Blake Lively
Famous for her statuesque screen presence and nuanced acting style, Blake Lively was born in Los Angeles, California to a family of entertainers. Lively's parents, talent scout Elaine Lively and actor and director Ernie Lively, taught acting classes, which they brought their young daughter to quite often in lieu of leaving her with a babysitter. Consequently, the young Lively developed both an interest in acting and a confidence in her stage technique very early. At age 11, Lively appeared in a bit part in a movie directed by her father, "Sandman" (1998), but it was not until age 17 that she began regularly attending auditions. The first role she booked proved to be a breakout when she was cast as Bridget in the tween ensemble dramedy "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (2005). She then co-starred with Justin Long in the romantic comedy "Accepted" (2006) before landing a pivotal role, starring on the hugely popular teen drama "Gossip Girl" (CW, 2007-2012) as moneyed New York high schooler Serena van der Woodsen. Lively would remain with the show for all of its six seasons, though she would continue to appear in feature films during her down time, reprising the role of Bridget for "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" (2008) and appearing in the ensemble crime drama "The Town" (2010) directed by Ben Affleck. In 2011, Lively co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in the superhero film "Green Lantern" (2011). The movie proved to be a flop, but Lively's chemistry with Reynolds was undeniable, and the two were married the following year. Having always nurtured an interest in cooking and home decor, Lively briefly launchd the e-magazine and web store Preserve in 2014, offering handmade and one-of-a-kind home items, however, describing the site as having been launched prematurely, she shut it down the following year. Lively went on to star in the sweeping drama "Age of Adaline" (2015) playing a woman who survives a near fatal car crash and ceases to age. Her next project was the shark thriller "The Shallows" (2016), which found her clinging to a buoy in the ocean for almost the entire film. She went on to play a blind woman who regains her sight in "All I See is You" (2017) before teaming up with Anna Kendrick for the Paul Feig crime comedy "A Simple Favor" (2018). Next, Lively co-starred with Jude Law in the revenge drama "The Rhythm Section" (2020).