Blake Ellender Lively (née Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Lively is known for starring as Serena van der Woodsen in the CW drama television series Gossip Girl (2007–2012). She also starred in a number of films, including The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2008), The Town (2010), Green Lantern (2011), Savages (2012), The Age of Adaline (2015), The Shallows (2016) and A Simple Favor (2018).
She has been married to Canadian-American actor Ryan Reynolds since 2012, with whom she has three children.
Contents
1Early life
2Career
2.12005–2006: Career beginnings
2.22007–2012: Gossip Girl
2.32013–present: Continued career
3Other ventures
3.1Celebrity homemaker
3.2Advocacy
4Personal life
5Filmography
5.1Film
5.2Television
5.3Music videos
6Awards and nominations
7References
8External links
Early life
Blake Lively was born as Blake Ellender Brown on August 25, 1987 in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Her mother, Elaine (née McAlpin), worked as a talent scout, and her father, Ernie Lively (né Ernest Wilson Brown, Jr.), is an actor. Lively was named after her grandmother’s brother.
She has an older brother, Eric Lively, two half-sisters, Lori Lively and Robyn Lively, and a half-brother, Jason Lively. Her half-siblings are from her mother’s previous marriage. Both of her parents and all of her siblings are, or have been, in the entertainment industry.
During her childhood, her parents took her to acting classes that they taught because they did not want to leave her with a babysitter. Lively said that watching her parents teach acting helped her learn the “drills” and gain confidence as she got older and entered the entertainment industry. She began her acting career at age 10, when she appeared in the 1998 film Sandman, which was directed by Lively’s father. She describes her role as a “bit part”. She was initially not particularly interested in acting and wanted to attend Stanford University.
She attended Burbank High School, where she was a class president, a cheerleader and a member of the championship choir. Her brother Eric asked his talent agent to send her on a few auditions over a period of a few months during the summer. From these auditions, she was cast as Bridget for The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) and filmed her scenes in between her junior and senior years.
Career
A young blonde female wearing an blue dress. The female is looking to her left.
Lively at the CW Upfronts in May 2009.
2005–2006: Career beginnings
She appeared in the film adaptation of the novel of the same name, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, in 2005, as Bridget, one of the four female leads. Lively’s performance in the film earned her a nomination for a Teen Choice Award for “Choice Movie Breakout – Female. In 2006, Lively co-starred with Justin Long in Accepted, and Lively had minor roles in the horror film, Simon Says. While Accepted was not well received by critics, Lively’s performance was, earning her a ‘Breakthrough Award’ from Hollywood Life. In 2007, she played one of the two title characters in Elvis and Anabelle as Anabelle, a bulimic girl who hoped to win a beauty pageant. Lively said of getting into character for the role that she had ‘shed serious weight’ for her height. Lively stated that that process was difficult for her because food is “the No. 1 love of my life.” MovieLine.com praised her performance in the film and credited it as having been her “breakthrough role”.
2007–2012: Gossip Girl
Lively was cast in The CW’s series Gossip Girl, based on the novel series of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar, which premiered in September 2007. Already having deferred college for a year, Lively intended to turn the role down and become a student, but was told that she could attend college part-time while filming the show (she later said “This is advice to anyone: when they say, ‘We promise, but we can’t put it in writing,’ there’s a reason they can’t put it in writing”). She played the role of Serena van der Woodsen in the teen drama until 2012 when the show ended. 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.
In 2008, Lively reprised her role as Bridget in the sequel The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Similarly to the first film, Lively’s performance was positively received by critics. As of November 2008, the film had earned over $44 million at the box office. In 2009, she appeared as Gabrielle DiMarco in the romantic comedy New York, I Love You, a sequel to the 2006 film Paris, je t’aime. Despite positive critical reception, the film failed at the box office.
One of Lively’s most acclaimed roles to date is her supporting role as the younger version of the title character in The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009). Paul Byrnes, of the Brisbane Times, described Lively’s performance in the film as “sensational”. In October 2009 Lively began filming her scenes for her role as Kristina “Kris” Coughlin in the 2010 film The Town, based on Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves. The film, which was directed by and starred Ben Affleck, was released in the United States on September 17, 2010. In December of that year, Lively appeared in the music video for The Lonely Island’s “I Just Had Sex” together with Jessica Alba. Lively played Carol Ferris, the female lead and love interest of Hal Jordan in the superhero film Green Lantern, which was released in June 2011. The film grossed a worldwide total of $219,851,172. In 2011 she was featured in the annual TIME magazine 100 influential people. Additionally, AskMen.com named her the most desirable woman of 2011 and People magazine named her one of 2012’s Most Beautiful at Every Age.
Lively at the 2011 Time 100 gala
In 2012, she starred in Oliver Stone’s Savages alongside Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, and John Travolta. Lively replaced Jennifer Lawrence as Ophelia, after the latter dropped out to do The Hunger Games. HitFix film critic Drew McWeeny praised Lively’s performance, which he described as “smart and sad precisely because she plays O as such a broken, needy little soul”. Also that year, she was selected as the face of the new Gucci fragrance, Gucci Premiere. She appeared in a short film ad directed by Nicolas Winding Refn for the fragrance.
2013–present: Continued career
In October 2013, Lively was named the new face of L’Oreal, marking her first major makeup campaign. Lively starred in the film The Age of Adaline (2015), opposite Michiel Huisman and Harrison Ford, playing a woman who “stops aging after recovering from a near-fatal accident.” The film was a modest commercial success, grossing $65.7 million from a production budget of $25 million. In 2016, Lively starred in the survival horror film The Shallows. It received positive reviews and Lively’s performance was praised by critics.
In 2018, Lively starred in the mystery-thriller A Simple Favor, alongside Anna Kendrick and Henry Golding, and directed by Paul Feig. The film was released on September 14 and Lively’s performance was acclaimed. Lively next played the lead, a drug-addicted prostitute turned assassin, in The Rhythm Section, the film adaptation of the Mark Burnell novel of the same name, produced by Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, and directed by Reed Morano. The film was released from Paramount Pictures on January 31, 2020.
Other ventures
Celebrity homemaker
Lively at the premiere of The Town at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
Lively describes herself as a “foodie and cook”, and has said Martha Stewart is her “idol”. She is also a fan of Nigella Lawson’s work. In 2008, Lively baked a cake with Stewart during an episode of The Martha Stewart Show. In 2009, Lively stated that she “hoped one day to have an interior decorating company”, citing her love for antiques and fascination with “colors and textures and layering things”. In 2010, she attended a tailor-made workshop at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and has spoken of her desire to return to the culinary school for further instruction.
Also in 2010, Lively spent an evening working as a pastry chef at the renowned Per Se in New York City. She has remarked that, when travelling, she always takes cookery classes to immerse herself in the local culture. In 2010 and again in 2011, Lively spoke publicly of her desire to become a restaurateur. In 2011, she created a s’mores cupcake to be sold at Sprinkles bakeries. In 2012, Lively’s wedding reception was featured in Martha Stewart Weddings; food photography was the focal point of the picture spread. In 2013, she appeared in Elle Decor to recount her experiences designing a custom La Cornue oven for her newly purchased Bedford home. In 2013, she filmed a cooking segment for Vogue’s website, demonstrating how to make a brie pastry. In 2014, she launched Preserve, a digital magazine and e-commerce website with hand-made one-of-a-kind items all selected by Lively; on October 9, 2015, Lively closed the site, stating that it had been launched before it was ready, and that she plans to rebuild and relaunch it properly.
Advocacy
During the 2008 United States presidential election, Lively expressed her support for Barack Obama. Lively and Penn Badgley appeared in a pro-Obama commercial, as part of MoveOn.org’s Youth Vote program. The commercial, directed by Doug Liman, aired during Gossip Girl on the CW, MTV and Comedy Central. In 2013, she appeared in a video clip for Gucci’s “Chime for Change” campaign that aims to raise funds and awareness of women’s issues in the areas of education, health, and justice.
Personal life
Lively with future husband Ryan Reynolds, promoting Green Lantern at Comic-Con 2010.
Lively dated Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley for four years but then broke up. Lively first met Ryan Reynolds in early 2010 while filming Green Lantern, in which they co-starred. In October 2011, they began dating. The couple married on September 9, 2012, at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. They have three daughters together: James (December 2014), Inez (September 2016), and a third (2019). The family lives in Pound Ridge, New York.
Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1998 Sandman Trixie / Tooth Fairy
2005 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Bridget Vreeland
2006 Accepted Monica Moreland
2006 Simon Says Jenny
2007 Elvis and Anabelle Annabelle Leigh
2008 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Bridget Vreeland
2009 New York, I Love You Gabrielle DiMarco
2009 The Private Lives of Pippa Lee Young Pippa Lee
2010 The Town Kristina “Kris” Coughlin
2011 Green Lantern Carol Ferris
2011 Hick Glenda
2012 Savages Ophelia “O” Sage
2015 The Age of Adaline Adaline Bowman
2016 The Shallows Nancy Adams
2016 Café Society Veronica Hayes
2017 All I See Is You Gina
2018 A Simple Favor Emily Nelson / Hope and Faith McLanden
2020 The Rhythm Section Stephanie Patrick
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2007–2012 Gossip Girl Serena van der Woodsen Main role, 121 episodes
2009 Saturday Night Live Herself (host) Episodes: “Blake Lively/Rihanna
Music videos
Year Title Role Artist
2010 “I Just Had Sex” Unsatisfied Girlfriend The Lonely Island featuring Akon
2014 “Part II (On the Run)” Herself Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé
Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2005 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Breakout Female The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Nominated
2008 Choice Female Hottie N/A Nominated
2008 Choice TV Actress Drama Gossip Girl Won
2008 Choice TV Breakout Star-Female Won
2008 Newport Beach Film Festival Achievement Award-Breakout Performance Elvis and Anabelle Won
2009 ASTRA Award Favourite International Personality or Actor Gossip Girl Nominated
2009 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress Drama Nominated
2009 Choice Female Hottie N/A Nominated
2010 People’s Choice Awards Favorite TV Drama Actress Gossip Girl Nominated
2010 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress Drama Nominated
2010 Critics’ Choice Movie Awards Best Acting Ensemble The Town Nominated
2010 National Board of Review Best Ensemble Cast Won
2010 San Diego Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actress Nominated
2010 Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Ensemble Won
2011 People’s Choice Award Favorite TV Drama Actress Gossip Girl Nominated
2011 CinemaCon Award Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award N/A Won
2011 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie Actress Sci Fi/Fantasy Green Lantern Nominated
2011 Choice TV Actress Drama Gossip Girl Won
2012 People’s Choice Award Favorite TV Drama Actress Nominated
2012 Jupiter Award Best International Actress Green Lantern Nominated
2013 Teen Choice Awards Choice TV Actress Drama Gossip Girl Nominated
2015 Choice Movie Actress: Drama The Age of Adaline Nominated
2015 Choice Movie: Liplock (shared with Michiel Huisman) Nominated
2016 Saturn Award Best Actress Nominated
2016 Teen Choice Awards Choice Style: Female N/A Nominated
2016 Choice Summer Movie Star: Female The Shallows Nominated
2017 People’s Choice Awards Favorite Dramatic Movie Actress Won
2017 Jupiter Award Best International Actress Nominated