Bledel was born on September 16, 1981,[1] in Houston, Texas,[2] to Nanette (née Dozier), who worked as a gift processor and flight attendant, and Martín Bledel.[4][5] She has a younger brother, Eric.[3] Her father is from Argentina.[6][7] Her mother was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and her family moved back to Mexico, at the age of eight.[8][9][10] Her paternal grandfather, Enrique Einar Bledel Huus, was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and was of Danish and German descent; Enrique was Vice President of Coca-Cola Latin America and the Coca-Cola Inter-American Corporation. Bledel's paternal grandmother, Jean (née Campbell), was originally from New York and had Scottish, Irish and English 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 a Spanish-speaking household, and did not learn English until she began school.[14] She identifies as Latina.[5][15]
Bledel attended Baptist and Lutheran schools, and graduated from the Catholic St. Agnes Academy in Houston in 1999.[16][17] Her mother encouraged her to try community theater to overcome her shyness.[18] As a child, Bledel appeared in local productions of Our Town and The Wizard of Oz.[19] She was scouted at a local shopping mall and given work as a fashion model.[20] Bledel attended NYU before dropping out when cast in Gilmore Girls at the age of 18.[21]
In 2005, Bledel co-starred in the anthology neo-noir crime thriller Sin City where she played Becky, a prostitute. "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 opposite Jay Baruchel in the romantic comedy I'm Reed Fish as the fiancée of Baruchel's title character. After the end of Gilmore Girls, she reprised her role of Lena Kaligaris in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, released in August 2008. The following year, Bledel starred in the comedy Post Grad, which was released on August 21, 2009.
2009–present: Continued recognition
Bledel co-starred opposite Scott Porter and Bryan Greenberg in the romantic comedy The Good Guy, which premiered at Tribeca 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 the NBC medical drama ER 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 of IMG.[27]
Bledel performed in the theatre production Regrets by the Manhattan Theatre Club, staged at the New York City Center.[31]
It was confirmed in early-March 2013 that Bledel would co-star opposite Jason Ritter in the FoxpilotFriends & Family, an adaptation of the British sitcom Gavin & Stacey as Stacey with Ritter as Gavin.[32] The pilot was picked up for a series and was retitled Us & Them.[33] However, Fox eventually decided not to air the series, which eventually aired in the fall of 2018 on Sony Crackle.[34] 2015 saw Bledel starring with Katherine Heigl as the fiancée to Heigl's character in the film Jenny's Wedding.
On January 29, 2016, Netflix announced a revival of Gilmore 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 in The Handmaid's Tale for Hulu; subsequently, her role was expanded to a regular role for the second season.[36] Her critically acclaimed performance earned Bledel her first Emmy Award nomination and win in the 2017Creative Arts ceremony in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.[37] She departed after the fourth season.[38]
She has been included in magazine lists of the world's most beautiful women. In 2002, she was named one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars under 25". Bledel was ranked at number 87 on Maxim magazine's "Hot 100 of 2005" list. Bledel was named one of Us Weekly's "25 Most Stylish New Yorkers" in 2010.
In 2012, Bledel began dating Vincent Kartheiser, whose character, Pete Campbell, shared scenes with her character Beth Dawes, during her guest-starring run on Mad 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 of Barack Obama and urged her fans to vote.[49][50]
2002 — Voted one of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25"
2005 — Ranked No. 87 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women[58]
2010 — Named one of Us Magazine's "25 Most Stylish New Yorkers"[59]
Notes
^This series was originally ordered by Fox 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 through Sony Crackle.
^ abc"Latina – Google Books". Latina. 8 (6–11). 2004. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 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.
^Ausiello, Michael (April 26, 2005). "Girl Talk with Alexis Bledel". TV Guide. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.