Robyn Lively

Early life

Born in Powder Springs, Georgia, Lively was born into a family of actors. Her mother, stepfather and all four siblings are, or have been, in the entertainment industry. She is the daughter of talent manager Elaine Lively (née McAlpin) and Elaine's first husband Ronnie Lively (Ronald Otis Lively). Her siblings are sister Lori (born 1966) and brother Jason (born 1968), and her half-siblings are Blake (born 1987) and Eric (born 1981).

Career

Lively began her career as a child actress. At age six, she made her screen debut in the television movie Summer of My German Soldier in 1978. Throughout the 1980s, she appeared in several television shows including Silver Spoons and Punky Brewster. She appeared in the feature films Wildcats, The Karate Kid Part III, and Not Quite Human.

After being cast as Jessica Andrews in The Karate Kid Part III in 1989, producers were forced to modify her role of being the new love interest for the film's protagonist Daniel LaRusso. This change was because Lively was only 17 years old at the time of filming and still a minor, while Ralph Macchio (LaRusso) was 27 (although his character's age in the film is 18). This situation caused scenes that called for Daniel and Jessica to romantically kiss to be re-written so that the pair only developed a close friendship.

At the age of 19, Lively was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance as an insecure teen in the 1991 ABC Afterschool Special episode "Less Than Perfect Daughter". In the 1990s, Lively had recurring roles on Twin Peaks, Doogie Howser, M.D., and Chicago Hope. In 1996, she appeared as Lane McKenzie, one of three lead characters in the short-lived WB drama Savannah.

In 2003, Lively played NCIS Special Agent Vivian Blackadder in the JAG episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" (the backdoor pilot for NCIS). Initially a member of Special Agent Gibbs' team, she never appeared in the spin-off series due to the fact that at the time of Blackadder's debut, there was an overwhelming negative reaction to Blackadder and as such, Lively was dropped from the series.

In 2008, Lively appeared alongside Holly Hunter in an episode of Saving Grace and also had a role in Cold Case. In 2010, she appeared alongside Twin Peaks costars in the Dual Spires episode of Psych. She starred in the TV series Gortimer Gibbon's Life On Normal Street for Amazon Studios. She played Gortimer Gibbon's mother.

Personal life

Lively married fellow actor Bart Johnson on September 25, 1999. The couple have three children: Baylen, Kate, and Wyatt Blake. The family resides in the Hollywood Hills.