Holly Marie Combs is an American actress and television producer.
She is known for her roles as Kimberly Brock in the CBS series Picket Fences, Piper Halliwell
in The WB series Charmed, and Ella Montgomery in the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars.
Early life Combs was born in San Diego, California.
At the time of her birth, her mother, Lauralei Combs, was sixteen years old and her father
was seventeen.
Combs' biological parents married, but the two split up after two years, feeling they
were too young to make a marriage work.
While Combs was learning to walk, she hit her head on a marble table, resulting in a
scar over her right eyebrow.
She went through 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.
When Combs was seven, she and her mother moved to New York City.
She was 12 when her mother married her stepfather.
In New York City, Combs attended Beekman Hill Elementary and then the Professional Children's
School.
Career Early work: 1988–1997
When she was 13 years old, Combs landed her first major role in Sweet Hearts Dance, a
comedy drama film directed by Robert Greenwald.
She played Debs Boon, the daughter of Wiley Boon and Sandra Boon.
Her next major role was in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July, 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.
Her other roles included Helena in the 1989 anthology film New York Stories, and Kim Fields
in Hal Hartley's Simple Men.
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 and girlfriend of Max Anderson.
Combs' first major breakthrough as an actress came at the age of 18, in the CBS television
series Picket Fences.
She portrayed Kimberly Brock, the daughter of Sheriff Jimmy Brock and Dr. Jill Brock,
for the show's four seasons.
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.
Combs won a Young Artist Award for her performance on the show.
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 murderess 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.
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.
Following Shannen Doherty's departure after season three, Combs' character became the
eldest sister for the remaining five seasons of the show.
Combs became a producer for Charmed from season five onwards.
The series ended its run on May 21, 2006.
In 2008, AOL named Combs' character Piper the third greatest witch in television history.
Combs is the only cast member to appear in the unaired pilot and every episode of the
series.
During Charmed, Combs made a cameo appearance in Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's Eleven, and
starred opposite Charisma Carpenter in the romantic comedy film See Jane Date, portraying
the role of "a struggling actress whose career benefits from an affair with an A-list actor."
In 2007, she starred in the Lifetime television film 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."
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.
However, that version of the show never made it to air.
In 2010, Combs was cast in the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars as Ella Montgomery,
the mother of one of the main characters, Aria Montgomery.
Combs was a series regular for the first three seasons, but beginning in season four, became
credited as a special guest star.
On July 24, 2014, it was announced that Combs and Doherty would be starring in their own
road trip reality show called Off the Map with Shannen & Holly, which will premiere
on Great American Country in 2015.
The six-episode series will follow the pair traveling across southeastern United States,
with stops in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
Viewers will be able to vote on activities Doherty and Combs will partake in at each
destination on Great American Country's official website.
Personal life In 1993, Combs married Bryan Travis Smith;
they divorced in 1997.
She then went on to marry former Charmed key-grip and long-time boyfriend David Donoho on February
14, 2004.
They are the parents of three sons: Finley Arthur Donoho, Riley Edward Donoho and Kelley
James Donoho, all born by caesarian section.
Combs kept her third pregnancy a secret because it was high risk, with a delivery at 35 weeks.
Combs smoked cigarettes from the age of 15 until giving them up when pregnant with her
first child.
In November 2011, she filed for divorce for her second marriage, citing irreconcilable
differences.
Filmography Movies
Television Awards and nominations
References
External links Holly Marie Combs at the Internet Movie Database
Holly Marie Combs on Twitter Holly Marie Combs on Facebook
Holly Marie Combs on Instagram