Lauren Graham is an actress we appreciate. This tall, attractive brunette has a fresh face and a killer smile, but what we admire most about Lauren is that she can really make us laugh. She excels at seamlessly combining dramatic skills with comedic timing, perfecting diverse roles ranging from a spunky mom to Santa's naughty helper. Lauren Graham became famous thanks to the lead role on the popular TV drama, Gilmore Girls. As Lorelai Gilmore, the thirtysomething mother of a teenager, Graham has earned several award nominations for her portrayal of a sarcastic and hard-working single mom. Lauren's career, however, began with some memorable TV roles in the mid- to late-'90s, including recurring roles on Caroline in the City and Law & Order. In November 2003, she appeared in the hit comedy, Bad Santa. Though she was born in Hawaii, actress Lauren Graham grew up in Virginia. She discovered her love for acting and her knack for making the other kids laugh while in elementary school. As an adult, Graham moved to California and landed her first television gig with a guest spot on Caroline in the City in 1995. By 1997, Graham had worked the TV circuit with recurring roles on Caroline in the City, Law & Order and NewsRadio, and guest appearances on 3rd Rock from the Sun and Seinfeld. Lauren Graham's big breakthrough came in 2000, with the lead role on the WB's family drama, Gilmore Girls. As Lorelai Gilmore, the thirtysomething single mother of a teenage daughter, Lauren gained much media exposure for her sarcastic but sensitive portrayal of a single mom. She had found the role that perfectly combined her dramatic and comedic skills. Though she was born in Hawaii, actress Lauren Graham grew up in Virginia. She discovered her love for acting and her knack for making the other kids laugh while in elementary school. As an adult, Graham moved to California and landed her first television gig with a guest spot on Caroline in the City in 1995. By 1997, Graham had worked the TV circuit with recurring roles on Caroline in the City, Law & Order and NewsRadio, and guest appearances on 3rd Rock from the Sun and Seinfeld. Lauren Graham's big breakthrough came in 2000, with the lead role on the WB's family drama, Gilmore Girls. As Lorelai Gilmore, the thirtysomething single mother of a teenage daughter, Lauren gained much media exposure for her sarcastic but sensitive portrayal of a single mom. She had found the role that perfectly combined her dramatic and comedic skills. Having firmly establishing herself as a star of the small screen, Graham made the jump to the big screen in 2003, starring opposite Billy Bob Thorntonin the hit holiday crime comedy, Bad Santa. Proving she could shine opposite a Hollywood star, Graham's next film project is 2004's Seeing Other People, co-starring Jay Mohr personality & talent After her parents divorce when Lauren was only 5 years old, the aspiring actress was raised by her father -- an experience that surely helped mold her personality. Graham's upbringing uniquely prepared her for the role of Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls: she can perfectly relate to her character of a young single parent raising a teenage daughter. You would never guess by looking at Lauren Graham today, that she was a young tomboy who rode horses competitively. She originally wanted to become a jockey, but she was too tall to pursue her dream. And because she was taller than all the boys in school, she never considered herself a pretty girl, and therefore had to rely on her joke-telling abilities to attract the opposite sex -- a talent that still serves her well today. sexiness Lauren Graham's winning combination of feminine confidence and grace adds up to a TV yummy mummy. Lauren garners critical acclaim for her spunky portrayal of one of TV's sexiest single moms. Even though she and her onscreen daughter could pass for sisters, we tune in to check out the more mature Gilmore girl. Graham's small-screen persona might be that of a sexy mother, but her breakout film role in Bad Santa proves that Lauren has a naughty side as well. If she's high on your list this year, the good news is that Lauren's currently single... accomplishments & fame After receiving her bachelor's degree in English and master's degree in acting, Lauren Graham landed some memorable TV roles in the mid- to late-'90s, including recurring roles on Caroline in the City, NewsRadio and Law & Order. But Graham's breakout role, which catapulted her to full-fledged stardom, was (and still is) as Lorelai Gilmore on the Gilmore Girls. Since the show debuted in 2000, Graham has been nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress in a Television Series (Drama) and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, both in 2002. Lauren Graham has also been ranked No. 13 on E! Online's "Hollywood's Bachelorettes: Sexy and Single" 2004 list. But Graham's success has not been limited to television; she had a small role in the romantic tearjerker Sweet November (2001), starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron and had a more significant part in the romantic comedy Chasing Destiny (2001). In 2003, Graham starred opposite Billy Bob Thorntonin Bad Santa, the hit holiday comedy about a man who disguises himself as Santa in order to rob shopping malls. Movie stardom seems to be just around the corner for Lauren, much to the delight of her adoring fans, with upcoming roles in Lucky 13 (with Taryn Manning and Seeing Other People. natural beauty Lauren Graham's ultra-feminine beauty can be traced to her Irish ancestry. She stands tall at 5'9" with a curvy but slender physique. Her bright blue-green eyes, which sometimes appear ocean blue and other times emerald green, contrast perfectly with her fair skin. And her long, flowing brown hair is naturally curly. Lauren doesn't take anything too seriously, especially her looks. She sarcastically compares her friendly, freckled face to that of "an Irish peasant farmer." But with her glowing smile and bright, white teeth, she looks more like Celtic nobility. Lauren's fresh face makes her appear younger than she is, so much so that she and Alexis Bledel who plays her daughter on Gilmore Girls, could pass for sisters. personal style Lauren Graham's personal style reflects her down-to-earth personality. She's no fashion maven, even though her mother works in the fashion industry. Lauren's more at home in casual clothes than the designer threads favored by many celebrities. She prefers dressing down in jeans and V-neck tops and sweaters, sometimes accessorizing with denim jackets. There's little pretense to Lauren's style. She doesn't wear much makeup, except to cover the freckles on her face. And she avoids gaudy jewelry, often seen wearing a simple necklace with a pendant. "My character [Lorelai Gilmore] has louder taste in clothes, I think," Lauren explains. "Personally, all I ever want to be wearing are jeans." With her low-maintenance look, Lauren's a natural who's never out of style with her fans. quote "These days I have to be extra nice in stores. It never fails that whenever I look as bad as I can possibly look or I am sort of cranky because the store is out of something, that is precisely the time when someone will recognize me and say: 'I really like your show.'" -Lauren Graham biography Lauren Helen Graham was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 16th, 1967 and was raised by her father in Fairfax, Virginia, after her parents divorced when she was 5 years old. She loved to ride horses and eventually did so competitively. She dreamed of one day becoming a jockey, but her height was an obstacle. Graham traveled extensively with her father during her childhood and discovered acting while in elementary school. Lauren skipped kindergarten and explains, "that's why I don't know how to share." Throughout high school, Lauren was involved in many theater productions, and this love continued on throughout college while attending Columbia University's Barnard College in New York, where she majored in English. She then earned a master's degree in acting from Southern Methodist University. lauren does caroline in the city Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Graham landed a recurring role as a neurotic girlfriend, Shelly, in the first season of Caroline in the City. More recurring television roles followed in 1997; first on Law & Order, as a studio executive who pursues Detective Reynaldo Curtis (Benjamin Bratt, and next on NewsRadio, as an efficiency expert aiming to downsize the staff. In addition, Lauren enjoyed guest roles on 3rd Rock from the Sun in 1996, and Seinfeld in 1997. Graham was a regular on the 1996 sitcom Townies (co-starring Jenna Elfman and 1998's Conrad Bloom, and then starred as a high school administrator on M.Y.O.B., right before landing the role of Lorelai Gilmore on the WB's Gilmore Girls. Lauren claims the reason she works so much is, "I'm nice, and I show up on time." lauren graham's movies After roles in the thriller Nightwatch (starring Patricia Arquette and Ewan McGregor) and One True Thing (as Renee Zellweger's best friend), Graham displayed her versatility in both comedic and dramatic roles. She starred in 1999's Dill Scallion on VH1, a mockumentary about the world of country music that featured cameos by LeAnn Rimes and Willie Nelson She also appeared on the big screen opposite Keanu Reeves in the 2001 feature film, Sweet November. lauren graham starts gilmore girls Lauren Graham's big breakthrough came in 2000 with the lead role on the WB family drama, Gilmore Girls. As Lorelai Gilmore, the thirtysomething single mother of a teenager (played by Alexis Bledel, Graham earned several award nominations during the first two seasons. While the show itself has earned critical acclaim, Lauren gained much media exposure for her portrayal of a determined and down-to-earth single mom. Lauren has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series (Drama) and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, both for her portrayal of Lorelai Gilmore. The role also earned her a Best Actress nod from Viewers for Quality Television, as well as the award for Best Actress in a Drama from the Family Friendly Forum. E! Online even ranked Lauren No. 13 (of 25) on its list of "Hollywood's Bachelorettes: Sexy and Single." Graham adds that despite her success, "my grandparents think I should be on Friends." lauren in bad santa Graham recently starred opposite Billy Bob Thorntonin Miramax's hit film, Bad Santa, a dark comedy about a man who pretends to be Santa in a ploy to rob shopping malls. Next up for Lauren are the comedy films Lucky 13, with Taryn Manningand Brande Roderick, and Seeing Other People, both set for release in 2004. Graham, who has never been married, is currently single and living in West Hollywood, where Gilmore Girls is filmed. As for what kind of guys she goes for, Lauren says, "I wouldn't pick anybody from 'N Sync. I love Jeff Bridges I like guys who have some gravity and look like they can ride a horse."