Top 10 Actors You Forgot Were On Gilmore Girls

You probably know Victoria Justice from her successful Nickelodeon and singing careers, but did you know that her first acting credit ever was on “Gilmore Girls”? In a wonderfully cringe-worthy episode, Lorelai and Sookie are catering a children’s “Lord of the Rings” themed party, and Sookie kiiiinda misses the point and doesn’t prepare any kid-friendly food. Justice plays an elf-ear-wearing little girl at the party, who makes the mistake of licking a carrot and putting it back on the serving tray. She feels Sookie’s wrath, which then causes the mom-to-be to worry about her parenting abilities. Not a bad start for Victoria!

“Gilmore Girls” is known for having actors repeatedly come on to play various roles in different seasons, and Mary Lynn Rajskub is one of the more hilarious examples. The actress, better known for her role as “24”’s Chloe O’Brian, first appears in season 2, portraying Kirk’s girlfriend in his short film. Several seasons later, she’s back, but this time as one of the aspiring town troubadours. It isn’t necessarily made clear whether the two roles are meant to be the same character, and sadly, we’ll likely never know - but it makes for fun fan trivia nonetheless!

Long before he played Bella’s surly father in the “Twilight” saga, Billy Burke had a short-lived role as Lorelai’s boyfriend on “Gilmore Girls.” Considering he’s opening a chain of coffee shops and wants to take Lorelai to a coffee tasting, it seems like a match made in heaven. Things take a slight downturn though when we learn that he’s also an outdoorsy type. It’s never really explained what happened to end Lorelai and Alex’s relationship, and after a few episodes we simply never see him again. In fact, his fate remains one of GG’s biggest mysteries.

Before he was Superman, Brandon Routh had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it role on “Gilmore Girls.” In one of the show’s more memorable episodes, Lorelai tries to get the girls to bond by inviting Rory’s frenemies Paris, Madeline and Louise to see The Bangles in concert. Routh plays Jess – no, not THAT Jess – a guy who sits near them at the concert. His “gorgeous” looks entice Madeline and Louise to go to his place, which causes them to ditch the show and throw the Gilmores for a loop. Even the Man of Steel looks a little nervous in the face of Lorelai’s mama bear ire.

Even the most devoted of “Gilmore Girls” fans could have easily missed this one. While he’s now a recognizable face as the quirky Schmidt from “New Girl,” Max Greenfield held a small one-time role in the world of Stars Hollow. He played Lucas, one of Dean’s buddies who he gets drunk with on the night before his wedding. Lucas’ claim to fame is having tried to start a “Luke club” with everyone’s favorite diner owner. Even if you’re not familiar with the show, most know how much of a dead-end idea that is.

You may know him as “Family Guy” creator and the voice behind Peter, Stewie and Brian, but he also wore many hats on “Gilmore Girls.” As some may recall, he played a snarky student at Lorelai’s business school graduation, who mocked her for Richard and Emily’s camera crew. But did you know that he also voiced the character of Emily’s lawyer when she’s being sued by one of her maids? Listen closely and you’ll recognize this famous voice actor’s distinctive intonation. Even harder to pick out, he voiced the male folk singer at the concert Rory reviews in season four!

It’s hard to separate actress Jane Lynch from her role as William McKinley High’s sadistic cheer coach. But, almost a full decade before she donned her famous tracksuit, Lynch was spotted in a nurse’s outfit in a Connecticut area hospital. In this “Gilmore Girls” episode, Lynch’s stern character has to deal with Emily’s criticism of the treatment she and Richard receive at the hospital following his collapse at Friday night dinner. Re-watching the scene now, you can almost see the Sue Sylvester mannerisms about to burst through. That’s DEFINITELY a face-off we’d like to see!

Before he was hacking his way into the hearts of viewers as Elliott on “Mr. Robot,” Rami Malek played a brief but odd role on “Gilmore Girls.” In season four, Malek played Andy, a classmate of Lane’s who takes his religious college very seriously and is very open about it. When asked about the role in an interview, Malek described his time in Stars Hollow as a bit of a whirlwind. And, based on his body language, adorably awkward smile and response, we suspect he may be a little embarrassed to have it brought up.

Actor and writer Nick Offerman is best known for his hilarious role as the ultimate man’s man on “Parks and Recreation.” While Ron Swanson may be gruff at times, in the end, he’s a real softie at heart. Unfortunately, the same can’t really be said for Offerman’s character on “Gilmore Girls.” He plays Beau Belleville, Jackson’s brother from out of town who, thankfully for everyone in Star’s Hollow, only appears twice in the series. The first time is when Sookie is about to give birth in season four and he’s upset that she isn’t getting on with it faster. The second time, in season 6, he’s creepily hitting on Lorelai pretty much the whole time.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Bryce Johnson
Danny Pudi
Melora Hardin

Nowadays he’s best known as Don Draper, but Jon Hamm briefly portrayed one of Lorelai’s love interests. His role may have only lasted for one episode, but we still get that fluttery feeling when watching him flirt with Lorelai over what they then thought was the last glass of wine. There was so much build-up finding the elusive Peyton Sanders, and honestly, at a glance, he seemed like the perfect guy. He had good looks, the charms, money – he even had Bowie tickets. But sadly, the chemistry – and according to Lorelai’s review, the personality – just wasn’t there.