Summary
- The talented cast of Gilmore Girls, including Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, and Melissa McCarthy, have pursued various television and movie roles since the show's finale.
- Alexis Bledel's role in The Handmaid's Tale earned her a Primetime Emmy Award, showcasing her versatility as an actress.
- Scott Patterson, who portrayed Luke Danes, continues to be closely associated with Gilmore Girls through his podcast and appearance in the revival series.
The incredibly talented Gilmore Girls cast is a big reason why the cozy dramedy ran for seven successful seasons on the WB and the CW. Gilmore Girls follows single mother Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her teenage daughter Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel). The fast-talking mother-daughter duo are best friends who bond over a love of coffee, junk food, and pop culture while pursuing personal and professional goals. While Lorelai butts heads with her wealthy parents, Richard (Edward Herrmann) and Emily (Kelly Bishop), she and Rory find comfort in their quaint town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut and its quirky citizens.
Most of the cast returned for Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, a 2016 Netflix sequel miniseries that showed what the characters had gotten up to after the series ended. Sadly, Edward Herrmann ed away before the revival, so the showrunners incorporated his real-life death into the miniseries and Richard’s ing is a pivotal point of growth for Lorelai and Rory. Though reviews on the revival were mixed, it was heartwarming seeing these beloved characters onscreen again. Between Oscar nominations and starring in other television shows, the Gilmore Girls cast has been busy since the series finale and may even be more recognizable for their latest roles.
Lauren Graham As Lorelai Gilmore
Lauren Graham plays the lovable Lorelai Gilmore, one of the two protagonists in the Gilmore Girls cast. When not dropping pop culture references or having her umpteenth cup of coffee, Lorelai was pursuing her dreams of running an inn or spending time with Rory, her daughter and best friend. Since Gilmore Girls' ending, Graham has mainly appeared in television shows like Parenthood as Sarah Braverman, Vampirina as Oxana Hauntley, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist as Joan, and Curb Your Enthusiasm as Bridget. She also starred as Alex Morrow in the Disney+ series Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.
Alexis Bledel As Rory Gilmore
In the Gilmore Girls cast, Alexis Bledel played Rory, the bright, inquisitive teenager with big dreams of attending an Ivy League school and becoming a journalist. Besides A Year in the Life, Bledel's post-Gilmore Girls movie credits include starring alongside Luke Hemsworth and Kurt Russell in the 2019 movie Crypto as Katie. On the TV side, Bledel played Beth Dawes in Mad Men, but her most notable role was Ofglen/Emily Malek in the critically acclaimed dystopian Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award.
Melissa McCarthy As Sookie St. James
Melissa McCarthy plays Sookie St. James in the Gilmore Girls cast. Sookie is a fiercely talented chef and Lorelai's business partner and best friend. Many fans also agree that Sookie and Jackson are the best Gilmore Girls couple. McCarthy had the biggest success post-Gilmore Girls, and only returned for the "Fall" episode of A Year in the Life.
After Gilmore Girls ended, McCarthy continued to star in TV shows, playing Molly on Mike and Molly and Amily Luck on God's Favorite Idiot. But McCarthy also became a bona fide movie star, starring in many hit comedies including Bridesmaids as Megan Price, a role which earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best ing Actress. The actress has also starred in several blockbuster films including Thor: Love and Thunder as Hela and the live-action Disney remake The Little Mermaid as Ursula.
Keiko Agena As Lane Kim
Keiko Agena appears in the Gilmore Girls cast as Rory’s best friend, Lane Kim. Lane is brilliant hilarious, and a talented musician who often clashed with her strict, overbearing mother. Since appearing in the Gilmore Girls reunion, Agena has been busy with multiple acting roles primarily in television shows, including 13 Reasons Why as Pam Bradley, Dirty John as Nancy, and Prodigal Son as Dr. Edrisa Tanaka. Most notably, Agena also had a recurring role on Better Call Saul as Viola Goto.
Yanic Truesdale As Michel Gerard
Yanic Truesdale appears in the Gilmore Girls cast as Lorelai’s colleague and frenemy, Michel Gerard. Michel is sarcastic and doesn’t always love working with Lorelai, but the two have a mutual understanding and are close friends despite their sniping at each other. Truesdale went on to work in more television shows like The Fixer as FBI Agent Kincaid, Les mecs as Étienne Lebeau, and Curb Your Enthusiasm as Aaron. He also appears alongside Gilmore Girls alum Melissa McCarthy in God’s Favorite Idiot as Chamuel. In film, Truesdale can be seen in My Salinger Year as Max.
Scott Patterson As Luke Danes
Scott Patterson portrays the gruff diner owner Luke Danes in the Gilmore Girls cast. Luke and Lorelai had a bumpy relationship timeline, but Luke was always a dependable father figure to Rory, and later on his own daughter, April. Since the series ended, Patterson starred in the Saw franchise as Peter Strahm. However, Patterson is most associated with Gilmore Girls, as he starred in A Year in the Life and hosts a Gilmore Girls rewatch podcast called I'm All In with Scott Patterson, in which he recaps an episode of the series and interviews cast and crew alumni. Patterson also stars in the Canadian series Sullivan's Crossing as Sully Sullivan.
Kelly Bishop As Emily Gilmore
The memorable Emily Gilmore has some of the shadiest burns in the series. As Lorelai's mom, Emily always expects the best and judges anyone who doesn’t fit in with her wealthy circle, but actress Kelly Bishop also gave the character nuance. Bishop has been acting since the '60s and continues to work today. She notably starred in A Year in the Love and starred in the Netflix miniseries Halston as Eleanor Lambert. Bishop also appeared as Benedetta in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino's third series.
Liza Weil As Paris Geller
Liza Weil appears in the Gilmore Girls cast as Paris Geller. The ambitious Paris started out the series as an enemy to Rory but quickly became one of her best friends, and the two were even roommates at Yale together. Weil primarily appeared in television shows after Gilmore Girls including a starring role in How to Get Away with Murder as Bonnie Winterbottom and ing parts in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Carole Keen and Westworld as Deborah. Weil also returned for three episodes of Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.
Jared Padalecki As Dean Forester
In the Gilmore Girls cast, Jared Padalecki played Dean Forester, Rory’s first boyfriend who had a kind heart but also a jealous streak. Padalecki’s reappearance in A Year in the Life shows Dean and Rory parting as friends. The actor went on to even more fame in another CW show, Supernatural, where he co-starred as the monster-hunting Sam Winchester. After Supernatural, Padalecki went on to star in Walker, the reboot of the Chuck Norris series, as the titular Texas Ranger, Cordell Walker.
Milo Ventimiglia As Jess Mariano
Milo Ventimiglia played bad boy Jess Mariano in Gilmore Girls. Jess was Rory's second boyfriend and though they had a tumultuous relationship, they ended the series as friends. As well as reprising his role in the Gilmore Girls reunion, Ventimiglia appeared in a number of TV shows including Heroes as Peter Petrelli and Ultimate Spider-Man as Spider-Man Noir. More notably, Ventimiglia plays Jack Pearson in the hit series This Is Us, for which he earned three Emmy nominations. The actor also appeared in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Sylvio. In movies, Mariano played Rocky Balboa, Jr. in the Rocky and Creed franchises.
