Alexis Bledel

Houston-born actress Alexis Bledel had just completed her first year as a film major at NYU when she had to put her studies on hold after getting cast as Rory in the long-running drama "Gilmore Girls" (WB, 2000-07). Bledel also showed big screen star power, taking on the role of Lena Kaligaris in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (2005) and its 2008 sequel, based on the best-selling novels of Ann Brashares. After "Gilmore Girls"' end, Bledel developed an eclectic career as a character actress with a memorable arc on "Mad Men" (AMC 2007-2015) and leading roles in a variety of small indie films before returning to the role that made her famous in the miniseries "Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life" (Netflix 2016) and a supporting role in "The Handmaid's Tale" (Hulu 2017- ).