Robyn Elaine Lively Johnson (born February 7, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the 1989 films ''

Teen Witch ''Teen Witch'' is a 1989 American teen fantasy comedy film directed by Dorian Walker, written by Robin Menken and Vernon Zimmerman, and starring Robyn Lively and Zelda Rubinstein. Originally pitched as a female version of '' Teen Wolf'' (1985 ...

'' and ''

The Karate Kid Part III ''The Karate Kid Part III'' is a 1989 American martial arts drama film, the third entry in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise and a sequel to ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986). It stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, and Thomas Ian Griffith ...

.'' She is also known for her roles in the TV shows ''

Doogie Howser, M.D. ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'' is an American medical sitcom that ran for four seasons on ABC from September 19, 1989, to March 24, 1993, totaling 97 episodes. Created by Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley, the show stars Neil Patrick Harris in the titl ...

''; ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...

''; ''

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...

''; and '' Saving Grace''.

Early life

Robyn Lively was born into a family of actors in

Powder Springs, Georgia Powder Springs is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, Cobb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The population was 13,940 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, with an estimated population for 2019 of 15,758. In 2015, the cit ...

; her mother, adoptive father, and all four siblings are, or have been,in the entertainment industry. She is the daughter of talent manager Elaine Lively (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' McAlpin) and her first husband Ronald Otis (Ronnie) Lively. Her siblings are sister Lori and brother

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

, and her half-siblings are

Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...

and

Blake Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

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 ''Silver Spoons'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 25, 1982, to May 11, 1986, and in first-run syndication from September 27, 1986, to May 30, 1987. The series was produced by Embassy Television for the fi ...

'', ''

Punky Brewster ''Punky Brewster'' is an American sitcom television series about a young girl (Soleil Moon Frye) being raised by a foster parent (George Gaynes). The show ran on NBC from September 16, 1984, to March 9, 1986, and again in syndication from Octobe ...

'' and ''Starman''. She appeared in the feature films ''

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

'', ''

'', and '' Not Quite Human.'' After she was cast as

Jessica Andrews Jessica Danielle Andrews (born December 29, 1983) is an American country music singer. At age 15 in mid-1999, she made her debut on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts with the single "I Will Be There ...

in ''The Karate Kid Part III'' in 1989, producers were forced to modify her role of protagonist

Daniel LaRusso Daniel LaRusso is a fictional character in the '' Karate Kid'' franchise. He is the main protagonist of the Karate Kid film trilogy and one of the main characters in its spin-off series ''Cobra Kai''. He is portrayed by Ralph Macchio. Overview ...

's new love interest because Lively was only 16 at the time of filming and still a

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

while

Ralph Macchio Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three ''Karate Kid'' films and in ''Cobra Kai'', a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in '' The Outsiders' ...

was 27 (although his character Daniel is 17). This situation caused romantic scenes between Jessica and Daniel to be rewritten so that the pair only developed a close friendship. In 2022, Lively reprised her role as Jessica Andrews in the fifth season of ''

Cobra Kai ''Cobra Kai'' is an American martial arts comedy-drama television series and a sequel to the original ''The Karate Kid'' films by Robert Mark Kamen. The series was created by Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, and is distributed b ...

'', where it is revealed that Daniel is married to her cousin, Amanda. At 19, Lively was nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for her performance as an insecure teen in the 1991 ''

ABC Afterschool Special ''ABC Afterschool Special'' is an American television anthology series that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from October 4, 1972, to January 23, 1997, usually in the late afternoon on weekdays. Most episodes were dramatically presen ...

'' episode "Less Than Perfect Daughter". In the 1990s she had recurring roles on ''

'', ''

'', and ''

Chicago Hope ''Chicago Hope'' is an American medical drama television series, created by David E. Kelley. It originally aired on CBS from September 18, 1994, to May 4, 2000. The series is set in a fictional private charitable hospital in Chicago, Illinois. ...

''. In 1996 she appeared as Lane McKenzie, one of three lead characters in the short-lived WB

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

''. In 2003 Lively played NCIS Special Agent Vivian Blackadder in the '' JAG'' episodes " Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" (the

backdoor pilot A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

for '' NCIS''). In 2008 Lively appeared alongside

Holly Hunter Holly Patricia Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. For her performance as Ada McGrath in the 1993 drama film ''The Piano'', Hunter won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She earned three additional Academy Award nominations for ...

in an episode of '' Saving Grace'' and also had a role in ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or re ...

''. In 2010 she appeared alongside ''Twin Peaks'' costars in the ''

Dual Spires "Dual Spires" is the 12th episode of the fifth season of the American comedy-drama television series ''Psych'', and the 75th episode overall. The episode was directed by Matt Shakman and written by Bill Callahan and series star James Roday Ro ...

'' episode of ''

Psych ''Psych'' is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks for USA Network. The series stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observ ...

'' and starred in the TV series '' Gortimer Gibbon's Life On Normal Street'' for

Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...

as Gortimer Gibbon's mother, Claire. In 2020, Lively starred in the thriller ''

Through the Glass Darkly ''Through the Glass Darkly'' is a 2020 American thriller film written and directed by Lauren Fash. The film premiered at the Frameline Film Festival on September 19, 2020. Plot Elrod, Georgia. A lesbian couple becomes the prime suspects after the ...

'' which premiered at the

Frameline Film Festival The Frameline Film Festival (aka San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival) (formerly San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival; San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival) began as a storefront event in 1976. The first ...

on September 19, 2020.

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 The Hollywood Hills are a residential neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Geography The Hollywood Hills straddle the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. The neighborhood touches Studio City, Univer ...

Filmography

Award nominations

References

External links

*
Film Reference: Robyn Lively
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lively, Robyn 1972 births Living people 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Georgia (U.S. state) American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses People from Powder Springs, Georgia

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two Billboard Hot 100, ''Bil ...