Portrait · David Shankbone / CC BY 3.0

Blake Lively

Actor, producer and director

Born 1987

Blake Lively was born with the name Blake Ellender Brown in Tarzana, Los Angeles. Her public career includes television, feature films, production and music-video direction. A childhood appearance in Sandman, directed by her father, preceded the work that made her widely known. Her father Ernie worked as an actor and her mother Elaine as a talent agent. In conversation with Ben Affleck, she described a family in which her siblings also worked in entertainment. Her brother Eric encouraged her to consider acting during a European trip. After making The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, she returned to high school for her senior year rather than immediately leaving education behind. The 2005 film cast her as Bridget, one of its central friends. She later described acting as a craft she was still learning in public. Sitting in on her parents’ acting classes helped her overcome shyness, while researching Krista’s background for The Town taught her to look beyond an accent to the character’s circumstances. Accepted followed with the role of Monica in 2006. Elvis and Anabelle gave her the title role of Anabelle. As Serena van der Woodsen, she became a lead in Gossip Girl, the television drama set around young people in New York. Its original production notes place her work on Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012. She also returned as Bridget Vreeland in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Rebecca Miller’s The Private Lives of Pippa Lee cast her as Young Pippa, alongside Robin Wright’s adult character. Ben Affleck’s The Town placed her in the role of Krista Coughlin. She described dialect preparation and learning from people in the Boston area for that part, an approach different from her television work. Green Lantern cast her as Carol Ferris alongside Ryan Reynolds’s Hal Jordan. Hick added Glenda to her film work. In Savages, she appeared as O. The Age of Adaline made her the title character, Adaline Bowman, in a romantic fantasy about a woman whose ageing has stopped. The Shallows then placed her at the centre of a survival thriller as Nancy. Discussing that film in 2016, she connected the physical preparation with the demands of its swimming and extended takes, and credited trainer Don Saladino. Café Society cast her as Veronica. The production notes also record the 2011 CinemaCon Breakthrough Performer of the Year honour. All I See Is You featured her as Gina, whose restored sight changes the dynamics of her marriage. A Simple Favor paired her Emily with Anna Kendrick’s Stephanie under director Paul Feig. The film also gives Lively the role of Emily’s twin, Hope. The Rhythm Section cast her as Stephanie Patrick, in a revenge story following the death of the character’s family. Her work behind the camera includes directing and producing Taylor Swift’s I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version). That video received a 2022 Academy of Country Music nomination. It Ends with Us credited her as Lily Bloom and as a producer. She returned as Emily Nelson opposite Kendrick in Another Simple Favor, continuing their collaboration with Feig. Amazon’s checked record identifies the sequel as available on Prime Video. In 2025, National Geographic’s Secrets of the Penguins added documentary narration to her work. The three-part series began on April 20, with streaming on Disney+ and Hulu from April 21. TheWrap’s August 2025 announcement attached her as star and producer of the Lionsgate action romantic comedy The Survival List, written by Tom Melia. The publication’s May 2026 follow-up described the project as still in development and seeking a director. An announced project is not a completed or released film.

Verified identityCore facts checked against named sources.

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Connected people

ConnectionAnna KendrickAnother Simple Favor co-star.

ConnectionPaul FeigSimple Favor films director.

ConnectionBen AffleckThe Town director and co-star.

Blake Lively at a CW event, May 2009. — Profile image · Kristin Dos Santos / CC BY-SA 2.0

NewBroadcast1 Sept 2026

A September acknowledgement

Reynolds discusses his wife’s birthday.

Latest Index

2026

NewsChecked against a primary source or trusted newsroom.

ScopeOnly attributable updates about Blake Lively's work and public record.

News
A dated litigation report
AP reports a legal-cost request after the dispute’s settlement.
30 Jun 2026Source checked
VerifiedRead more
Project
The Survival List in development
TheWrap’s May report says a director is still being sought.
7 May 2026Source checked
VerifiedRead more
Project
A new film announced
TheWrap reports an acting and producing attachment.
21 Aug 2025Source checked
VerifiedRead more
Broadcast
A founder’s fragrance conversation
She discusses using her brand’s mists.
19 May 2025Source checked
VerifiedRead more
Project
Documentary narration
National Geographic announces the three-part series.
12 Mar 2025Official source
VerifiedRead more
Project
Revisiting A Simple Favor
Netflix publishes a cast and story guide.
10 Mar 2025Official source
VerifiedRead more

Selected Credits

View all

Year	Title	Role
2024	IFFilmIMDb	Voice actor — cat dressed as an octopus
2024	Deadpool & WolverineFilmIMDb	Lady Deadpool — voice
2024	It Ends with UsFilmIMDb	Lily Bloom; producer
2025	Another Simple FavorFilmIMDb	Emily Nelson
2025	Secrets of the PenguinsDocumentary seriesIMDb	Narrator

Timeline

1987—2026

1987Born on August 25 in Los Angeles.
1998Actor: Sandman.
2005Bridget: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
2006Monica: Accepted.
2007Anabelle: Elvis and Anabelle.
2007Serena van der Woodsen: Gossip Girl.
2008Bridget Vreeland: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.
2008Ex-Girlfriend — Brett Ratner segment: New York, I Love You.
2009Young Pippa: The Private Lives of Pippa Lee.
2010Krista Coughlin: The Town.
2010The Town ensemble receives National Board of Review recognition.
2011Carol Ferris: Green Lantern.
2011Glenda: Hick.
2012O: Savages.
2012Marries Ryan Reynolds.
2015Adaline Bowman: The Age of Adaline.
2016Nancy: The Shallows.
2016Veronica: Café Society.
2016Gina: All I See Is You.
2017Wins People’s Choice dramatic movie actress.
2018Emily Nelson / Hope: A Simple Favor.
2020Stephanie Patrick: The Rhythm Section.
2021Director and producer: I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version).
2024Lily Bloom; producer: It Ends with Us.
2025Emily Nelson: Another Simple Favor.
2025Narrator: Secrets of the Penguins.
2026The Survival List remains in development in May.

A September acknowledgement

Latest Index

A dated litigation report

The Survival List in development

A new film announced

A founder’s fragrance conversation

Documentary narration

Revisiting A Simple Favor