| Blake Lively |
Lively at the New York premier of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, August 2008 |
| Born |
Blake Christina Lively
August 25, 1987 (1987-08-25) (age 21)
Tarzana, California, U.S. |
| Occupation |
Actress |
| Years active |
1998–present |
Blake Christina Lively (born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. She stars in the book-based TV series Gossip Girl as Serena van der Woodsen. She has also appeared in several films including Accepted and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as well as its sequel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
Early life
Lively, the youngest of five children, was born in Tarzana, California, the daughter of actors Ernie and Elaine Lively. Lively has two sisters, Lori and Robyn, and two brothers, Jason and Eric. Both of her parents and all four of her siblings are, or have been, in the entertainment industry. “My mom and dad always taught acting, so instead of getting me babysitters, they would just bring me to class,” Lively recalls.1 Her brother-in-law is High School Musical star Bart Johnson.2
As a child, Lively was homeschooled (one of her homeschool classmates was actor and future boyfriend Penn Badgley).3 Lively attended Burbank High School in Burbank where she participated in Burbank High School's show choir, In Sync, and was a cheerleader.4 Lively stated in a interview for the August 2008 Seventeen magazine that she attended thirteen schools. She wanted to attend Stanford University. 5 Lively was not at all interested in acting but during the summer between her junior and senior year of high school, so her brother made his agent send her out on a few auditions. Of the two auditions, she got the role of Bridget for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Career
Lively started out in film with a bit role in Sandman in 1998. In 2005, Lively played Bridget in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, for which she received a Teen Choice Award nomination for "Choice Movie Breakout - Female." She reprised the role in 2008 in the sequel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. She starred in Accepted, Simon Says, and Elvis and Anabelle in 2006. She received the Breakthrough Award from Hollywood Life for her role in Accepted in December 2006.
Lively was cast in the CW's series Gossip Girl which premiered in September 2007. She plays Serena van der Woodsen in the teen drama.6 While rumors of infighting among the Gossip Girl co-stars have circulated in the tabloids, Lively denies that there is any unfriendly competition on-set. “The media is always trying to pit us against each other," she said in an interview, "I guess because it’s just not interesting to say, ‘Everyone gets along; everybody just works 18-hour days and goes home to sleep.’ That’s not fun to read, I guess.” 7 Her first magazine cover was the November 2007 issue of Cosmo Girl, where she discussed her time in high school and her career prior to Gossip Girl.8 She has since appeared on the January 2008 cover of shopping magazine Lucky. She has more recently appeared on the March 2008 cover of Teen Vogue, as well as the May 2008 cover of NYLON with her Gossip Girl co-star Leighton Meester. She appeared on the cover of "Seventeen"'s August 2008 issue. The star also was on the cover of "Girls' Life"'s August 2008 issue, along with The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars Amber Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel, and America Ferrera. More recently Lively also appeared on the cover of "Cosmopolitan"'s September 2008 issue. Lively has a brief cameo in a pre-recorded Saturday Night Live skit entitled "Murray Hill" alongside James Franco, where she portrays a transexual partygoer.
Personal life
Lively dated actor Kelly Blatz from 2004 to 2007; the two had been friends since childhood.9 In late 2007, rumors circulated that Lively was dating her Gossip Girl costar and former childhood classmate Penn Badgley.10 In May 2008, People magazine published photos of the two kissing while on vacation in Mexico.11 Lively and Badgley have since become more open about their relationship. The relationship is a favorite topic of the tabloids.1213
In October 2008, Lively appeared alongside Badgley in a MoveOn.org campaign ad in support of Presidential candidate Barack Obama.14
Lively is also something of a clothes horse, and she admits to owning an impressive amount of handbags. "I probably have, like, 60 gorgeous bags,” she told a reporter.15
Filmography
Awards
| Year |
Group |
Award |
Series |
Result |
| 2008 |
Teen Choice Award |
Choice TV Actress Drama |
Gossip Girl |
Won |
| 2008 |
Teen Choice Award |
Choice TV Breakout Star Female |
Gossip Girl |
Won |
References
External links
