Blake Lively

Blake Lively's first crush was her 'Simon Says' co-star Kelly Blatz. The two have been childhood friends and dated from 2004 to 2007.

She has known Penn Badgley, her co-star from 'Gossip Girl', since the age of eleven as they were homeschooled together. The onscreen pair dated in real life between 2007 and 2010.

She has been linked to 'Titanic' star Leonardo DiCaprio with whom she spent a fun-filled summer in France. The two broke up in October 2011 after dating for five months.

*Blake Lively was born as Blake Ellender Brown on August 25, 1987, in Tarzana, Los Angeles. Her father, Ernie Lively, was an actor and director while her mother, Elaine Lively, worked as a talent scout.

She comes from a big family and is the youngest of five children, including three step siblings from her mother's side. Apart from her parents, she and all of her siblings – Eric, Lori, Robyn and Jason – are connected to the entertainment industry.

She got introduced to acting at a very early age as her parents used to take her to the acting classes they taught in, instead of leaving her with a babysitter back at home. As a result, she learnt the tools of the trade when she was very young.

An alumnus of the Burbank High School, Blake Lively was very active during her school days. She was appointed senior class president, was part of the cheerleaders' group and performed in the championship choir.

Lively, who trained her whole life to attend Stanford University, went to auditions for roles in movies to appease her brother Eric, who had asked his agents to send her to auditions. She is very close to her brother, who, during a tour of Europe with her, had discussed the possible career choices for her and found out acting to be fitting.

Blake Lively first acted in a movie when she was only 10 years old. In 1998, she did a short role in the film 'Sandman', which was directed by her father.

In 2005, she was cast as Bridget, one of the four female leads of the movie 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'. She was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for her performance in the movie.

She acted opposite Justin Long in the 2006 movie 'Accepted'. The movie failed to receive favorable reviews from critics, but Lively was able to win the 'Breakthrough Award' from Hollywood Life. The same year, she also played a minor role in the horror film 'Simon Says'.

She played the role of Anabelle, a girl with an eating disorder competing for a beauty pageant, in the 2007 movie 'Elvis and Anabelle'. Lively, who considers herself a foodie, had to work hard to lose a lot of weight to get into the character she was playing.

In 2007, she was cast to play the role of Serena van der Woodsen in the CW television series 'Gossip Girl'. She played the role for six seasons till 2012, after which the series ended.

The role of Serena in the television series 'Gossip Girl' made Blake Lively a household name. Her character influenced the fashion choices of a generation of young girls and created a cult following.