‘Gilmore Girls’ Cast: Then and Now

Playing the role of young Rory Gilmore was Alexis Bledel’s first credited role, in which she was shy, quiet, and just as addicted to coffee as her mom. Her only other role was that of an unnamed college student in the 1998 film Rushmore, so it's safe to say her first TV show was absolutely a breakthrough for Bledel.

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Bledel has played Lena in two Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants films, appeared on Mad Men in 2012 (where she met her husband), and starred in the short-lived series Us & Them. In 2016, she revived her role as Rory for the Netflix reboot, and portrayed the character of Emily Malek in The Handmaid’s Tale from 2017 until 2022, for which she won an Emmy.

Our favorite ‘cool mom’ Lorelai Gilmore, played by Lauren Graham, was sarcastic, quick-witted, and strong, especially since she raised Rory all on her own once she got pregnant at 16. Prior to her breakthrough role on Gilmore Girls, Graham had many guest appearances in TV shows such as 3rd Rock from the Sun, Seinfeld, Caroline in the City, and Law & Order.

After saying goodbye to Lorelai at the 2007 series finale, Graham had a number of starring roles in various movies, including rom-com Because I Said So (2007), Flash of Genius (2008), and It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010). She took on the role of yet another iconic TV mom with Sarah Braverman in Parenthood from 2010 to 2015, and then realized she just couldn’t stay away from the role of Lorelai, starring in Netflix's Gilmore Girls revival, A Year in the Life.

The best quotes of the series often belonged to Emily Gilmore, and the iconic Gilmore matriarch couldn’t have been played by anyone more perfect than Kelly Bishop. An industry vet, Bishop had spent decades acting before her role on Gilmore Girls, in films like Dirty Dancing (1987), Me and Him (1988), Miami Rhapsody (1995), and Wonder Boys (2000), as well a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in A Chorus Line.

Post the series’ conclusion, Bishop continued to star in hit television shows like Law & Order: SVU, Mercy, Army Wives, Bunheads, and The Good Wife. She was also just on the fourth and fifth seasons of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Benedetta, and released her memoir, The Third Gilmore Girl, in 2024.

Rory’s best friend, Lane Kim, was played by Keiko Agena. A rebel rockstar and studious good girl rolled into one, Lane was always there for Rory to heal her latest heartbreak. Agena had a few small guest roles on a number of TV shows before grabbing her drumsticks on Gilmore Girls, including Sister, Sister, ER, Felicity, and Beverly Hills, 90210.

After leaving Stars Hollow, Agena has had a long career in TV, including roles in the hits 13 Reasons Why, The First, Better Call Saul, and Prodigal Son. Plus, she appeared in all four episodes of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. She’s been married to musician Shin Kawasaki since 2005.

You could always count on Luke Danes, played by Scott Patterson, to offer a plaid moment or a sarcastic comeback. Patterson had guest roles in TV shows such as Seinfeld and Will & Grace, as well as supporting roles in a few movies, including Intent to Kill (1992), Little Big League (1994), Three Wishes (1995), and Highway 365 (2000).

The actor later strayed a little bit from his role as Lorelai’s adorable love interest, taking on parts in the horror films Saw IV (2007), Saw V (2008), and Saw VI (2009). Patterson also appeared on 90210 and The Event, amongst other television roles. In 2021, he launched the podcast I Am All In, in which he comments on all the episodes of the series. He reprised his role of Luke in the Netflix revival.

Yes, Liza Weil’s Paris Gellar was definitely a little annoying, but to be fair, she had a good heart. Before her stint on Gilmore Girls, Weil appeared in shows like The West Wing, E.R., and Law & Order: SVU. She also had a role in the major film Stir of Echoes (1999), starring Kevin Bacon.

After leaving behind Stars Hollow, Weil became a staple in Shondaland, starting with a cameo in Grey’s Anatomy. After that, she landed roles in both Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, and also scored guest parts in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Westworld. She was married to actor Paul Adelstein from 2006 to 2017, with whom she shares a daughter, Josephine.

Dean Forester, played by Jared Padalecki, was Rory’s first real love, and with that role, he earned a special place in the hearts of Gilmore Girls fans everywhere. Prior to Gilmore Girls, however, Padalecki was pretty much unknown: In 1999, he won a Fox Broadcasting contest called "Claim to Fame" that allowed him to appear at the Teen Choice Awards and meet his agent. His first acting role was a minor one in the 1999 film A Little Inside.

Aside from his return to Dean in one episode of the 2016 revival, Padalecki filled out his time with roles in the movies New York Minute (2004), Flight of the Phoenix (2004), House of Wax (2005), and Friday the 13th (2009).

His biggest role, though, was that of Sam Winchester on the TV show Supernatural, which he played for 15 years, and he even lent his voice to 21 episodes of Supernatural's animated series.

It’s very easy to see why Rory fell for brooding bad boy Jess Mariano, played by Milo Ventimiglia: After all, he loved to read! Before he stole everybody’s hearts on the show, Ventimiglia guest-starred in several TV shows, including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Boston Public. He also played Jed Perry in the short-lived Fox TV series Opposite Sex in 2000.

Ventimiglia appeared on the revival in 2016, revealing that his character had become a published author. Other roles included movies like Rocky Balboa (2006), That's My Boy (2012), Grown Ups 2 (2013), and Second Act (2018). However, his biggest successes came from TV, where he played Peter Petrelli on Heroes, Jason Lennon on Gotham, Agent Baker on The League, and Jack Pearson on This Is Us, for which he was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards.

Rory’s most serious boyfriend, Logan Huntzberger, played by Matt Czuchry, joined the show in the fifth season after already appearing on several successful TV shows. His roles included stints on Freaks and Geeks, 7th Heaven, The Practice, Veronica Mars, and Hacks. He also starred in the UPN pilot of Jake 2.0.

After being left brokenhearted in the penultimate episode when Rory refused his proposal, Czuchry has been busy with roles on Friday Night Lights, The Good Wife, and The Resident—plus, he reprised his character of Logan on all four episodes of the revival. In 2023, he starred in Ryan Murphy's Delicate, the twelfth installment of American Horror Story.

Sookie St. James, played by Melissa McCarthy, was a major hit as a clumsy, hilarious chef and Lorelai’s best friend. McCarthy, who played Sookie on all seven seasons of the show, also made a brief appearance in the revival. Prior to doing Gilmore Girls, McCarthy had her first television appearance in an episode of the NBC comedy series Jenny, opposite her cousin Jenny McCarthy. She also had minor roles on Curb Your Enthusiasm and Kim Possible.

McCarthy’s career has taken off since she left Stars Hollow. She took to the big screen with roles in Bridesmaids (2011), This Is 40, (2012), Identity Thief (2013), The Heat (2013), Ghostbusters (2016), Life of the Party (2018), The Kitchen (2019), The Little Mermaid (2023), and more.

McCarthy played the lead role of Molly Flynn in all six seasons of the hit sitcom Mike & Molly. She has received two Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, as well as two Emmy Awards.