Lauren Graham

Infobox Actor
name = Lauren Graham


imagesize =
caption = Lauren Graham, 2007
birthname = Lauren Helen Graham
birthdate = birth date and age|1967|3|16
birthplace = Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
deathdate =
deathplace =
othername =
occupation = Actress, producer
yearsactive = 1995–present
homepage =
academyawards =
spouse =

Lauren Helen Graham (born March 16, 1967) is an American actress best known for her starring role as Lorelai Gilmore on the long-running WB Network dramedy series "Gilmore Girls".

Biography

Early life

Graham, an Irish American, [ [http://www.gilmoregirls.org/news/190.html GilmoreGirls.org : Recent News ] ] 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 [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/46/Lauren-Graham.html Lauren Graham Biography (1967-) ] ] 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 Washington, D.C. area, where he became a congressional staffer. Graham traveled extensively with her father while growing up.

Graham discovered acting while in elementary school and further honed her talent at Langley High School, where she took part in the drill team. [Lee, Luaine. [http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=PROFILE-02-01-05 Graham's 'Gilmore Girls' success took a while to build] , "Scripps Howard News Service", February 1, 2005. Accessed July 13, 2008.] 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 in Acting Performance from Southern Methodist University.

Career

After completing her 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. [ [http://www.gilmoregirls.org/news/19.html GilmoreGirls.org : Recent News ] ] 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 her 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.

In 2000, Graham landed her breakthrough role as 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.cite web |url=http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-Editors-Blog/Ausiello-Report/Exclusive-Grahams-Gilmore/800007139 |title=Graham's "Gilmore" Role Expands! |work=TVGuide.com |accessdate=2007-01-29] cite web |url=http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2007/01/huzzah_to_produ.html |title="Huzzah to 'Producer Lauren Graham'" |work=Zap2it.com |accessdate=2007-01-30]

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 "Newsradio". 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.

Her motion picture roles encompass several NYU student films and multiple major studio releases, including "Sweet November", "Bad Santa", "The Pacifier", "Because I Said So", and "Evan Almighty".

Lauren has said that she enjoys playing in short films, and acting in the Williamstown Theatre Festival. [O'Neil, Tom. [http://goldderby.latimes.com/awards_goldderby/2007/06/transcript_our__4.html Transcript: Our Emmy chat with 'Gilmore Girls' star Lauren Graham] , "LA Times", June 13, 2007. Accessed July 13, 2008.] She has performed in numerous short films, including the 15-minute long Gnome, viewable on YouTube and the iTunes Store. In 2007 Graham signed a seven-figure development deal with NBC in one of the year's richest TV talent pacts. [Adalian, Josef. [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972136.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 Lauren Graham inks NBC deal] , "Variety", September 17, 2007. Accessed July 13, 2008.]

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. [Elliott, Stuart. [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/02/business/media/02adnewsletter2.html?_r=1&8ad&emc=seiaa2&oref=slogin Q & A with Stuart Elliott] , "The New York Times", June 2, 2008. Accessed July 13, 2008.]

Filmography

*People's Choice Awards, USA

*Screen Actors Guild Awards

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0334179|name=Lauren Graham
*tvtome person|id=1179|name=Lauren Graham
* [http://cwtv.com/shows/gilmore-girls/cast/lauren-graham Lauren Graham cast bio on The CW Official Site]
* [http://www.gilmoregirlsnews.com/category/the-cast/lauren-graham/ Latest Lauren Graham News]

Persondata
NAME= Graham, Lauren
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Graham, Lauren Helen
SHORT DESCRIPTION=
DATE OF BIRTH= March 16, 1967
PLACE OF BIRTH= Honolulu, Hawaii
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=