They don't to come to me for the relationship advice
or deep stuff. In fact, my little sister actually hides from me."
"It can't be Christmas every day!" |
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Flash of Genius (2008) ....
Phyllis Kearns
Evan Almighty (2007) .... Joan Baxter
"Gilmore Girls" .... Lorelai Gilmore (154 episodes, 2000-2007)
... aka Gilmore Girls: Beginnings (USA: rerun title)
- Unto the Breach (2007) TV Episode .... Lorelai Gilmore
- It's Just Like Riding a Bike (2007) TV Episode .... Lorelai
Gilmore
- Hay Bale Maze (2007) TV Episode .... Lorelai Gilmore
- Gilmore Girls Only (2007) TV Episode .... Lorelai Gilmore
- Will You Be My Lorelai Gilmore? (2007) TV Episode .... Lorelai
Gilmore
(149 more)
Because I Said So (2007) .... Maggie
"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" .... Studio 60 Host (2 episodes,
2006)
... aka Studio 60 (USA: informal alternative title)
- The Wrap Party (2006) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Studio 60 Host
- The Long Lead Story (2006) TV Episode (uncredited) .... Studio 60
Host
Gnome (2005/I) .... Amanda
The Pacifier (2005) .... Principal Claire Fletcher
... aka Gnome (Philippines: English title)
... aka Pacificateur, Le (Canada: French title)
The Moguls (2005) .... Peggy
... aka Dirty Movie (Germany)
... aka The Amateurs (USA: new title)
... aka The Moguls (International: English title)
The Life Coach (2005) .... Dr. Sue Pegasus
Lucky 13 (2005/I) .... Abbey
Seeing Other People (2004) .... Claire
Bad Santa (2003) .... Sue
... aka Badder Santa (USA: longer version)
The Third Wheel (2002) (uncredited) .... Woman at Party
"Family Guy" .... Mother Maggie (1 episode, 2002)
... aka Padre de familia (USA: Spanish title)
- Road to Europe (2002) TV Episode (voice) .... Mother Maggie
Chasing Destiny (2001) (TV) .... Jessy James
Sweet November (2001) .... Angelica
"M.Y.O.B." (2000) TV Series .... Opal Marie Brown (unknown episodes)
Dill Scallion (1999) .... Kristie Sue
"Conrad Bloom" (1998) TV Series .... Molly Davenport (unknown
episodes)
One True Thing (1998) .... Jules
Confessions of a Sexist Pig (1998) .... Tracy
... aka Taste of Love (USA)
"NewsRadio" .... Andrea (4 episodes, 1997)
... aka The Station
- French Diplomacy (1997) TV Episode .... Andrea
- Super Karate Monkey Death Car (1997) TV Episode .... Andrea
- The Public Domain (1997) TV Episode .... Andrea
- Planbee (1997) TV Episode .... Andrea
"Seinfeld" .... Valerie (1 episode, 1997)
- The Millennium (1997) TV Episode .... Valerie
"Law & Order" .... Lisa Lundquist (3 episodes, 1997)
... aka Law & Order Prime (USA: informal title)
- Showtime (1997) TV Episode .... Lisa Lundquist
- Turnaround (1997) TV Episode .... Lisa Lundquist
- D-Girl (1997) TV Episode .... Lisa Lundquist
Nightwatch (1997) .... Marie
"Townies" .... Denise Garibaldi Callahan (1 episode, 1996)
- Townies (1996) TV Episode .... Denise Garibaldi Callahan
"Caroline in the City" .... Shelly (5 episodes, 1995-1996)
... aka Caroline (USA: promotional abbreviation)
- Caroline and the Younger Man (1996) TV Episode .... Shelly
- Caroline and the Christmas Break (1995) TV Episode .... Shelly
- Caroline and the Balloon (1995) TV Episode .... Shelly
- Caroline and the Opera (1995) TV Episode .... Shelly
- Caroline and the ATM (1995) TV Episode .... Shelly
"Good Company" (1996) TV Series .... Liz Gibson (unknown episodes)
"3rd Rock from the Sun" .... Laurie Harris (1 episode, 1996)
... aka 3rd Rock (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Life As We Know It
- Dick's First Birthday (1996) TV Episode .... Laurie Harris |
