Blake Lively, the 35-year-old actress known for her roles in Gossip Girl and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, was actually born Blake Ellender Brown in 1987. Her parents, Ernie Brown and Elaine Lively, named her after her father's surname, but Ernie later changed his name to Lively, so the family adopted that surname.
Lively's father was an actor and her mother a talent agent. She accompanied them to auditions from a young age, which she said boosted her confidence. Her siblings are also actors, including Lori Lively, known for Teen Witch and Doogie Howser, M.D.
Lively made her acting debut at age 10 in her father's film Sandman, but later turned away from entertainment to focus on college. However, in 2004, she auditioned for several roles and was cast as Bridget in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Two years later, she landed the role of Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl, making her a household name.
In 2011, she starred alongside Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern, and they married in 2012. The couple now has four children: daughters James (8), Inez (6), Betty (3), and a fourth child born in early 2023. Taylor Swift named James, Inez, and Betty in her 2020 album Folklore, and fans speculate that Swift's song 'You're On Your Own Kid' references the fourth child's name as 'Daisy May'.
Lively's next film is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's controversial novel It Ends With Us, set for release in 2024. The book, a #1 Sunday Times bestseller with billions of TikTok views, follows a woman named Lily who escapes a toxic home but finds herself in a similar relationship. Critics have accused the book of romanticising domestic abuse.
