Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, Gilmore Girls ended 15 years ago but remains culturally relevant. Gilmore Girls, which ran for seven seasons, followed the lives of Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel). It became a staple of 21st-century television due to its wittiness, heartwarming moments, and familial drama.
Additionally, Gilmore Girls showcased dozens of actors whose careers were just taking off. Many of the Gilmore Girls stars catapulted their acting careers after the show and finding these familiar faces in Stars Hollow is a great excuse for a re-watch. After 150+ episodes, fans may have forgotten certain appearances from stars.
10 Vanessa Marano Portrays Luke's Daughter
Singer and actor Vanessa Marano has been acting since she was seven, but she had her breakthrough role in 2017 on the Freeform series Switched At Birth. There, she played Bay Kennish, one of two teenagers who learn they were raised in the wrong family.
Five years before this, Marano had a recurring role on Gilmore Girls. She played April Nardini, Luke's eccentric but genius teenage daughter. Marano is barely recognizable in this role, but her performance as April was excellent.
9 Dani Pudi Was A Yale Student
In 2009, Dani Pudi became widely famous for playing Community's Abed Nadir, a pop-culture enthusiast who often cracks meta-jokes connecting life in Greendale to TV tropes and motifs. He's also known for his role as Brad Bakshi in Mythic Quest and for voicing Huey in the Duck Tales reboot.
Before this, Pudi played Raj, a college student who worked on the Yale Daily News alongside Rory Gilmore in Gilmore Girls. This role, which was Pudi's second-ever role, only lasted for four episodes. Fans may not have noticed him the first time around, but it only takes a rewatch of the show's later seasons to find him.
8 Alex Borstein Played Three Minor Roles
Actor, comedian, writer, and producer Alex Borstein is currently in the spotlight for her performance as Susie Myerson in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Her role as Midge's abrasive manager has earned her two Emmy Awards and many positive reviews from viewers. Of course, this isn't the first time Borstein stars in an Amy Sherman-Palladino production.
In 2000, Borstein was cast as Sookie St. James, Lorelai's best friend. However, she had to step down from the role due to schedule conflicts and the role went to Melissa McCarthy. After this, Borstein appeared on Gilmore Girls as three different characters: Drella the harpist, Miss Celine the stylist, and Doris, Dwight's ex-wife.
7 Nasim Pedrad Was Basically An Extra In The Sixth Season
Iranian-American actress Nasim Pedrad started her comedy career on Saturday Night Live in 2009. From here, she moved to other roles in film and television, including New Girl (where she played Aly Nelson) and the Aladdin 2019 reboot (where she starred as an original Disney character, Dalia).
Fans can spot Pedrad in the earlier stages of her career during Bridesmaids Revisited, the sixteenth episode of Gilmore Girl's sixth season, where she plays a small role. She's a waitress who Rory mistreats when she tries to take Rory's napkins.
6 Liza Weil Is Rory's Best Friend And Rival
Liza Weil is best known for her roles in drama-packed shows like Scandal, in which she portrays Amanda Tanner, and How To Get Away With Murder, where she's the ruthless lawyer Bonnie Winterbottom. Before she brought these stern characters to life, she was Paris Geller in Gilmore Girls. Few people connect these characters to a single actress.
Rory's academic rival and later best friend, Paris is a recurring character in Gilmore Girls with several storylines centered on her. Funnily enough, the role of Paris didn't exist before Weil arrived. After she auditioned for Rory, the producers liked her so much that they wrote Paris for her.
5 Brandon Routh Was A Random College Guy
Famous for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the 2006 film Superman Returns, Brandon Routh is also known for playing Ray Palmer/The Atom in Arrow, The Flash, and DC's Legends Of Tomorrow. These shows belong to the Arrowverse, the DC shared universe where he also reprised his role as Superman.
Five years before Superman Returns, Routh appeared in Concertus Interruptus, the thirteenth episode of Gilmore Girl's first season. Routh plays Jess, an older guy who tries to interrupt a Bangles concert.
4 Mädchen Amick Is Rory's Almost Step-Mother
Mädchen Amick is known for playing Shelly Johnson, a dinner waitress dealing with an abusive marriage in the series Twin Peaks. Her career of almost 35 years also includes roles in ER, Californication, and Riverdale, where she plays Alice Smith, Betty Cooper's problematic mother.
Amick also appears in Gilmore Girls as Sherry Tinsdale, Christopher's ex-fiancé and mother of Rory's step-sister, GiGi. Even though she's mentioned in most seasons of Gilmore Girls, Sherry only appears in three episodes throughout the second and third seasons.
3 Adam Brody Was Lane's First Boyfriend
Actor/musician Adam Brody is best known for his role as Seth Cohen in the teenage drama The O.C. However, he has also appeared in other films and TV series such as Smallville, Burning Love, and Shazam!, where he plays the adult version of Freddy Freeman.
Gilmore Girls marks one of Brody's first recurring roles on TV. Here, he portrays Dave Rygalski, a witty but sweet guitarist player who develops a romantic relationship with Lane Kim, Rory's best friend. Even though Dave and Kim were supposed to be endgame, Brody's role in Gilmore Girls was cut short due to his casting on The O.C., the series that made him famous.
2 Krysten Ritter Portrayed One Of Rory's College Friends
Originally a model, Krysten Ritter has been acting since the early 2000s. Her career includes iconic roles in TV shows such as Veronica Mars, in which she portrayed Gia Goodman, Breaking Bad, where she played Jane Margolis, and Jessica Jones, where she plays the titular character.
Ritter's appearance in Gilmore Girls occurs in its later seasons. She plays Lucy, one of Rory's first friends, and the pair spend all their time together. After a series of miscommunications, things between the two characters go south, so Lucy stopped appearing in Gilmore Girls after only 8 episodes.
1 Sean Gunn Is A Peculiar Stars Hollow Citizen
Although he has a career of almost 30 years, Sean Gunn is currently famous for his work in superhero films. In the MCU, he portrays Kraglin Obfonteri, one of Yondu's ravagers. Additionally, he provides motion-capture performance for Rocket Raccoon and Thanos. In the DCEU, he played Weasel and Calendar Man for The Suicide Squad, which was directed by his brother, James Gunn.
In Gilmore Girls, Gunn plays Kirk Gleason, an eccentric Stars Hollow citizen. A recurring gag on Gilmore Girls is that he's always working new jobs, some more bizarre than others. Throughout Gilmore Girl's seven seasons, Kirk has 62 different jobs, including a termite inspector, pedicab driver, and wrapping paper salesman.