Born in Houston to an Argentinean father and Mexican American mother on Sept. 16, 1981, Alexis Bledel grew up speaking Spanish and began her acting career in local theater, in part to work through childhood shyness. A modest career in modeling followed, which led to a golden opportunity: the chance to audition for a new WB series called "Gilmore Girls."

Over the course of the show's seven-year run, Bledel earned an army of fans as the bright-eyed and bookish Rory Gilmore, the only daughter of a free-spirited single mother. She also took her chances on the big screen, landing lead roles in Tuck Everlasting (2002) and Sin City (2005).

Bledel added to her film r��sum�� by joining the ensemble cast of popular young actresses (including America Ferrara, Blake Lively and Amber Tamblyn) in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), which also spawned a 2008 sequel. ... - from Netflix