![](https://pplstatic.nyc3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/people/thumbs/R/robyn-lively.jpg)
Quick Facts
Biography
Robyn Elaine Lively (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. Lively is known for her role in the film Teen Witch, as well as for her roles in the TV shows Doogie Howser, M.D., Twin Peaks, Savannah, and Saving Grace.
Early life
Robyn Lively was born into a family of actors in Powder Springs, Georgia;her mother, stepfather, and all four siblings are (or have been) in the entertainment industry. She is the daughter of talent manager Elaine Lively (née McAlpin) and her first husband Ronald Otis (Ronnie) Lively. Her siblings are sister Lori (born 1966) and brother Jason (born 1968), and her half-siblings are Eric (born 1981) and Blake (born 1987).
Career
Lively began her career as a child actress: at age six, she made her screen debut in the television movie Summer of My German Soldier in 1978. Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in several television shows including Silver Spoons and Punky Brewster. She appeared in the feature films Wildcats, The Karate Kid Part III, Teen Witch, and Not Quite Human.
After she was cast as Jessica Andrews in The Karate Kid Part III in 1989, producers were forced to modify her role of protagonist Daniel LaRusso's new love interest because Lively was only 16 at the time of filming and still a minor, while Ralph Macchio was 27 (although his character Daniel is 18). This situation caused romantic scenes between Jessica and Daniel to be rewritten so that the pair only developed a close friendship.
At 19, Lively was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance as an insecure teen in the 1991 ABC Afterschool Special episode "Less Than Perfect Daughter". In the 1990s she had recurring roles on Twin Peaks, Doogie Howser, M.D., and Chicago Hope. In 1996 she appeared as Lane McKenzie, one of three lead characters in the short-lived WB drama Savannah.
In 2003 Lively played NCIS Special Agent Vivian Blackadder in the JAG episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" (the backdoor pilot for NCIS). Initially a member of Special Agent Gibbs' team, she never appeared in the spinoff series because at the time of Blackadder's debut, there was an overwhelming negative reaction to the character, and Lively was dropped from the series.
In 2008 Lively appeared alongside Holly Hunter in an episode of Saving Grace and also had a role in Cold Case. In 2010 she appeared alongside Twin Peaks costars in the Dual Spires episode of Psych and starred in the TV series Gortimer Gibbon's Life On Normal Street for Amazon Studios as Gortimer Gibbon's mother, Claire.
Personal life
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Lively married fellow actor Bart Johnson on September 25, 1999. The couple have three children: Baylen, Kate, and Wyatt Blake. The family resides in the Hollywood Hills.
Award nominations
Year | Award | Result | Category | Film or series |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | Young Artist Award | Nominated | Best Young Actress in a New Television Series | Boone |
1985 | Best Young Actress - Guest in a Television Series | Knight Rider | ||
1987 | Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress Starring in a Feature Film - Comedy or Drama | Wildcats | ||
1989 | Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture | Teen Witch | ||
1991 | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special | ABC Afterschool Special |