Liza Weil: Biography
Although Liza was born in New Jersey, she spent much of her childhood traveling throughout Europe with her parents, who had their own comedy troupe. When she was 12, her family settled in Pennsylvania, and her mother began taking her to New York for auditions. At 16, she began traveling to the city alone for auditions. Her first acting jobs came in regional theatre, summer stock and off-Broadway plays. She then moved to New York City to pursue her dream full-time. She began doing student films at Columbia University, which led to an audition for an independent film called Whatever. Liza landed the lead in the coming-of-age drama and made her film debut. Her other film credits include Stir of Echoes opposite Kevin Bacon, and Dragonfly with Kevin Costner.
After shooting Stir of Echoes, Liza moved to Los Angeles, landing memorable guest-starring appearances in ER, as the wife of a murderous schizophrenic patient, and The West Wing as an intern responsible for leaking a White House staffer's drug and alcohol problem. On stage, she later starred in a production of Proof, and had the great pleasure of working with her father for the first time. Liza is probably still best known for her role as Paris Gellar on Gilmore Girls.
- Liza Weil: Most of the time I'm really laid back, and pretty shy, and it probably takes a long time to get to know me, but I'm really nice once you get to know me.(edit)
- Liza Weil (On being part of "Gilmore Girls"): It's pretty rare to find female roles on television that are written with any kind of intelligence. That makes me really happy, and I certainly am proud to be a part of something that makes it cool for girls to be smart and read, and that's something I'm really, really, happy to be a part of.(edit)
- Liza Weil (On the finale of "Gilmore Girls"): It's unfortunate that, I think, a lot of those fans are going to think there isn't closure. Hopefully, there won't be toilet paper in the trees of all the writers.(edit)
- Liza Weil: I really wanted to go to New York and get out of suburbia, but I fell into that whole self-sabotage, 'protect-me-from-what-I-want' syndrome that I think all seniors in high school do.(edit)
- Liza Weil: Teenagers really don't talk things out in real life. You see these Dawson's Creek teenagers who are so articulate, and talking about every problem imaginable, but the truth is teenagers don't have the skills to talk about things that upset them.(edit)
- Liza Weil (On her role as Paris Geller in Gilmore Girls): I had a mediocre academic career, so playing a good student is fun for me. It's like sweet revenge. I'm constantly learning stuff now that I didn't even know before.(edit)
- When Liza has time off from work, she loves to see movies and read books. She also tries to travel and visit people she rarely sees.(edit)
- Liza claims that she is "painfully shy," which Gilmore Girls viewers may have a hard time picturing.(edit)
- Amy Sherman-Palladino has complimented Weil's skin as "the best she's ever seen in her life."(edit)
- Liza is a natural brunette, and had this hair color through at least 2000; it is believed she was told to dye it dark blonde for her Gilmore Girls role to contrast with Bledel's (Rory's) brown hair.(edit)
- Liza's real-life friend Emily Bergl, known more for her starring role in The Rage: Carrie 2, appeared on the show several times as Paris' antagonist in student government and a leader of a school sorority, Francine Jarvis. (edit)
- Her younger sister Samantha starred in the Gilmore Girls's third season finale, "Those Are Strings, Pinocchio". She played a student named Bernadette. (edit)
- She has acted with every member of her family. (edit)
- Liza resides in Santa Monica. (edit)
- Liza participated in the intensive Sundance filmmakers' lab, workshopping Scar, which was written and directed by Teboho Mahlatsi, opposite the South African cult star Ronnie Nyakale.(edit)
- As often as possible Liza travels to the East Coast. (edit)
- Liza married actor Paul Adelstein in November 2006.(edit)
- After a series of standout theatrical performances in such plays as Our Town and The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds,casting directors began to take notice of Liza. (edit)
- Without any formal training, her parents helped guide her career, permitting Liza to travel several times a month to audition for roles in Manhattan. (edit)
- Her parents were members of The Mad House of London, a prestigious comedy troupe known throughout Europe. Liza spent her childhood traveling around the world with her parents.(edit)
- She played Sally Mae in Motel Jerusalem (2001). (edit)
- Liza is 5' 4" (1.63 m) tall. She is left-handed.(edit)
- Liza graduated North Penn High School in 1995.(edit)
- Liza admitted, that as a child, she wanted to become an archaeologist, because of the Indiana Jones film trilogy and a childhood crush on Harrison Ford.(edit)
- Liza began performing in local theater at the age of seven.(edit)
- Liza favorite thing about Paris is the fact she is a brainiac.(edit)
- When Liza originally accepted the role of Paris on the Gilmore Girls, it was only going to be three episodes, but the viewers fell in love with the character.(edit)
- Liza told Seventeen magazine that she hated high school.(edit)
- Lisa made her debut as Anna Stockard in the film Whatever. It premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.(edit)
- She originally tried out for the role of Rory on Gilmore Girls. Her personality, though, despite the fact that it wasn't right for the part of Rory, was something the creators didn't want to let go of, so they developed the role of Paris for her.(edit)
- Liza has a small star tattoo on her inner right ankle. (edit)
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