.: Biography :.
Holly Marie Combs: A Life of Passion, Resilience, and Purpose.

Holly Marie Combs was born on December 3, 1973, in San Diego, California, to teenage parents Lauralei and David Combs-Lauralei was just fifteen, and David seventeen. Understandably, the pressures of young parenthood and marriage proved overwhelming, and the couple separated when Holly was two years old. Both parents dropped out of high school and worked hard to make ends meet: David found a job at a feed store, while Lauralei exercised horses at the Del Mar racetrack.

At the age of eight, Holly and her mother moved to Manhattan, New York, where she attended Beekman Hill Elementary School. It was around this time Lauralei began to pursue an acting career for Holly. While navigating auditions and early gigs, Lauralei supported them with waitressing and modeling jobs. When Holly was twelve, her mother remarried; her stepfather worked as a bartender. At one point, the family lived with Holly's grandmother, moving frequently between cramped studio apartments. These humble beginnings left a lasting impression-Holly has described herself as a "pack rat" due to constantly having to leave things behind, and her love of interior decorating stems from that nomadic lifestyle. "Instead of constantly moving," she says, "I now constantly redecorate."

She vividly recalls the most difficult living situation they faced-a tiny studio apartment during her teenage years. "I had a loft, and my parents' bed was underneath," she shared. "You could only be alone in the bathroom. I don't know how we did it."

Holly was a rebellious teenager who didn't enjoy high school. "I kind of had a problem with authority," she admitted. "I wasn't very outgoing. I was shy. It was a tough time for me." Despite this, she found solace in performance. She attended the Professional Children's School in New York, where notable alumni include Sarah Michelle Gellar. It was here that Holly caught the attention of film and television executives, thanks to her natural talent.

Her career began at age ten with television commercials and print ads. She earned her Screen Actors Guild (SAG) card with the film Walls of Glass (also known as Flanagan, 1985), where both she and her mother had roles. Lauralei even made a guest appearance on Charmed years later, in the episode "Just Harried." (Episode: #3.15), 22 February 2001 as a girl in the bar.) Today, Lauralei works at the Austin Animal Center and lives in Texas, while Holly's biological father works in machine operation, and her stepfather is a musician.

Holly's breakout role came at eighteen when she was cast as Kimberly Brock on the acclaimed series Picket Fences. Her initial audition didn't go well-creator David E. Kelley told her she didn't have enough "heart" for the role. "I was terribly hurt-and angry," Holly said. But when no one else fit the role, Kelley rewrote the character to suit Holly's personality and eventually persuaded her to take the part. "Suddenly, he can't find anyone else and now I'm right for the part? Sorry!" she joked. He had to keep asking Holly for a couple of weeks before she finally agreed. "I had quite an attitude going" says Holly. Ultimately, the show became a massive success, winning fourteen Emmys in four years. Holly herself earned a Young Artist Award in 1993 and received two SAG nominations for best ensemble in a drama.

Following Picket Fences, Holly starred in numerous films and enjoyed massive success as Piper Halliwell on the long-running series Charmed, which ran for eight seasons. She also served as a producer on the show from season five onward, working closely with co-star Alyssa Milano.

After four years of searching, Holly finally found a home that felt right-drawn to the property not only for its beauty but for the expansive feel of its surroundings: 30,000 acres of untouched parkland behind her two-and-a-half-acre lot. "It looks like I have so much more that I didn't have to pay for," she said. A large kennel for her dogs was a must, and now she also has space for horses and other pets. At first, her mother even lived in the guest room. She used to keep her horses at Shannen's (Doherty) ranch before finding the right house. Holly lived in the Bell Canyon area which is located in the San Fernando Valley in California, in a 5,014 sq ft Spanish style, five bedroom, 3.5 bathroom house.

In her personal life, Holly married Bryan "Bugsy" Travis Smith on February 28, 1993, after just eight days of dating. They divorced in 1997, citing youth and inexperience-much like her own parents. She later dated crew member Brian Bouma (Our Mother's Murder) and was briefly engaged to Storm Lyndon, a second-grade teacher from Venice Beach who teaches in South Central L.A, whom she met while vacationing in Mexico with best friend Shannen Doherty. That engagement ended in 2000.

Holly later married Charmed Key Grip crew member David William Donoho on February 14, 2004. They welcomed their first son, Finley Arthur Donoho, on April 26, 2004. "We had kind of a deadline, so we decided to do it real quick" Holly joked, referring to their Valentine's Day wedding. They married at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara. The couple had three sons together but eventually divorced in November 11, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences. Holly now shares joint custody of their children; Finley Arthur, Riley Edward, and Kelley James.

In September 2019, Holly married Xoc restaurateur Mike Ryan. The couple moved in 2021 from Bell Canyon, California to Friday Harbor, Washington, seeking a fresh start. They now live with Holly's three sons and their many pets.

Holly has a deep love for animals. Over the years, her home has included three quarter horses (Jesse, Jake, and Jezebel), eight dogs (Hugo, Travis, Sugar, Bear, Bleu, Fly Guy, Jethro and Lola), two cats (Selina and Bob), koi fish, two rabbits (Thumper and Jack), three goats (Flora, Fawn and Huckleberry Billy), lovebirds, and even a turtle she rehomed due to health concerns after having her first child. t went to a nice big pond in her friends backyard. She once had a Siberian husky named Wiley, a gift from Don Johnson, who lived to be 16.

She's also an avid Scrabble player, enjoys games like Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, the Worst-Case and Beyond Balderdash, and lists Italian food-especially cheeseburgers, bacon, and Coca Krispies-among her favorites. Her hobbies include horseback riding, gardening, and collecting antiques.

Holly is equally passionate about activism. In May 2000, she teamed up with Tangi Miller and Alyson Hannigan for a breast cancer awareness campaign with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Ford Motor company sponsored a Breast Cancer Awareness questionnaire which was a four page brochure featured in Vogue, Glamour, Self, Mademoiselle, and Women's Sports and Fitness magazine to raise awareness about the disease. In 2004 she was also a spokesperson for America Lights Up In Pink And Blue for premature babies. Since 2005, Holly became a spokesperson for Ortho Women's Health which encourages women to visit their gynecologist and feel comfortable talking about issues to their doctor. She was also Austin s Animal Services spokesperson for the 2011 campaign, "Summer of Love" to encourage animal lovers to foster a dog or a cat. In 2015 she appeared in a 'Boycott SeaWorld' public awareness campaign focusing on the need to boycott SeaWorld to end the suffering of Orcas. Holly also supports the following charities: Children's Defense Fund, Best Friend Animal Sanctuary, March Of Dimes, St Judes, Make A Wish, National Hemophilia Foundation, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and The Carroll Center for the Blind.

A devoted environmentalist and conservationist, Holly is a member of the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival Board of Advisors and has produced several wildlife documentaries, including Corky, Why Just One, and Sharkwater.