Kelly Bishop Biography: Husband, Age, Height, Dance Videos, Ethnicity, Parents, Awards, Net Worth, Movies

Kelly Bishop is an American actress who became known through the role of Emily Gilmore on the television series Gilmore Girls.

Born Carole Jane Bishop, she established a name for herself first as a dancer, achieving a significant early success that paved the way for her enduring acting career.

Her performance as the sophisticated and commanding Gilmore family matriarch brought her significant acclaim and lasting recognition. Beyond Stars Hollow, she is also widely known as Marjorie Houseman from the classic film Dirty Dancing, where she played the mother of the main character.

Profile

• Full name: Carole Jane Bishop
• Nickname: Kelly
• Date of birth: February 28, 1944
• Age: 81 years old
• Gender: Female
• Place of birth: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actress, Dancer
• Height: 5 feet 3 inches
• Eye color: Blue
• Hair color: Blonde
• Parents: Lawrence Boden Bishop (Father), Jane Lenore Wahtola (Mother)
• Siblings: Tony Bishop (Brother)
• Spouse: Lee Leonard (m. 1981; d. 2018)
• Children: N/A
• Relationship status: Widowed
• Religion: Christian
• Ethnicity: Caucasian
• Net worth: $4 million

Early Life and education

Carole Jane Bishop, who is now 81 years old was born on February 28, 2025, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She spent her early years with her mother, Jane Lenore Wahtola, and her father, Lawrence Boden Bishop, as well as her older brother, Tony. Her home life was complex; her mother was a source of support, while her father was an alcoholic whom she described as a difficult presence.

Following her parents’ divorce, she grew up primarily with her mother. She was interested in dance from a very young age and pursued training in classical ballet. She moved to New York City at eighteen to attend the American Ballet Theatre West.

Personal Life

Kelly Bishop was married to television talk show host Lee Leonard. They met when she appeared as a guest on his show, and they married in 1981. Their marriage lasted until his death in 2018. The couple did not have any children.

Bishop has maintained a very close friendship with her Gilmore Girls co-star Lauren Graham in her personal life, often referring to their bond as a parent-child type relationship developed off-screen.

Career

Kelly Bishop began her professional life as a dancer. She was part of the Corps de Ballet for the Radio City Music Hall before finding success on Broadway. Her defining stage role was Sheila in the original 1975 production of A Chorus Line, a role for which she won a Tony Award.

She transitioned to acting roles in film and television, most notably as Marjorie Houseman in Dirty Dancing in 1987, a part she took over after the original actress was dismissed.

Her most enduring television role came in 2000 as the wealthy, commanding matriarch Emily Gilmore in Gilmore Girls, a role she inhabited for seven seasons and reprised in the 2016 Netflix revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

Her recent projects include a recurring role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and a main role in the 2023 series The Watchful Eye. In September 2024, she published her memoir, The Third Gilmore Girl.

Awards

• 1976 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (A Chorus Line)
• 1976 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (A Chorus Line)
• 2002 Family Television Awards for Favorite Mom/Actress (Gilmore Girls)

Net worth

Kelly Bishop has an estimated net worth of $4 million. This wealth was primarily accrued through her extensive career as an actress across Broadway theatre, film, and notably her long-running role on the popular television series Gilmore Girls.

Social Media

• N/A

Filmography

• Hawaii (1966)
• The Thorns (1974)
• A Chorus Line (1975)
• O’Hara’s Wife (1982)
• Dirty Dancing (1987)
• Queens Logic (1991)
• Six Degrees of Separation (1993)
• Miami Rhapsody (1995)
• Private Parts (1997)
• My Indian Summer (2000)
• Gilmore Girls (2000–2007)
• Ally McBeal (2001)
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000, 2005)
• The Good Wife (2010)
• Army Wives (2010)
• Mercy (2010)
• Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016)
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2022)
• The Watchful Eye (2023)

Books

• The Third Gilmore Girl (2024)