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| “ | I think high school's very difficult. You're figuring out your own power and your effect on other people. You look back and see how you spent so much energy on figuring out things with your parents or your peers. | ” |
— Kelly Rutherford
| ||
Kelly Rutherford (born Kelly Rutherford Deane; November 6, 1968) is an American actress. She is known for her various television roles, but her common role is as Lily van der Woodsen on The CW series, Gossip Girl.
She currently portrays Claire Hotchkiss in the Freeform series, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists.
Career
Her acting career began on daytime soap operas in 1987 after she appeared on Loving. She was later was cast as a regular on Generations which she appeared on from 1989 to 1991. In 1992 she joined the cast of the ABC drama Homefront.
From 1993 to 1994, Rutherford was a regular on the Fox series The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. as Dixie Cousins, a saloon singer and con artist who has a brief romantic encounter with Brisco. In later episodes, Dixie becomes Brisco's primary love interest.
She also appeared in the film I Love Trouble. She also starred in the short-lived series The Great Defender as Frankie Collet (1995), and in Kindred: The Embraced as Caitlin Byrne (1996). In 1996, Rutherford joined the cast of Fox primetime soap opera Melrose Place, as Megan Lewis. She starred on the show until 1999.
She also starred as Christine Hamilton in the horror film Scream 3 (2000). From 2003 to 2004, she starred in the ABC drama Threat Matrix as Special Agent Frankie Ellroy Kilmer.
In 2007, Kelly was announced to be playing the iconic role of Lily Humphrey in the CW series Gossip Girl. The series was based on the hit book series of the same name. She starred alongside Blake Lively and many others. The series ended in 2012, after which, Kelly starred in a number of Lifetime movies. In 2016, Rutherford was cast in the ABC thriller Quantico, playing the recurring role of Laura Wyatt.
In 2018, it was announced that she would be playing the main role of Claire Hotchkiss in the upcoming Freeform drama, Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists
Also in 2018, she was cast in a recurring role in the CW's 2018 reboot of, Dynasty as Melissa Daniels.
Personal Life
In June of 2001, Kelly married Venezuelan banker, Carlos Tarajano. After six months of marriage, she filed for divorce in January of 2002. In February of 2002, the wedding was featured shortly in the February issue of InStyle magazine.
Five-years later in August 2006, she married her second husband, German businessman Daniel Giersch. She then gave birth to their first child, a son named Hermés Gustaf Daniel Giersch, in October 2006.
Divorce and Custody Battle
On December 30, 2008, while pregnant with their second child, Kelly filed for divorce from Daniel. The former couple subsequently became involved in a child custody dispute over their son and their unborn child. In June of 2009, she gave birth to their second child, a daughter whom they named, Helena. Daniel stated he was not informed of the birth by Kelly and only became aware of his daughters birth through media reports.
In August of 2009, Kelly and Daniel reached a temporary settlement of joint physical custody, which would be in effect until April 2010. Kelly also obtained a temporary restraining order against him in September 2010.
During April of 2012, Daniele's U.S. visa was revoked when Kelly's lawyer informed the State Department about issues pertaining to Giersch's businesses. This led the Department to reach the conclusion that they had sufficient evidence to deport him to his home country of Germany.
It has been reported that the allegations involved fraud or an involvement in drugs and weapons dealing in South America, which was considered terrorism under the Victory Act. Giersch consequently was unable to enter the United States and took up residence in France and Monaco. In May 2012, Rutherford and Giersch's children went to France to spend the summer with their father. Kelly asked the court to grant her sole custody so that she could keep the children primarily in the United States following their visit to France, as the existing joint custody agreement required her to travel frequently to enable Giersch to spend time with the children.
In August 2012, in a widely reported decision, a California Superior Court judge ruled that the 50/50 custody arrangement should remain and that, because Giersch is unable to travel to the United States, the children should live in France with him and attend school there, with Kelly traveling there to visit them. Though Rutherford opposed the decision and requested a stay of proceedings while she appealed, her request was denied and it was ruled that, in two years, his eligibility to enter the United States and the consequent well-being of the children will be reassessed.
In June 2013, Rutherford filed for bankruptcy, stating she had debts of approximately $2 million, primarily due to the $1.5 million she spent on legal fees relating to the divorce and custody dispute with Giersch.
In May 2015, Rutherford was granted temporary sole custody of her children, following a ruling that both her son and daughter be brought back to the United States from Monaco, where they had been living with their father since 2012. On July 23, 2015, a California judge ruled that California did not have jurisdiction over Rutherford's child custody case because she resides in New York, and her ex-husband was again awarded custody.
Rutherford then filed a case in New York but on July 27, 2015, the New York court ruled it also did not have jurisdiction.
In December 2015, the Monaco courts reconfirmed that full custody remained with the children's father, with Rutherford granted extensive visitation rights in France and Monaco as well as shared input regarding, "health, schooling, religious education and any change of residence".
Filmography
Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Shakedown | TV watcher | |
| 1989 | Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge | Salesgirl | |
| 1992 | Breaking the Silence | Cheryl | Television film |
| 1994 | Tis a Gift to Be Simple | Emily Hanover | Short film |
| 1994 | I Love Trouble | Kim | |
| 1994 | Amberwaves | Lola Barnes | |
| 1996 | No Greater Love | Edwina Winfield | Television film |
| 1996 | Buried Secrets | Danielle Roff | Television film |
| 1997 | Six Months of Darkness, Six Months of Light | Annie | Short film |
| 1997 | The Big Fall | Veronica | Direct-to-video |
| 1997 | Dilemma | Woman in bar | Uncredited |
| 1997 | Cyclops, Baby | Randy | |
| 1998 | The Perfect Getaway | Julia Robinson | Television film |
| 1998 | The Disturbance at Dinner | Marian Pronkridge | |
| 2000 | Scream 3 | Christine Hamilton | |
| 2000 | The Chaos Factor | Jodi | |
| 2001 | Acceptable Risk | Kim Welles | Television film |
| 2001 | The Tag | Wendy | |
| 2002 | Angels Don't Sleep Here | Kate Porter | |
| 2002 | Swimming Upstream | Sandra Bird | |
| 2007 | Tell Me No Lies | Laura Cooper | Television film |
| 2013 | A Sister's Nightmare | Jane Ryder | Television film |
| 2013 | The Stream | Maggie Terry | |
| 2015 | Night of the Wild[28] | Sara | Television film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Loving | N/A | Unknown episodes |
| 1989–1991 | Generations | Stephanie "Sam" Whitmore | Unknown episodes |
| 1992 | Davis Rules | Erika | 2 episodes |
| 1992–1993 | Homefront | Judy Owen | Main cast; 21 episodes |
| 1992 | Bodies of Evidence | Diana Wallace | Episode: "Afternoon Delights" |
| 1992 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures | N/A | Episode: "As the Dude Turns (The Lives That We Live)" |
| 1993–1994 | The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. | Dixie Cousins | 7 episodes |
| 1995 | The Great Defender | Frankie Collett | Main cast; 8 episodes |
| 1995 | Courthouse | Christine Lunden | 4 episodes |
| 1996 | Kindred: The Embraced | Caitlyn Byrne | Main cast; 7 episodes |
| 1996–1999 | Melrose Place | Megan Lewis Mancini | Main cast (seasons 5–7); 90 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | Get Real | Laura Martineau | 4 episodes |
| 1999 | Nash Bridges | Roxanne "Roxie" Hill | Episode: "Kill Switch" |
| 2000 | Sally Hemings: An American Scandal | Lady Maria Cosway | Miniseries |
| 2000 | The Outer Limits | Rachel | Episode: "Nest" |
| 2000–2001 | The Fugitive | Helen Kimble | 3 episodes |
| 2001 | Night Visions | Marilyn Lanier | Episode: "The Passenger List" |
| 2002–2003 | The District | Deputy Mayor Melinda Lockhart | 6 episodes |
| 2003–2004 | Threat Matrix | Special Agent Frankie Ellroy-Kilmer | Main cast; 16 episodes |
| 2005–2006 | E-Ring | Samantha "Sonny" Liston | Main cast; 21 episodes |
| 2007–2012 | Gossip Girl | Lily van der Woodsen | Main cast; 121 episodes |
| 2014 | Bones | Stephanie McNamara | Episode: "The Ghost in the Killer" |
| 2014 | Being Mary Jane | Cynthia Phillips | 4 episodes |
| 2014 | Reckless | Joyce Reed | 4 episodes |
| 2015 | The Mysteries of Laura | Lisa Hanlon | Episode: "The Mystery of the Popped Pugilist" |
| 2016 | Quantico | Laura Wyatt | Recurring role |
| 2016 | Jane The Virgin | Editor | Chapter fifty |
| 2017 | Nightcap | Herself | Episode: "What Would Staci Do?" |
| 2018 | Dynasty | Melissa Daniels | Recurring role |
| 2019 | Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists | Claire Hotchkiss | Main role |
Trivia
- She runs and owns an exquisite jewelry line titled, "Kelly Rutherford Jewelry". The company has both an adult and a children's line.
- She studied at HB Studio in New York City, and the Beverly Hills Playhouse in California.
- She does yoga alongside Lisa Rinna and Marcia Cross.
- She is close friends with her Gossip Girl co-star, Blake Lively.
- She has been in a custody battle over her children since 2009.
