Age, Biography & Wiki
Lauren Graham was born on March 16, 1967, in Honolulu, Hawaii. She grew up in Virginia and attended Barnard College and Southern Methodist University. Graham’s acting career began with commercials and minor television roles in the 1990s, but she achieved widespread fame as Lorelai Gilmore on the hit series Gilmore Girls (2000–2007, 2016). She is also known for her role as Sarah Braverman on the drama Parenthood (2010–2015). Beyond acting, Graham is an accomplished author, having published both fiction and memoirs.
| Occupation | Voice Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 16 March 1967 |
| Age | 58 Years |
| Birth Place | Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | U.S |
Height, Weight & Measurements
- Height: 5'9" (175 cm)
- Weight: Approximately 128 lbs (58 kg) (publicly available data, may not be current)
- Measurements: Not officially disclosed
Graham maintains a lithe, athletic figure and is recognized for her signature long brown hair and expressive features.
| Height | 175 cm |
| Weight | 128 lbs |
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Dating & Relationship Status
Lauren Graham has been open about her past relationships, including a long-term relationship with actor Peter Krause, her co-star on Parenthood. The couple was together for more than a decade before reportedly separating in 2021. As of 2025, Graham’s current relationship status is single or not publicly disclosed.
Her mother, Donna Grant, was a fashion buyer, and her father, Lawrence Graham, a candy industry lobbyist who was president of the National Confectioners Association. Graham was raised in her father's Catholic faith (her maternal grandfather was a Baptist minister); she is of Irish descent. When Graham's father worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Vietnam, Graham lived for a few years in Japan (her mother also grew up there, as the daughter of a missionary).
Graham was five years old when her parents divorced, and she moved to the Virginia suburbs of the Washington, DC metropolitan area with her father, who became a congressional staffer. Her mother left to pursue a music career and lived in London until her death in 2005, at the age of 61. Graham was raised by her father, and they had a close relationship. She said, "I thought I kind of had it best. My dad has a very mellow way about him and I was a self-starter as a kid. I liked a certain amount of being on my own. It just worked great for me." Graham also spent a few of her childhood years in Southampton, New York. Graham has a half-sister and a half-brother from her father's second marriage. Her British half-sister from her mother's second marriage, Shade Grant, works at a talent agency.
Between 1996 and 1997, Graham became a regular guest star on several NBC shows. She played a graduate student who caught the eye of Dick on 3rd Rock from the Sun; Richard's overly optimistic girlfriend on Caroline in the City; and Jerry's speed-dial ranking girlfriend on Seinfeld. She played a Hollywood producer who had a love interest in Detective Rey Curtis in a three-part episode of Law & Order, where she acted opposite Scott Cohen, who later played one of Graham's love interests (Max Medina) on Gilmore Girls. She also portrayed an antagonizing but friendship-starved efficiency expert on NewsRadio.
It was announced in January 2009 that Graham would star in the comedy pilot The Bridget Show (previously Let It Go) for ABC playing a talk show host and self-help guru who fails to follow her own advice during a breakup. The pilot was not given a series order. In September 2009, Graham voiced the character Fran Lockwood, Flint's late mother, in the Sony Pictures Animation film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. In October 2009, it was announced that Graham would replace Maura Tierney in the television series Parenthood as single mother Sarah Braverman. Tierney left the show to seek treatment for cancer. The series debuted on NBC the following year, and ran for a total of six seasons.
In 2015, Graham appeared in the adventure drama film Max, playing the mother of an American marine killed in Afghanistan who subsequently adopts his Malinois dog. She said she based her character on her grandparents who had different types of strength, and that she felt connected to the film due to many in the film's choir having come from a church her grandfather attended. Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and Joe Neumaier felt her role was too limited. The year also saw Graham beginning to appear recurrently in The Odd Couple, playing Gaby, the former wife of the series' main protagonist Oscar, and appear in an episode of the hidden camera comedy Repeat After Me.
Graham's first film in 2016 was the comedy drama Joshy. Jesse Hassenger and Michael Arbeiter noted her small role in the film. In October 2016, Graham appeared in Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, playing the mother of Griffin Gluck's character. As a result of her own distaste for parts of her youth, Graham related to the title, sparking her initial interest in participating. That year she also reprised her role as Lorelai Gilmore on Netflix's reunion series, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life. Graham said she first realized Gilmore Girls was still the subject of active interest when girls too young to have watched the series when it initially aired approached her during her Broadway debut Guys and Dolls, and admitted to crying while reading the script as she believed "it was just beautiful and fitting and what I wanted it to be and hoped for." She said the project had more support from the beginning than any other she had been involved with, and she continuously teared up out of appreciation for those working on the series and being able to reprise her role.
Graham was in a relationship with actor Peter Krause from 2010 to 2021. They first met in 1995 when they both appeared in the sitcom Caroline in the City, then became a couple while co-starring on Parenthood. In June 2022, it was reported that the couple had ended their relationship after 11 years together.
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Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth (2025): $12 million
- Some sources report a rumored net worth of up to $15 million, but $12 million is most consistently cited.
- Salary Highlights:
- Gilmore Girls: $50,000 per episode (first four seasons), $100,000 per episode (season five), $750,000 per episode (2016 Netflix revival).
- Parenthood: $175,000 per episode.
Graham’s wealth comes from acting, writing, and real estate investments.
Career, Business, and Investments
Acting Career:
Lauren Graham's breakthrough came with Gilmore Girls, where she played Lorelai Gilmore, a role that became iconic in television history. She further established herself as a leading actress in Parenthood and appeared in films such as Bad Santa, The Pacifier, and Evan Almighty.
Writing:
Graham published her debut novel Someday, Someday, Maybe in 2013 and followed it with her memoir Talking as Fast as I Can in 2016. Both books were well-received and contributed to her public profile and income.
As a girl, Graham rode horses competitively, but soon switched to acting, honing her talent at Langley High School, where she took part in the drill team and graduated in 1984. She earned her actor's Equity Card in 1988 after two years in summer stock at the Barn Theatre in Augusta, Michigan. Graham went to New York University, then transferred to Barnard College. She graduated from Barnard in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature. After moving to Texas in 1992, Graham earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Acting Performance from Southern Methodist University.
In addition to her many guest starring and co-starring roles on prime-time television, Graham starred in four failed sitcoms, Townies (with Molly Ringwald and Jenna Elfman); Good Company; Conrad Bloom; and M.Y.O.B., which was burned off by NBC in the summer before the premiere of Gilmore Girls.
Graham's debut novel, Someday, Someday, Maybe was released by Ballantine Books (of Random House) on April 30, 2013. The comedic novel is a fictionalization of her experiences trying to become an actress in 1990s New York. In May 2013, the book entered the New York Times best seller list. Graham signed a deal with Warner Bros. Television and Ellen DeGeneres's production company A Very Good Production to adapt it into a TV series. Graham wrote the screenplay for a pilot episode but it was not picked up for filming.
Social Network
Lauren Graham is active on social media, engaging with fans and promoting her projects. She can be found on platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, where she shares personal insights, book tours, and updates about her acting career.
In 2000, Graham landed her breakthrough role on Gilmore Girls as Lorelai Gilmore—a witty "thirty-something" raising her teenage daughter in small-town Connecticut. Graham said she felt "really connected to the material" and the script for the series resonated with her due to its complexities: "To me, this was one of the first times that I looked at something and I was like, 'It's serious and it's funny! It's deep and it's light,' especially then, I had never seen before." For her work she received a nomination for Best Actress in a Television Series (Drama) at the 2002 Golden Globe Awards and nominations at the 2001 and 2002 SAG Awards. Beginning with Season 7 episode "To Whom It May Concern" and continuing throughout the rest of the season, Graham served as a producer on Gilmore Girls. TV Guide reported that she received the position in an attempt to persuade her to sign for an eighth season. By the series' end, Graham wanted to move on. "I didn't feel we had anything without our creators," she said.
Education
- Barnard College: Majored in English
- Southern Methodist University: Attended for performing arts
Graham’s educational background in literature and theater laid the foundation for her diverse career in acting and writing.
After completing her education, Graham moved back to New York City where she worked as a waitress and as a tutor teaching SAT test prep for The Princeton Review. While she aspired to become an actress, she made publicity appearances wearing the costume of Striker, the dog mascot of the US-based 1994 FIFA World Cup. In 1995, she relocated to Hollywood. She appeared in various commercials for products such as Cascade dishwasher detergent, Dimetapp, AT&T and Lean Cuisine and hosted free preview weekends on The Movie Channel.
Graham's film roles encompass several NYU student films and multiple major studio releases, including Sweet November, Bad Santa, The Pacifier, Because I Said So, and Evan Almighty.
Summary Table
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Birthdate | March 16, 1967 |
| Net Worth (2025) | $12 million |
| Notable Roles | Lorelai Gilmore, Sarah Braverman |
| Books | Someday, Someday, Maybe, Talking as Fast as I Can |
| Social Media | Active on Instagram, Twitter |
| Education | Barnard College, Southern Methodist Univ. |
| Relationship Status (2025) | Single/Not publicly disclosed |
| Height/Weight | 5'9", ~128 lbs |
