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 is an American actress. She was born on June 5, 1977. Liza is famous for her roles in several popular TV shows. She is well-known for playing Paris Geller in the comedy-drama series Gilmore Girls (from 2000 to 2007). She also returned for the Netflix special Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016.

Liza also played Amanda Tanner in the ABC show Scandal (2012). Later, she starred as attorney Bonnie Winterbottom in the ABC legal drama How to Get Away with Murder (from 2014 to 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 stays active in the theater world in Los Angeles. She often performs at the Ojai Playwrights Conference. She also does radio dramas with L.A. Theatre Works. Sometimes, she still acts in live plays in Philadelphia and New York City.

She has acted with every member of her family. In 2004, she performed with her father in the play Proof. Her first TV role was in 1994. It was an episode of The Adventures of Pete & Pete. In that show, she played a bully, and her mother played a teacher. Liza's younger sister, Samantha, appeared with her in the Gilmore Girls finale.

Early Film and TV Roles

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 film in 1996 called A Cure For Serpents.

After her work in Whatever and Stir of Echoes, Warner Bros. signed Liza to a special 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.

Becoming Paris Geller

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

In 2006, Liza was in a short horror film called Grace. Her character in the film experiences a miscarriage. This short film later became a full movie in 2009. She also had a small role in the movie Year of the Dog. She appeared in the 2008 film Neal Cassady and the 2010 film Mars.

Liza also recorded a public service announcement. This was to support the American Diabetes Association's event in Philadelphia in 2007.

Recent Television Work

In 2009, Liza started appearing as a guest star in many TV series. These included Eleventh Hour, CSI, and Grey's Anatomy. In 2010, she began playing Dr. Glass in the web series Anyone But Me.

In March 2011, Liza was cast as Amanda Tanner in ABC's Scandal. This show was created by Shonda Rhimes. Liza had a recurring role in the first season of the series.

Liza also had a supporting role in the 2012 horror film Smiley. In 2013, she was a recurring guest star in the ABC Family series Bunheads. She played Milly, the sister of another character.

She often works with independent film director Noah Buschel. She co-produced and starred in his 2014 project The Situation is Liquid.

In February 2014, Liza was cast as Bonnie Winterbottom. This was a main role in the ABC series How to Get Away with Murder. The show started in the 2014–15 TV season. She also played Paris Geller again in the Netflix revival series Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

In 2019, Liza appeared in the third season of the Amazon Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She played Carole Keen, a character inspired by a real-life bass guitarist. In early 2022, she began a recurring role as FBI agent Katherine Russo. This was in the Fox series The Cleaning Lady.

Personal Life

Liza Weil married actor Paul Adelstein in November 2006. They knew each other from working on plays. They appeared together in three films: Order Up (2007), Little Fish, Strange Pond (2008), and The Missing Person (2008). In April 2010, they had a daughter named Josephine Elizabeth. Liza filed for divorce from Paul in March 2016. 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 hair. Her niece is the child actress Scarlett Estevez.

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles

See also

In Spanish: Liza Weil para niños