See a young Blake Lively in her 2000s high school yearbook photos and get to know the ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ actress better.
Full Name: Blake Ellender Brown
Birthdate: August 25, 1987 (age 38)
High School: Burbank High School, Burbank, California
Yearbooks: 2004
Who is Blake Lively?
It is practically impossible to forget Blake Lively’s influential acting roles, including as the impulsive Bridget Vreeland in ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’, and as the charismatic socialite Serena van der Woodsen in ‘Gossip Girl’.
Blake Ellender Brown, professionally known as Blake Lively, is an award-winning actress who is best known for her role as Serena van der Woodsen in the teen drama Gossip Girl (2007-2012). She began acting at the age of ten when she appeared in her father’s film Sandman (1998).
Gossip Girl, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
She starred in her first major film while still in high school as Bridget Vreeland in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005), which earned her recognition and paved the way for future roles. Lively’s memorable roles over the years, especially her earlier ones, have reminded fans of all the great qualities of their younger years.
What to Know About Blake Lively?
- High School Education: At Burbank High School (Class of 2005), Blake was far more than just a theater kid. She was also the Class President, a cheerleader, and a member of the choir, all while filming her breakout role in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants during her junior year.
- The Serena van der Woodsen Era: Blake achieved global stardom as the lead “It girl” Serena in Gossip Girl. The show was a cultural juggernaut that not only defined late-2000s television but also revolutionized teen fashion.
- Dramatic Film Roles: While still filming Gossip Girl, Blake strategically took on roles to showcase her range beyond teen drama. She received critical acclaim for her role as a gritty, drug-addicted mother in Ben Affleck’s The Town (2010) and proved her ability to lead major blockbusters in Green Lantern (2011) and Savages (2012).
- Hollywood Power Couple: Married to Ryan Reynolds since 2012, the pair has four children: son James (11) and daughters Inez (9), Betty (6), and Olin (2). They famously reside in a quiet farmhouse in Pound Ridge, New York.
Where Did Blake Lively Go to School?
Elementary & Middle School Education
Blake Lively briefly attended elementary school when her mother enrolled her in the first grade at the age of 3. Her older brother did not want to attend first grade alone, so her mother lied to the school and said she was 6, allowing them to attend school together. Her mother ended up pulling her out of school shortly after, and she was homeschooled for a large part of her childhood. Lively attended middle school at John Muir Middle School in Burbank, California.
High School Education
Lively attended Burbank High School, where she graduated from in 2005, and was a cheerleader, a member of the choir, and class president. She also acted again for the first time since she was ten years old, and was cast as Bridget Vreeland in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) while still a junior in high school.
Blake Lively: Then vs. Now
Blake Lively has always stunned with her natural beauty and charismatic personality. From the 2000s to today, here’s how she looked from her teenage years vs. now.
Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Blake Lively: A Closer Look
Early Career in the 2000s
Blake Lively appeared in her very first film, Sandman (1998), directed by her father, Ernie Lively, at the age of 10, but did not resume acting again until 2005, when she starred in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005) alongside America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel. Her performance in the film earned her a Teen Choice Award nomination for “Choice Movie Breakout – Female”.
Other early Lively roles include Monica Moreland in Accepted (2006), in which she starred opposite Justin Long, and Anabelle, a girl struggling with bulimia who longs for a beauty pageant victory in Elvis and Anabelle (2007).
In late 2007, Lively starred as Manhattan socialite Serena Van der Woodsen in the CW series Gossip Girl (2007-2012), remaining in the role until the series finale in 2012. The role won her the Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress Drama in 2008 and 2011, and launched her even further into the spotlight. She hosted Saturday Night Live in 2009, with Rihanna accompanying her as musical guest.
Further Success in the 2010s
Lively continued to land consistent acting roles into the 2010s, including as Kris Coughlin in Ben Affleck’s The Town (2010), for which she received significant critical acclaim. Lively also starred as the love interest of future husband Ryan Reynolds in Green Lantern (2011), and in Oliver Stone’s action thriller Savages in 2012.
Lively starred in a number of critically acclaimed films in the mid-to-late 2010s, including The Age of Adaline (2015) with Harrison Ford and Ellen Burstyn, in which she plays a woman who finds herself unable to age after a near-death experience, and the mystery thriller A Simple Favor (2018) alongside Anna Kendrick. The latter film earned Lively significant praise from critics, with some even believing she deserved an Oscar for her performance.
MTV International, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Late Career in the 2020s and Present Day
Lively kicked off the 2020s by taking on the lead role as a drug-addicted prostitute turned assassin in The Rhythm Section in 2020. She then went on to star in another leading role in the 2024 film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel It Ends With Us as Lily Bloom.
Caitlin Ochs(Reuters), CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lively also appeared with husband Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Lady Deadpool in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), and reprised her role as Emily Nelson in Another Simple Favor in May of 2025. She launched her own haircare line in 2024 called Blake Brown, naming it after her legal name.
Who is Blake Lively’s Family?
Born Into the Industry
Blake Lively was born in the Tarzana neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, and raised in the nearby city of Burbank by her mother, Elaine Lively, a talent scout and acting coach, and her father, Ernie Lively, an actor who also worked as an acting coach, teaching classes alongside his wife. Ernie’s last name was originally Brown, but he took his wife’s surname from her previous marriage when they got married. Blake has one older brother, Eric, and three half-siblings from her mother’s first marriage, Lori, Robyn, and Jason.
Lively was introduced to acting at an early age, as her parents took her to their acting classes as opposed to leaving her at home with a babysitter. Watching her parents teach allowed her to learn the fundamentals of acting, and gave her the confidence to pursue acting herself.
Marriage to Ryan Reynolds
Lively met future husband Ryan Reynolds in 2010 on the set of Green Lantern (2011). They started dating in October 2011, and got married in September of 2012 in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. They currently reside in Pound Ridge, New York with their four children, son James, age 11, and three daughters, Inez, age 9, Betty, age 6, and Olin, age 2.
Ronald Woan, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Onward and Upward
Blake Lively will be remembered by many as a television and film icon, and an essential contributor to early 2000s coming-of-age movies and films. While she has left a lasting impact on Hollywood and the world already, she still has a long career ahead of her.
From what she has brought to the table so far, one can only assume that she will continue to channel the same lively energy that she has embodied since her early acting days, and will never fail to remind fans worldwide of the years they wish they could relive.
Her iconic films include:
- Sandman (1998)
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)
- Accepted (2006)
- Elvis and Anabelle (2007)
- The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 (2008)
- New York, I Love You (2008)
- The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
- The Town (2010)
- Green Lantern (2011)
- Savages (2012)
- The Age of Adaline (2015)
- The Shallows (2016)
- Café Society (2016)
- All I See Is You (2017)
- A Simple Favor (2018)
- The Rhythm Section (2020)
- IF (2024)
- Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
- It Ends with Us (2024)
- Another Simple Favor (2025)
Her nostalgic television credits are as follows:
- Gossip Girl (2007-2012)
- Saturday Night Live (2009)
- When You Wish Upon a Pickle: A Sesame Street Special (2018)
Discover Celebrity Yearbooks
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Sources:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Lively
- https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/national-international/blake_lively__my_mom_enrolled_me_in_first_grade_when_i_was__only_3_years_old_/2088381/#
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