Lauren Graham (born March 16, 1967) is an American actress best known for her starring role as Lorelai Gilmore on the long-running television series Gilmore Girls.
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Lauren Graham , an Irish American, was born in
Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Donna Grant, a fashion buyer, and Lawrence
Graham (Lauren is named after him), a candy industry lobbyist who was the former
President for the chocolate and confection industry association. Her parents
divorced when she was five, prompting Graham and her father to move to the D.C.
area, where he became a congressional staffer. Graham traveled extensively with
her father while growing up.
Lauren Graham discovered acting while in elementary school and further honed her
talent at Langley High School, where she took part in the drill team. Yet she
excelled on the stage, and Graham quickly took to acting in community theatre
and other small productions. Graham graduated from Barnard College in 1988 with
a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. After moving to Texas in 1992, she earned
a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting Performance from Southern Methodist
University.
After completing education, Graham moved to New York City where she became a
cocktail waitress and aspiring actress, including her first paid work doing
publicity appearances wearing the costume of Striker, the dog mascot of the
US-based 1994 FIFA World Cup. In 1995, she relocated to Hollywood, California.
She appeared in various commercials for products such as Dimetapp and Lean
Cuisine and hosted free preview weekends on The Movie Channel.
In addition to Lauren Graham's many guest starring and co-starring roles on
prime-time television, Graham starred in three failed sitcoms, including Townies
(with Molly Ringwald and Jenna Elfman) and the short-lived sitcom Lush Life
(with Lori Petty and Karyn Parsons). Between 1996 and 1997 Graham became a
regular guest star on several hit NBC shows. She played a graduate student who
caught the eye of Dick on Third Rock from the Sun, Richard's dim-witted
girlfriend on Caroline in the City, and Jerry's speed-dial ranking girlfriend on
Seinfeld. She played a Hollywood producer in a three-part episode of Law &
Order, where she acted opposite Scott Cohen, who would later play one of
Graham's love interests, Max Medina, on Gilmore Girls. Her most notable guest
performance was as a highly-inept efficiency expert on Newsradio. The show's
producers hoped to add her to the cast, but test audiences responded poorly to
the new character.
Lorelai would become Graham's breakthrough character. In 2000, Graham landed her
breakthrough role as the comedic character Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls, the
program that would finally launch her to stardom. For her work she received a
nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series (Drama) at the 2001 Golden
Globe Awards. Beginning with Season 7 episode "To Whom It May Concern" and
continuing through out the rest of the season, Graham served as a producer on
Gilmore Girls. TV Guide reported that she received the position in an attempt to
persuade her to sign for an eighth season.
Lauren Graham returned to her guest-starring roots when she portrayed herself in
two episodes of NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Graham has also appeared on
Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, co-hosted by Dave Foley of "News Radio." After
winning her preliminary match, she came in second to another former Newsradio
star, Maura Tierney, in the championship game. On June 26, 2002, Graham was the
last guest interviewed by Rosie O'Donnell on her daytime talk show. Graham is
also one of the most frequent guests on The Ellen Degeneres Show, having
appeared a total of eight times to date.
Lauren Graham's motion picture roles encompass several NYU student films and
multiple major studio releases, including Bad Santa, The Pacifier, Sweet
November, and Because I Said So. She co-stars in the 2007 movie Evan Almighty,
playing the role of Evan's wife, Joan Baxter.
Lauren Graham has said that she enjoys playing in short films, and acting in the
Williamstown Theatre Festival. She has performed in numerous short films,
including the 15-minute long Gnome, once viewable on YouTube, but removed for an
undisclosed violation of their policy. The film has since been made available
through the iTunes Store. In 2007 Lauren Graham signed a seven-figure
development deal with NBC in one of the year's richest TV talent pacts.
Currently Graham is the voiceover announcer in national advertising for
Kellogg's various Special K products, and in American Express ads introducing
the Plum Card, which is targeted towards small and growing businesses.