Holly Marie Combs

Holly Marie Combs (born December 3, 1973)[2][3] is an American actress and television producer. She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series Picket Fences (1992–1996), Piper Halliwell in The WB series Charmed (1998–2006) and Ella Montgomery in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017).

Holly Marie Combs Ryan
Combs at the London Film and Comic Convention in July 2012
Born	December 3, 1973 San Diego, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Professional Children's School
Occupation	Actress • television producer
Years active	1985–present
Known for	Picket Fences (1992–1996) Charmed (1998–2006) Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017)
Spouse(s)	Bryan Travis Smith ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 1997)​ David Donoho ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. filed 2011)​ Mike Ryan ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	3[1]

Early life

Combs was born in San Diego, California, and has described herself as being of Irish descent.[4][5] At the time of her birth, her mother, Lauralei Combs (née Berckhem),[3] was 15 years old, and her father was 17.[4] Combs's biological parents married, but the two split up after two years,[6] feeling they were too young to make a marriage work.

While Combs was learning to walk, she fell and hit her head on a marble table, resulting in a noticeable 'split' at the top of her right eyebrow. She lived in many different homes with her mother, near the beach in San Diego, often having very little privacy, while her mother attempted to pursue an acting career.[7] When Combs was seven, she and her mother moved to New York City where she spent most of her growing years. Combs was 12 when her mother married her stepfather. In New York City, Combs attended Beekman Hill Elementary and then the Professional Children's School.[8] In an interview when she was in Sydney, Australia, for Supanova Expo, she said that she was a certified scuba diver at 13.[9]

Career

Early work: 1988–1997

Combs at the 1993 Emmy Awards

When she was 14 years old, Combs landed her first major role in Sweet Hearts Dance (1988), a comedy drama film directed by Robert Greenwald. She played Debs Boon, the daughter of Wiley Boon (played by Don Johnson) and Sandra Boon (played by Susan Sarandon).[10] Her next major role was in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989), a film adaptation of the best selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic. Combs portrayed Jenny in the film, which also starred Tom Cruise.[10] Her other roles included Helena in the 1989 anthology film New York Stories, and Kim Fields in Hal Hartley's Simple Men (1992).[10] Also in 1992, Combs made an appearance in Temístocles López's Chain of Desire as Diana, and in the slasher film Dr. Giggles, in which she played Jennifer Campbell, the 19-year-old daughter of Tom Campbell (played by Cliff De Young) and girlfriend of Max Anderson (played by Glenn Quinn).

Combs's first major breakthrough as an actress came at the age of 18, in the CBS television series Picket Fences.[10] She portrayed Kimberly Brock, the daughter of Sheriff Jimmy Brock (played by Tom Skerritt) and his first wife Lydia for the show's four seasons (1992–96).[10] Jimmy's second wife, Dr. Jill Brock (played by Kathy Baker), was her stepmother. Combs auditioned for the role in New York. The casting agent told her that she wasn't right for the part because she "didn't have a big enough heart." Combs retorted, "If you're looking for someone with a big heart, what the hell are you doing in New York?". She was later called back and offered the job.[4] Combs won a Young Artist Award for her performance on the show.[11][12] During 1996, Combs starred as Sophie DiMatteo in Sins of Silence, a drama/horror television film directed by Sam Pillsbury. The following year, Combs portrayed real-life convicted murderer Diane Zamora in the television film Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder, and appeared in the fact-based drama film Daughters as Alex Morell, one of the two daughters of a murdered heiress.[10]

Later work: 1998–present

In 1998, Combs landed a lead role in The WB television series Charmed, in which she portrayed Piper Halliwell, the middle of three sisters who are witches.[10] Following Shannen Doherty's departure after season three (2000–01), Combs's character became the eldest sister for the remaining five seasons of the show.[10] Combs also became a producer for Charmed from season five onwards.[13] The series ended its eight-season run on May 21, 2006. In 2007 and 2008, AOL named Combs's character Piper the third greatest witch in television history.[14][15] Combs was the only cast member to appear in every episode of the series, including the original unaired pilot.

During Charmed, Combs made an uncredited cameo appearance in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven (2001), and starred opposite Charisma Carpenter in the romantic comedy film See Jane Date (2003), portraying the role of "a struggling actress whose career benefits from an affair with an A-list actor."[10] In 2007, she starred in the Lifetime television film Point of Entry (also titled Panic Button) as Kathy Alden, a wife and mother of a single child whose family moves to a "beautiful and supposedly secure gated community after she's the victim of a violent house break-in."[16] The following year, Combs signed a contract with Lifetime to produce and star in a series Mistresses, based on the British series of the same name.[17] However, that version of the show never made it to air. (ABC later made a version featuring Combs's former Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano.) In 2010, Combs was cast in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars as Ella Montgomery, the mother of one of the main characters, Aria Montgomery (played by Lucy Hale).[18] Combs was a series regular for the first three seasons, but became credited as a special guest star from season four onwards. Pretty Little Liars ended after seven seasons, and Combs returned for the show's final episode on June 27, 2017.[19][20]

Combs and Doherty starred in their own road trip reality show Off the Map with Shannen & Holly, which premiered on Great American Country on January 2, 2015.[21][22] The six-episode series followed the pair traveling across southeastern United States, with stops in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.[23] Viewers were able to vote on activities Doherty and Combs would partake in at each destination on Great American Country's official website.[23] In January 2016, Combs starred in the Hallmark Channel television film Love's Complicated, playing the lead role of Leah Townsend, a big city novel writer and senator's daughter who is "known for being a people pleaser."[24]

Personal life

In 1993, Combs married actor Bryan Travis Smith; they divorced in 1997.[25]

On February 14, 2004, she married her long-time boyfriend and the former Charmed key-grip David Donoho. They have three sons together.[26] In November 2011, she filed for divorce from Donoho, citing irreconcilable differences.[27]

In 2016, Combs began dating restaurateur Mike Ryan. On September 3, 2017, Combs announced their engagement.[28] On September 7, 2019 it was reported that they married in Carmel, California.[1]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	Walls of Glass	Abby Hall	Classmate
1988	Sweet Hearts Dance	Dens Boon
1989	New York Stories	Helena	Costume Party Girl
1989	Born on the Fourth of July	Jenny Turner
1991	Nobody Can Hear You Scream	Melinda Ashwood
1992	Simple Men	Kim Fields
1992	Dr. Giggles	Jennifer Campbell	Lead role
1992	Chain of Desire	Diana Richards
1995	A Reason to Believe	Sharon Digby	Independent movie
1995	Evil in the Basement	Karen Ford
2001	Ocean's Eleven	Herself	Cameo

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1990	Guiding Light	Louisa Young	2 episodes
1991–1994	As the World Turns	Denise Jones	5 episodes
1992–1996	Picket Fences	Kimberly Brock	Main role (83 episodes)
1994	A Perfect Stranger	Amanda Hale	Television movie (NBC)
1994	Island City	Erin Sloan	Television movie (PTEN)
1996	Sins of Silence	Sophie DiMatteo	Television movie (CBS); lead role
1997	Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder	Diane Zamora	Television movie (NBC); lead role
1997	Our Mother's Murder	Alex Morell	Television movie (Lifetime); lead role
1997	Relativity	Anne Pryce	Episode (1.14): "Billable Hours"
1998–2006	Charmed	Piper Halliwell	Lead role (179 episodes) Producer (seasons 5–8)
2003	See Jane Date	Natasha Nutley	Television movie (ABC Family); co-lead role
2007	Panic Button (original title Point of Entry)	Katherine Alden	Television movie (Lifetime); lead role
2010–2017	Pretty Little Liars	Ella Montgomery	Main cast (seasons 1–3) Special guest star (seasons 4–7); 62 episodes
2014	Hell's Kitchen	Herself	Season 12 Episode 6: "15 Chefs Compete";[29] Blue kitchen VIP guest
2015	Off the Map with Shannen & Holly	Herself	Great American Country reality series (6 episodes)
2016	Love's Complicated	Leah Townsend	Television movie (Hallmark Channel); lead role
2019	Grey's Anatomy	Heidi Peterson	Episode (16.03): "Reunited"[30]

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Title of work	Result	Ref.
1993	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Actress in a New Television Series	Picket Fences	Won	[11][12]
1994		Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series		Nominated	[11]
1995		Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a TV Mini-Series or Special	A Perfect Stranger		[11]
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series	Picket Fences		[11]
2001	RATTY Awards	Outstanding Ensemble in a Science Fiction Series	Charmed		[31]
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Science Fiction Series
2002		Best Science Fiction Lead Actress			[32]
2003				Won	[33]
2007	AOL TV	Top TV Witches (Piper Halliwell)		3rd	[14][34]
2008					[15]
2011	E! Online	Top 10 Most Bitchin' Witches (Piper Halliwell)		6th	[35]
2016	The Huffington Post	Top 10 Greatest Witches of All Time (Piper Halliwell)			[36]

References

1. Nahas, Aili (September 7, 2019). "Holly Marie Combs Marries Longtime Boyfriend Mike Ryan". People.
2. "The Birth of Holly Combs: Biography". California Birth Index. Retrieved September 8, 2019. ...her mother's maiden name is Berckhem.
3. "Biographical Summaries of Notable People: Lauralei Combs". MyHeritage.com. Retrieved September 8, 2019.. Confirming mother's maiden name.
4. Kizis, Deanna (December 2000). "Holly Charms Hollywood". Cosmopolitan, pp. 190 & 192. Via HollyMCombs.com. "Combs was born in San Diego when her mom was just 15 and her dad was 17."
5. "Holly Marie Combs Dishes on Life With Her Boys". People. September 17, 2008.
6. "Profile: Holly Marie Combs". askmen.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
7. "People: Holly Marie Combs". tv.com. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
8. "Professional Children's School : Alumni : Distinguished Alumni". Professional Children's School. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018 – via www.pcs-nyc.org.
9. "Charmed stars". Yahoo! News.
10. "Holly Marie Combs Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
11. "Holly Marie Combs — Awards". IMDb.com. Retrieved April 5, 2007.
12. "Young Artist Award". youngartistawards.org. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
13. "Charmed – Full Cast and Crew". IMDb.com. Retrieved June 21, 2006.
14. "Best TV Witches". AOL TV. Archived from the original on June 23, 2007.
15. Greenberger, Robert (October 31, 2008). "AOL Picks TV's Best Witches". Comic Mix. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014.
16. "Panic Button: Piper's No Longer Charmed in Dull 'Suspense' Yarn". Tvjots.com. November 3, 2007. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
17. "Charmed Holly Is One of Lifetime's Mistresses". Tvguide.com. July 9, 2008. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
18. Ausiello, Michael (April 10, 2010). "Exclusive: Holly Marie Combs joins 'Pretty Little Liars'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
19. Swift, Andy (October 15, 2016). "Pretty Little Liars Series Finale Photos: The Moms Say Goodbye to Rosewood". TVLine. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
20. Valiente, Alexa (June 27, 2017). "'Pretty Little Liars' series finale recap: Who is AD, who got married, who's pregnant". ABC News. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
21. "Shannen Doherty & Holly Marie Combs Go 'Off The Map' On Great American Country". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. July 24, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
22. Spining, Molly (December 29, 2014). "'Off the Map with Shannen & Holly' Premieres on January 2". Great American Country. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
23. Gennis, Sadie (July 25, 2014). "Charmed's Shannen Doherty and Holly Marie Combs Reunite for Reality Show". TV Guide. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
24. Reyes, Traciy (January 8, 2016). "'Love's Complicated': Hallmark teaches conflict for doormats in romantic movie, starring Holly Marie Combs, Ben Bass". Inquisitr. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
25. Jackson, Dory (August 19, 2019). "Holly Marie Combs Has Fun Bachelorette Party Ahead of Wedding to Fiance Mike". Us Weekly. The actress was previously married to Bryan Travis Smith from 1993 to 1997 and David Donoho from 2004 to 2011.
26. • "New son for 'Charmed's' Holly Marie Combs". United Press International. May 11, 2004. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019.
    • Gee, Alison (October 27, 2006). "Holly Marie Combs Welcomes Baby Boy No. 2". People. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019.
    • Staff (June 5, 2009). "Holly Marie Combs Welcomes Son Kelley James". People. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019.
27. Serpe, Gina (November 11, 2011). "Holly Marie Combs No Longer Bewitched by Husband, Files for divorce". www.eonline.com. E! News.
28. Corriston, Michele (September 4, 2017). "Charmed Star Holly Marie Combs Is Engaged! See Her Gorgeous Ring". People.
29. Martindale, Linda (April 17, 2014). "'Hell's Kitchen' Recap: The Kitchen's Hot, The Chefs Are Cold". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
30. Mier, Tomás (September 16, 2019). "A Charmed Reunion! Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs Will Guest Star on Grey's Anatomy". People.
31. Licuria, Robert (June 15, 2001). "7th Annual RATTY Awards Nominations". Google Groups. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
32. "The 9th Annual RATTY Awards – The Nominees". RATTY Awards. Archived from the original on May 18, 2006. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
33. Licuria, Robert (July 28, 2003). "9th Annual RATTY Awards – The Winners". Google Groups. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
34. Sample, Kristin (October 22, 2007). "Top TV Witches". AOL TV. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014.
35. "6. Piper, Charmed from Top 10 Most Bitchin' Witches". E! Online. July 3, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
36. Ellis, Phillip (October 30, 2016). "The Top 10 Greatest Witches of All Time". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 20, 2017.

External links

• Holly Marie Combs at IMDb