Known from movies

Gilmore Girls (2000-2007)
as Paris Geller

How to get away with murder (2014-2017)
as Bonnie Winterbottom

Helm of Echoes (1999)
as Debbie the nanny

Dragonfly (2002)
as a suicide girl



Who is Liza Weil?

Born on June 5, 1977 in Passaic, New Jersey, USA, Liza Rebecca Weil is an actress, best known for her role in the television series ‘Gilmore Girls’ in which she played Paris Geller. Other shows she is known for are ‘Scandal’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ in which she plays lawyer Bonnie Winterbottom.

Liza Weil’s net worth

As of early 2020, Liza Weil’s net worth is estimated to be over $3 million, earned through a successful acting career in the entertainment industry since 1993. In addition to her many television projects, she also occasionally works on feature films.

Early life and career beginnings

Liza grew up in a Jewish family; her parents were both involved in the entertainment industry as comedians. Although she spent most of her childhood in Passaic, she often traveled with her parents because of their work, among other things due to the experience of traveling across Europe with The Madhouse Company of London. During this time she developed a strong interest in movies, one of her early favorites being the “Indiana Jones” trilogy. Thanks to these films, she aspired to become an archaeologist.

In 1984, the family settled in Landsdale, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia.

She eventually found that she could play many roles in an acting career as she focused more on her acting than her studies during high school. She also became an active part of the Philadelphia theater circuit. Whenever she could, she traveled to New York City to audition for various theater productions. She graduated from North Penn High School and was very into acting at the time, which led to a shift in her schedule. After that, she wanted to play more television and movie roles and audition for some regular projects.

Rise to fame

Liza got her first television role in the soap opera “As the World Turns”, playing an underage unnamed student. She eventually turned her attention to Los Angeles and moved there, quickly integrating with the local theater community. She worked on several productions at LA Theater Works and also did radio dramas. She then landed a television role, actually alongside her mother in an episode of “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” playing a bully.

For films, she mainly focused on independent projects, her first being the short film “A Cure for Serpents”, in which she played a woman who has a phobia of dirt and germs.

Some of the other projects she worked on were ‘Scar’, ‘Lullaby’ and ‘Motel Jerusalem’. Eventually she got to work on her first big movie, starring in ‘Stir of echoesalongside Kevin Bacon. Based on Richard Matheson’s novel of the same name, the film tells the story of a man who believes he has been hypnotized by his sister-in-law, leading to strange visions.

Gilmore Girls

After that, more mainstream opportunities came Liza’s path, guest starring on several popular shows, including “The West Wing” and “ER”. Finally, she was cast in one of her biggest roles, in the television series “Gilmore Girls”, for which she was initially considered for the role of Rory Gilmore.

However, that part was given to Alexis Bledel, but Paris Geller was made for Liza because the producers enjoyed her audition.

The show began airing on The WB in 2000 and ran for seven seasons; it focused on the story of a single mother and daughter, followed their personal lives and dealt with various storylines including romance, friendship, family, education, social class differences and many others. Rory experiences life at a top-notch private high school, before later enrolling at Yale University. The show was successful throughout its run, thanks to its appeal to many age groups, its mix of drama and humor, as well as the performances of the cast.

She remained with the show for its entire seven-year run; it is considered one of the best TV shows of all time.

Recent projects

After “Gilmore Girls,” Weil returned to some film work, though noticeably focused more on television roles. She appeared in the movie “Year of the Dog” playing a minor role, before working on both “Mars” and “Neal Cassady”. She returned to mostly guest starring roles on television, appearing on numerous popular shows, including “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Private Practice”, “CSI”, and “Eleventh Hour”. In 2011, she was cast in the role of Amanda Tanner in the series “Scandal”, in which she was a recurring character during the first season.

Apart from that, she also regularly appeared in horror films and worked on the short film “Grace”, which inspired a feature film of the same name, and played a supporting role in the horror film “Smiley”. In the 2010s, she began a friendship with director Noah Buschel, which led to the duo collaborating on numerous projects such as “The Situation is Liquid”. In 2014, she was cast in the series “How to get away with murder”, and has stayed with the show that continues to air. At the same time, she reprized her character Paris Geller in two episodes of “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life”, a revival of the show that aired on Netflix. She also appeared in the third season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, playing the role of Carole Keen.

Private life

Liza married actor Paul Adelstein in 2006 after being in a relationship for a few years. The two met while working on theater productions and ended up collaborating on a few movies as well, collaborating on projects such as “The Missing Person” and “Little Fish, Strange Pond”. Paul is also known for his work in the TV show “Private Practice” where he portrayed Cooper Freedman. The two have a daughter together, but eventually filed parting a decade into their marriage, with Paul citing irreconcilable differences. The divorce was settled after a year and she then started dating actor Charlie Weber from “How to Get Away with Murder” but they ended their relationship in 2019. So Liza is currently single and presumably taking care of her daughter Josephine.

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia