Bledel was born on September 16, 1981,[1] inHouston, Texas,[2] to Nanette (née Dozier), who worked as a gift processor andflight attendant, and Martín Bledel.[4][5] She has a younger brother, Eric.[3] Her father is fromArgentina.[6][7] Her mother was born inPhoenix, Arizona, but moved with her family toMexico when she was eight.[8][9][10] Her paternal grandfather, Enrique Einar Bledel Huus, was born inBuenos Aires, Argentina, and was ofDanish andGerman descent; Enrique was Vice President ofCoca-Cola Latin America and the Coca-Cola Inter-American Corporation. Bledel's paternal grandmother, Jean (née Campbell), was originally fromNew York and hadScottish,Irish, andEnglish ancestry.[11][12][13] Of her parents' upbringing in Latin America, Bledel said: "It's the only culture my mom knows from life, and my father as well, and they made the decision to raise their children within the context they had been raised in."[5][8] Bledel grew up in aSpanish-speaking household, and did not learn English until she began school.[14] She identifies asLatina.[5][15]
Bledel made her television debut in 2000 oppositeLauren Graham in The WB (nowCW) comedy-dramaGilmore Girls, which ran for seven seasons from October 5, 2000, to May 15, 2007.[22] She playedRory Gilmore, daughter of single motherLorelai Gilmore (Graham). Living with her mother in small town Stars Hollow, Connecticut, Rory was a high school student at Stars Hollow High School before transferring in her sophomore year to Chilton - an exclusive private academy in Hartford - with the financial assistance of her wealthy grandparents. After graduation, Rory attended college atYale University, and worked at and eventually became editor of theYale Daily News.[23] Bledel made her feature film debut oppositeJonathan Jackson in the fantasy romantic dramaTuck Everlasting (2002), based onNatalie Babbitt'snovel of the same name (1975). Before her work in that film, Bledel was an uncredited extra in the 1998 comedy-dramaRushmore.[24] In 2005, she co-starred in the dramaThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, oppositeAmber Tamblyn,America Ferrera, andBlake Lively, based onAnn Brashares'novel of the same name. She playedLena Kaligaris, an aspiring artist on a journey with her three best friends, linked over the summer by a pair of "magical" jeans.
Bledel in June 2008
In 2005, Bledel co-starred in the anthology Neo-noir crime thrillerSin City where she played Becky, aprostitute. "She's a very professional prostitute. She carries a gun and she kicks ass," said Bledel of her character.[25] In 2006, Bledel co-starred oppositeJay Baruchel in the romantic comedyI'm Reed Fish as the fiancée of Baruchel's title character. After the end ofGilmore Girls, she reprised her role of Lena Kaligaris inThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, released in August 2008. The following year, Bledel starred in the comedyPost Grad, which was released on August 21, 2009.
Bledel co-starred oppositeScott Porter andBryan Greenberg in the romantic comedyThe Good Guy, which premiered atTribeca Film Festival April 26, 2009. The film centered around Porter's character Tommy, a Wall Street investment broker whose life falls apart when he helps out Greenberg's character Daniel, a new broker. Bledel played Beth, Tommy's girlfriend. In April 2009, Bledel guest-starred in theNBC medical dramaER in the two-hour series finale titled "And in the End..." as Dr. Julia Wise, a new intern to the hospital.[26] In May 2009, Bledel signed a contract with the modeling division ofIMG.[27]
Bledel performed in the theatre productionRegrets by theManhattan Theatre Club, staged at theNew York City Center.[31] It was confirmed in early-March 2013 that Bledel would co-star oppositeJason Ritter in theFoxpilotFriends & Family, an adaptation of the British sitcomGavin & Stacey as Stacey with Ritter as Gavin.[32] The pilot was picked up for a series and was retitledUs & Them.[33] However, Fox eventually decided not to air the series, which eventually aired in the fall of 2018 onSony Crackle.[34] 2015 saw Bledel starring withKatherine Heigl as the fiancée to Heigl's character in the filmJenny's Wedding.
On January 29, 2016,Netflix announced a revival ofGilmore Girls with a series of four 90-minute films set around the four seasons, and Bledel's participation was confirmed.[35] In 2017, she appeared as Ofglen, later known as Emily Malek inThe Handmaid's Tale forHulu; subsequently, her role was expanded to a regular role for the second season.[36] Her critically acclaimed performance earned Bledel her firstEmmy Award nomination and win in the2017Creative Arts ceremony in the category ofOutstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[37] She departed after the fourth season, but made a special guest appearance in the show's series finale.[38][39]
She has been included in magazine lists of the world's most beautiful women. In 2002, she was named one ofTeen People's "25 Hottest Stars under 25". Bledel was ranked at number 87 onMaxim magazine's "Hot 100 of 2005" list. Bledel was named one ofUs Weekly's "25 Most Stylish New Yorkers" in 2010.
In 2012, Bledel began datingVincent Kartheiser, whose character,Pete Campbell, shared scenes with her character Beth Dawes, during her guest-starring run onMad Men.[42] The couple announced their engagement in March 2013[43] and married in California in June 2014.[44] Bledel gave birth to their son in the fall of 2015.[45][46] On August 10, 2022, Kartheiser filed for divorce from Bledel;[47] the divorce was finalized on August 30.[48]
Bledel supported the 2012 re-election ofBarack Obama and urged her fans to vote.[49][50]
^This series was originally ordered byFox for broadcast in the 2013–14 season, but was not aired due to creative differences (though it aired in international markets). The series eventually aired its seven produced episodes in the United States in October 2018 throughSony Crackle.
^abc"Latina – Google Books".Latina.8 (6–11). 2004.Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. RetrievedMarch 22, 2013.A native of Phoenix, Nanette moved with her family at age 8 to Guadalajara (and later to Mexico City), where she developed "a Mexican soul," she says... It's a legacy Alexis feels strongly connected to — and proud of. "In general I think Latinos know how to live and eat and sleep and spend time with their families," she says.
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