Alexis Bledel - VEntertainmentOnline.com

Alexis Bledel Biography

It is every schoolgirl's dream, to be walking through a shopping mall and be offered a modelling contract, then whisked off around the world.

But that is exactly what happened to Alexis Bledel when she was at High School. Soon after the scout spotted her she found herself doing photo shoots in Tokyo, Milan, New York and Los Angeles.

For a girl who could not speak English until she went to school, it was like entering another world. She was brought up in Houston, Texas by her Argentinian father and Mexican mother and the family language was Spanish.

She was so shy as a child her mother sent her to the community theatre in Houston when she was 8-years-old hoping it would cure her daughter's insecurity and she performed in Thornton Wilder's "Our Town", "The Wizard of Oz" and "Aladdin."

Whilst still modelling she enrolled at New York University as a film major and in the Spring of 2000 she got a manager through the modelling agency and headed for Los Angeles. After spending years in front of the cameras as a model she was now going to perform before the camera in the popular drama series "Gilmore Girls".

She loves living in L.A. but finds the worst thing is you have to drive everywhere as she is a terrible driver.

"I am very impatient and sometimes exceed the speed limit" she says. "I know all the rules but I forget them when I am driving."

She said if it does not end in a collision people get very angry with her and she is always getting nasty looks. She has been pulled over several times by the police but one time it was completely different.

"This policeman was really shouting at me and he had his face pressed right into mine" she said. "I had been pulled up before but wasn't like the other times and I thought I was being punked (caught on candid camera) so I was looking everywhere for the camera, which made the situation worse."

Alexis Bledel got three citations on that occasion as she had cut up the police car in the first place, but she has not been banned yet.

She has just had a new addition to her household a Maltese-Chihuahua cross called Sophie which she says is "the cutest thing you have ever seen, like a teddy bear."

"I got her from a rescue centre in L.A. as I wanted a small dog I could travel with" she said. "Little dogs are difficult to find in L.A. as everyone wants one, but I saw this little thing and I didn't know how to handle it as she only weighed one pound. But she is now four pounds and can go out in the garden now."

Biedel was dating her "Gilmore Girls" co-star Milo Ventimiglia for three-and-a-half years but they had an acrimonious split in 2006. He said he gave up training while he was getting over the hurt and his body got all out of shape and she refused to date anyone for some time.

She has now started seeing British model John Paul but they are taking things slowly. She returned to "Gilmore Girls" to continue playing Rory and Ventimiglia has left the show to film "Heroes".

She has been cast in a new dram/thriller film "The Letters" which is due to be released in 2011. In between scenes on the movie she goes to her trailer and plays her keyboard.

Alexis Bledel works with "First Book" a non-profit-making organisation which gives books to the poor.