Liza Weil facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Liza Weil
Weil in 2005
Born	(1977-06-05) June 5, 1977 (age 48) Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
Education	Columbia University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Paul Adelstein ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2017)​
Children	1
Relatives	Scarlett Estevez (niece)

Liza Weil (born June 5, 1977) is an American actress. She is famous for playing Paris Geller in the TV show Gilmore Girls (2000–2007) and its follow-up series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016). She also played Amanda Tanner in the political drama Scandal (2012). Later, she became well-known as attorney Bonnie Winterbottom in the legal drama How to Get Away with Murder (2014–2020).

Early Life and Education

Liza Weil was born in Passaic, New Jersey. Her parents were also actors. She grew up practicing Reform Judaism, which is a type of Jewish faith.

Her parents, Lisa and Marc Weil, traveled around Europe with their comedy group, The Madhouse Company of London. Liza went with them. When she was younger, Liza wanted to be an archaeologist. This was because she loved the Indiana Jones movies and had a crush on actor Harrison Ford.

In 1984, when Liza was seven, her family moved to Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Her parents still live there. Liza has said that she was an average student in school. She focused more on her acting career than her schoolwork.

Liza often traveled to New York City for acting auditions. She performed in plays both off-Broadway (smaller theaters) and in Philadelphia. She did this before starting her career in movies and TV. She finished North Penn High School in 1995. She graduated in the summer because her acting jobs kept her busy during the regular school year.

Her first time on TV was in 1995. She appeared in an episode of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns. She played a student in a science class.

Acting Career Highlights

Liza Weil still acts in plays in Los Angeles when she has breaks from TV shows. She often performs at the Ojai Playwrights Conference and in radio dramas. She also sometimes acts in live plays in Philadelphia and New York City.

She has acted with every member of her family. In 2004, she starred with her father in a play called Proof. Her first TV role was in 1994 on The Adventures of Pete & Pete. She played a bully, and her mother, Lisa, played a teacher. Liza's younger sister, Samantha, also appeared with her in the Gilmore Girls third-season finale.

Liza went to Columbia University. Her first big movie role was with Kevin Bacon in Stir of Echoes. Before that, she starred in the 1998 independent film Whatever. Her very first film was a short movie in 1996 called A Cure For Serpents. She played the daughter of a woman who was very afraid of germs.

After her work in Whatever and Stir of Echoes, a big studio called Warner Bros. signed Liza to a special acting deal. She moved to Los Angeles. There, she appeared as a guest star on shows like ER and The West Wing. Then, she was cast in Gilmore Girls.

The creator of Gilmore Girls, Amy Sherman-Palladino, first considered Liza for the role of Rory Gilmore. But Alexis Bledel got that part. So, the character of Paris Geller was created just for Liza Weil!

In 2006, Liza was in a short horror film called Grace. She also had a small role in the movie Year of the Dog. She played Doris Delay in the 2008 movie Neal Cassady. In 2010, she was a reporter in the movie Mars.

Liza also recorded a public service announcement to support the American Diabetes Association.

In 2009, Liza started appearing as a guest star on many TV shows. These included Eleventh Hour, CSI, In Plain Sight, Grey's Anatomy, and Private Practice. In 2010, she played Dr. Glass on the online show Anyone But Me.

In 2011, Liza was cast as Amanda Tanner in the ABC show Scandal. This show was created by Shonda Rhimes. Liza had a recurring role, meaning she appeared in several episodes.

Liza also had a supporting role in the horror movie Smiley. In 2013, she was a recurring guest star on the ABC Family show Bunheads. She played Milly, the sister of another character.

She often works with independent film director Noah Buschel. She has been in most of his movies. In 2014, she helped produce and starred in his low-budget movie The Situation is Liquid.

In 2014, Liza was cast as Bonnie Winterbottom in the ABC show How to Get Away with Murder. She played an assistant to the main character, Annalise Keating (Viola Davis). She also played Paris Geller again in the Netflix show Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

In 2019, Liza appeared in the third season of the Amazon Prime Video show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She played Carole Keen, a character inspired by a real-life bass guitarist named Carol Kaye. This was Liza's third time working with the Palladinos, who created Gilmore Girls.

In 2022, she started a recurring role as FBI agent Katherine Russo in the Fox show The Cleaning Lady.

Personal Life

Liza Weil married actor Paul Adelstein in November 2006. They had met through acting projects. They appeared together in three movies: Order Up (2007), Little Fish, Strange Pond (2008), and The Missing Person (2008). Liza also appeared in an episode of Private Practice in 2011, but she did not have scenes with Paul.

In April 2010, Liza and Paul had a daughter named Josephine Elizabeth. Liza filed for divorce from Paul in March 2016, and their divorce was finalized in November 2017.

Liza dated her How to Get Away with Murder co-star Charlie Weber from 2016 to 2019.

Liza is left-handed and has naturally dark brown hair. Her niece is the child actress Scarlett Estevez.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Liza Weil para niños