Lorelai Gilmore

Lorelai Gilmore
Gilmore Girls character
A young brunette woman smiling towards the camera, wearing a denim jacket over a white tank top.
Lorelai Gilmore, portrayed by actress Lauren Graham.
First appearance"Pilot" (Gilmore Girls)
Last appearance"Fall" (Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life)
Created byAmy Sherman-Palladino
Portrayed byLauren Graham
BornApril 25, 1968
In-universe information
Full nameLorelai Victoria Gilmore
NicknameLor (by Christopher)
GenderFemale
OccupationInn owner
Hotel manager (previous)
Maid (previous)
FamilyRichard Gilmore (father)
Emily Gilmore (mother)
Liz Danes (sister-in law)
April Nardini (stepdaughter)
Lorelai "Trix" Gilmore (paternal grandmother)
Charles Gilmore (paternal grandfather)
Significant others
  • Christopher Hayden (husband)
    Max Medina (ex-fiancé)
ChildrenRory Gilmore (daughter)
HomeStars Hollow, Connecticut

Lorelai Victoria Gilmore is a fictional character in The WB series Gilmore Girls. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and portrayed by actress Lauren Graham, she appeared in every episode of the show from 2000 to 2007.

Lorelai is introduced as a young single mother of a teenage daughter, Rory. Lorelai has a strained relationship with her wealthy parents, Richard and Emily, after running away as a teen to raise her daughter on her own. Lorelai remains estranged from her parents for many years, until the events of the pilot episode, where she asks her parents for help with paying Rory's tuition. Her parents agree, on the condition that she visits them for dinner every Friday.

Besides an on-again, off-again relationship with Rory's father, Christopher Hayden, Lorelai had a few romantic relationships that included Max Medina, a teacher at Rory's school, Chilton, to whom she was briefly engaged; Alex Lesman, an outdoorsy coffee house entrepreneur; Jason Stiles, a childhood acquaintance, and Luke Danes, the owner of Luke's Diner in her adopted hometown of Stars Hollow, Connecticut. As Lorelai frequented Luke's Diner, they grew to be close friends and eventually fell in love. In the Netflix revival miniseries A Year in the Life, Luke and Lorelai married.

Graham received widespread critical acclaim for portraying her character, and was nominated for several awards. She won two Teen Choice Awards for Choice TV Parental Unit in 2005 and 2006. Lorelai is often included on lists of "top TV moms".