1. Maureen Rollins
   Miss Patty
2. Emily Gilmore
   Francesca Hightower

Emily Gilmore is the busy matriarch of the Gilmore family. She and her daughter Lorelai have an incredibly complicated relationship, but Emily tries to erase some of the wounds from the past by building a better connection with her granddaughter, Rory.

1. Paris Geller
   Shira Huntzberger
2. Theresa Lister
   Julia Hayden

Even though they got off to a rough start, Rory and Paris become great friends. Paris is incredibly smart and always driven to be the best. She sees Rory as her competition, but eventually realizes Rory makes a much better friend than an adversary.

1. Lorelai Gilmore
   Jill Taylor
2. Sookie St. James
   Louise Jefferson

Lorelai is a single mom raising her daughter, Rory. She has worked incredibly hard for what she has accomplished and has resisted the opportunity to take advantage of her parents' wealth. She is loved for by the residents of Stars Hollow and dreams of being a successful businesswoman.

1. Janet Billings
   Lane Kim
2. Nicole Leahy
   Lindsay Forester

Rory's oldest friend, Lane, is incredibly loyal. Lane's life at home is remarkably sheltered and strict but all she really wants to do is rock out and be in a band. Lane has a secret stash of forbidden things -- like music under the floor boards in her room.

1. Babette Dell
   Lola Pennypacker
2. Madison Sinclair
   Gloria Bunker

Babette lives next door to Rory and Lorelai and looks out for their best interest. She can often be found gossiping with Miss Patty or yelling at her husband, Morey, offscreen.

1. Beau Belleville
   Kirk Gleason
2. Bob Merriam
   Derek Smith

Kirk Gleason is a fixture in the Stars Hollow community. The character appears in more episodes than nearly any other supporting cast member. Kirk lives with his mom and is often coming up with new job ideas.

1. James Dean
   Sam Winchester
2. Forrest Whittaker
   Dean Forester

Dean is Rory's first boyfriend. He's sweet, hardworking, and devoted. Dean breaks up with Rory when he realizes she has feelings for Jess. They pick things up again later when Dean is married to Lindsay. After he and Lindsay divorce, Dean and Rory realize they aren't right for each other anymore and end things once and for all.

1. Jack Handy
   Seth Rogan
2. Marshall Eriksen
   Jackson Belleville

Jackson begins as Sookie's produce supplier and ends up as her husband. He's outgoing and friendly and is truly passionate about his vegetables. He and Sookie have two children and are expecting a third by the end of the series.

1. Shane Tate
   Wesley Crutcher
2. Tristin Dugray
   Winston Bishop

Tristin attends Chilton Academy with Rory and seems to be the classic entitled rich kid. At first, he teases her since he has a crush on her, but she doesn't return his interest. It turns out Paris has had a huge crush on him for years and she's jealous of the attention he pays Rory. He eventually is sent away to military school after getting in trouble.

1. Hanlin Charleston
   Clarence Wiedman
2. Ethan Allen
   Taylor Doose

Taylor owns Doose's Market and is the town selectman of Stars Hollow. Taylor is a busybody and, while he's not exactly a gossip, he always seems to be in everyone's business. If anyone wants to make a change in town, they have to go through Taylor first. Taylor and Luke seem to find themselves at odds quite a bit as they both care greatly about their town, but have wildly different attitudes about priorities to make it great.

1. Logan Echolls
   Logan Huntzberger
2. Zack Van Gerbig
   Xander Harris

Logan is Rory's boyfriend at Yale. He comes from a family of wealth and success and, contrary to his desire, is expected to join the family business when he's finished with school. Logan has some of the characteristics you might expect from someone who grew up with money, and he can come across as entitled and rude. But he's also charming and witty and often makes big gestures to win Rory's affection.

1. Miss Patty
   Gypsy
2. Bootsy
   Miss Cleo

Miss Patty is the dance instructor in town. She had an earlier career in show business and hasn't lost her flare for the dramatic. She's one of the first to hear town gossip and is always the life of the party.

1. DJ Tanner
   Liz Lemon
2. Ashley Gellar
   April Nardini

Surprise! Luke has a daughter. Bright beyond her age, April does DNA testing to determine that Luke is her father. Eventually, they build a close relationship and she comes to live with him part-time.

1. Brad Langford
   Max Medina
2. Jack Tripper
   Nick Nolan

Max is first introduced as Rory's English teacher, but he soon becomes a love interest for Lorelai. They date for quite a while, but after he proposes, she realizes she's not madly in love with him and breaks off the engagement. Rory and Max get the chance to talk later and realize they are both sad that they won't end up being family.

1. Bill
   Tom
2. Marty
   Tommy

Poor Marty ... He and Rory strike up a friendship at the very beginning of their freshman year at Yale. They get along incredibly well and seem like they'd be a great match, but Marty's feelings remain unrequited as Rory admits she's interested in Logan.

1. Paris Geller
   Veronica Mars
2. Rory Gilmore
   Buffy Summers

One of the titular characters of the show, Rory Gilmore is smart, hard-working, and incredibly close with her mother. Rory was brought up primarily by her mother and develops a stronger relationship with her grandparents throughout the series, sometimes to her mom's chagrin. Despite a few bumps, Rory is successful in school and graduates from Yale while navigating life, friendships, and boyfriends.

1. Paul Anka
   Luke Danes
2. Kieth Mars
   Red Forman

Coffee at lovable curmudgeon Luke's is a cornerstone of life in Stars Hollow. While he may not appear warm and fuzzy on the outside, Luke is invested in his community and cares a great deal about its members. Throughout his will-they-or-won't-they friendship with Lorelai, he has remained a devoted father figure to Rory.

1. Michel Gerard
   Gerard Depardieu
2. Francois Hollande
   Pierre Trudeau

Michel is the French concierge who works with Lorelai. He's often snobby, sarcastic and even rude to customers, but he still manages to be adored by fans. He may seem irritated by them, but he has a soft spot in his heart for Lorelai and Sookie. He develops a kinship with Emily Gilmore, probably because of their shared appreciation for the finer things in life.

1. Robert Grimaldi
   Asher Fleming
2. Morey Dell
   Mitchum Huntzberger

Mitchum is the father of Rory's college boyfriend, Logan. He's a big wig in the newspaper publishing business and offers Rory an internship at one of his papers. At the end of the internship, he tells her he doesn't think she's made of the right stuff for the newspaper biz. The two of them have a strained relationship while she and Logan continue to date.

1. Christopher Hayden
   Christopher Nolan
2. Hayden Christensen
   Chris Evans

Christopher is Rory's father. He has a complicated relationship with Lorelai as they were just 16 when Rory was born. They also both came from extremely wealthy families that placed high expectations on their children. It seems Christopher was not around much during Rory's early years, but they become closer as she gets older.

1. Jess Mariano
   Jack Pearson
2. Peter Petrelli
   Chris Pierce

Jess is the intelligent bad boy Rory just can't resist. Rory is dating Dean when she first meets Jess, and although she doesn't want to hurt Dean, she finds that Jess is a better match for her quick wit and intellect. Their good times don't last forever, though, as Jess's resistance to letting people get close to him sends him fleeing across the country to California.

1. Otto Von Bismarck
   Zack Van Gerbig
2. Vinnie Van Lowe
   Friedrich Von Trapp

Zack is the lead singer of the band Hep Alien. When he first appears on the show, he's a bit of a womanizer but changes his ways when he develops feelings for Lane. The two continue playing in the band together and eventually get married and have twins. Zack is played by Todd Lowe, who went on to play Terry Bellefleur on the hit series True Blood.

1. Brad Langford
   Archie Skinner
2. Doyle McMaster
   Asher Fleming

Doyle is the editor of the school paper when Rory goes to Yale. He and Paris date throughout the final seasons of the show and end up living together. Rory even lives with them for a while when she and Logan are having trouble in their relationship.

1. Lorelai Gilmore
   Paris Geller
2. Maureen McCormick
   Sookie St. James

Sookie is Lorelai's supportive best friend and business partner. She's an incredibly talented chef and is known for her extremely high standards in the kitchen. Eventually, she falls in love and marries Jackson, the produce guy. This was the breakthrough role for actress Melissa McCarthy, who has gone on to super-stardom.

1. Miss Patty
   Mrs. Lane
2. Mrs. Kim
   Mrs. Cassini

Mrs. Kim is very religious and brings her daughter up accordingly. She runs "Kim's Antiques" out of their home and never fails to remind shoppers "You break, you buy!" When Lane gets married, we learn that Mrs. Kim is a bit of a rebel herself, having strayed from her own mother's path of Buddhism.

1. Doyle McMaster
   Richard Gilmore
2. Christopher Hayden
   Mitchum Huntzberger

Richard is an extremely successful businessman who enjoys the country club lifestyle his hard work has afforded him. He is hurt by Lorelai's lack of respect for societal convention, but absolutely loves her and respects the accomplishments she's made for herself over time. He's also incredibly proud of Rory and wants to do whatever he can to help ensure her success.

1. Cassidy Casablancas
   Brian Fuller
2. Leo D'Amato
   Logan Echolls

Brian is the bass player in Lane's band, Hep Alien. At one point, he and Zack share a bunk bed in the living room of the place they share with Lane. He's a pretty quiet character throughout the series, but we end up seeing a new side of him as he begins flirting with exchange student, Kyon, who moves in with Lane's mom.

1. Drella
   Leanne
2. Lulu
   Gypsy

Gypsy is reliable, even if your car isn't. She tells it like it is, whether she's talking about your personal life or how much it's going to cost to fix your engine.

1. Flipper
   Finn
2. Quinn
   Dominic

A member of the Life and Death Brigade at Yale, Finn is a good friend of Logan's who seems to place fun far ahead of responsibility in just about everything he does.

1. Madeline Lynn
   Audrey Marino
2. Natalie Swope
   Sherry Tinsdale

Madeline Lynn attends Chilton with Rory. She's part of a group of girls who are initially very unwelcoming but eventually develop a level of friendship with Rory. At their exclusive school, Madeline sticks out in the group as a bit of a ditz.

1. Colin McCrae
   Jason Stiles
2. Glenn Babble
   Max Medina

Jason and Lorelai have known each other since they were young. They have similar styles of irreverent humor and both have complicated relationships with their parents. The two begin dating around the same time he goes into business with Richard. The entire thing becomes kind of a mess when Jason decides to sue Richard and Lorelai wants to date Luke.

1. Dave Rygalski
   Seth Cohen
2. Tristin Dugray
   Duncan Kane

Dave Rygalski appears on the show when Lane looks for a band to play drums with. Dave is witty and super sweet and works really hard at winning over Lane's mom so he and Lane can date. Dave and Lane maintain a long-distance relationship for a while after he moves to California. This happened after Adam Brody -- who plays Dave -- was cast on the show The O.C.

1. Reverend Skinner
   Brad Langford
2. Professor Bell
   Hanlin Charleston

Hanlin Charleston is Chilton's headmaster and an old friend of Rory's grandparents. He's very stern and has high standards. He and Rory don't necessarily get off on the best footing, but their relationship warms throughout the show. Hanlin is played by Dakin Matthews, who once worked as a teacher with notable students Annette Benning and Kevin Cline.

1. Claire Danes
   Liz Danes
2. Liz Lemon
   Lily Kane

Liz is Luke's younger sister and Jess Mariano's mom. She initially sent Jess to stay with Luke while she took the time to get her life back in order. When she arrives back in her hometown of Stars Hollow, she seems to be on the right track. After becoming closer with Luke and Lorelai, she and her husband, T.J., decide to settle in Stars Hollow when they're not traveling with Renaissance Faires.

1. Drella
   Lucinda
2. Summer
   Ruthie

Drella was hired to play the harp at the Inn during the first few episodes of the show. She was rude to everyone, including guests. The character is played by Alex Borstein who is married to the actor who plays Jackson on the show. She's currently known as the voice of Lois Griffin on Family Guy.

1. Honor Huntzberger
   LeAnne Harris
2. Vivian Lewis
   Anna Nardini

Anna is the mother of Luke's daughter, April. Initially, she is open to Luke having a relationship with his daughter but doesn't want Lorelai to be a part of it since Lorelai isn't yet a permanent part of his life. Later, Anna decides to move to New Mexico, forcing Luke to hire a lawyer to make sure he can still have some level of custody of April.

1. Brad
   Gil
2. Sebastian
   Axl

Gil is the hard rocking, always enthusiastic guitar player in Hep Alien. He is a late addition to the band and the other members initially have reservations about the fact that he's quite a bit older than they are. Despite his rock star outward appearance, Gil is a family man with a wife, two kids and a day job at a sandwich shop.

1. Amy Sherman-Palladino
   Sophie Bloom
2. Shira Huntzberger
   Maureen Rollins

Sophie is the owner of the local music store. At first, she's a bit of a grump, but eventually comes around and lets Lane practice drums at her shop after school. Sophie is played by legendary musician Carole King, who also performs the theme song with her daughter.

1. Janet Billings
   April Nardini
2. Lindsay Forester
   Louise Grant

Along with Paris, Louise is part of a group of girls who aren't so nice to Rory when she starts school at Chilton. Louise is really smart, but you might be surprised to know it since her top priority seems to be boys.