Holly Marie Combs Ryan (born December 3, 1973) is an American actress. She gained recognition for playing Kimberly Brock in the CBS series Picket Fences (1992–1996) and had her first leading film role in the slasher Dr. Giggles (1992). The former earned her a Young Artist Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
Her breakthrough came with the leading role of Piper Halliwell in the WB fantasy drama series Charmed (1998–2006), which introduced her to a wider audience. After appearing in a number of television films, she returned to attention with the role of Ella Montgomery in the Freeform drama thriller series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017). Her other projects include a 2015 Great American Country travel documentary series with Charmed costar Shannen Doherty, and a podcast titled House of Halliwell (2024–present).
Early life
Combs was born in San Diego, California, and is of Irish descent. At the time of her birth, her mother, Lauralei Combs was 15 years old, and her father was 17. feeling they were too young to make a marriage work.
While Combs was learning to walk, she fell and hit her head on a marble table, resulting in a noticeable 'split' at the top of her right eyebrow. She lived in 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 where she spent most of her growing years. Combs was 12 when her mother married her stepfather. In New York City, Combs attended Beekman Hill Elementary and then the Professional Children's School. In an interview when she was in Sydney, Australia, for Supanova Expo, she said that she was a certified scuba diver at 13.
Career
1985–1992: Career beginnings
thumb|upright|Combs at the [[43rd Primetime Emmy Awards|1993 Emmy Awards]]
When she was 14 years old, Combs landed her first major role in Sweet Hearts Dance (1988), a comedy drama film directed by Robert Greenwald. She played Debs Boon, the daughter of Wiley Boon (played by Don Johnson) and Sandra Boon (played by Susan Sarandon). Her next major role was in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July (1989), 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. 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. (ABC later made a version featuring Combs's former Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano.)
2010–present: Pretty Little Liars and beyond
thumb|upright|Combs in 2012
In 2010, Combs was cast in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars as Ella Montgomery, the mother of one of the main characters, Aria Montgomery (played by Lucy Hale). Combs was a series regular for the first three seasons, but became credited as a special guest star from season four onwards. Pretty Little Liars ended after seven seasons, and Combs returned for the show's final episode on June 27, 2017.
Combs and Doherty starred in their own road trip reality show Off the Map with Shannen & Holly, which premiered on Great American Country on January 2, 2015. The six-episode series followed the pair traveling across southeastern United States, with stops in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Viewers were able to vote on activities Doherty and Combs would partake in at each destination on Great American Country's official website.
Personal life
In 1993, Combs married actor Bryan Travis Smith; they divorced in 1997.
On February 14, 2004, she married her long time boyfriend and the former Charmed key-grip David Donoho. They have three sons together. In November 2011, she filed for divorce from Donoho, citing irreconcilable differences.
In 2016, Combs began dating restaurateur Mike Ryan. On September 3, 2017, Combs announced their engagement. On September 7, 2019, it was reported that they married in Carmel, California.
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Reality TV Shows
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2014
| Hell's Kitchen
| rowspan=2|Herself
| Season 12 Episode 6: "15 Chefs Compete"; Blue kitchen VIP guest
|-
|2015
|Off the Map with Shannen & Holly
|Great American Country reality series (6 episodes)
|}
Internet
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|2020
|Pretty Little Wine Moms Re-Watch
| rowspan="5" |Herself
|Episode: "The Pilot"
|-
|Homeward Bound: Surviving the Coronavirus
|Episode: "Wet Suits, Mary Poppins and Pretty Little Wine Moms"
|-
|2022–2023
|House of Halliwell
|Podcaster. Lead role
|-
|2023
|Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty
|2 Episodes
|-
|2024–present
|House of Halliwell
|Podcaster. Lead role
|-
|}
Producer
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|2002–06
|Charmed
|Producer
|90 episodes
|-
|2008
|Zack's Life
|Executive producer
|
|-
|2009
|Mistresses
|Co-producer
|Television film
|-
|2011
|Summer of Love
|Executive producer
|
|-
|2012
|"Naked in Venice"
|Producer
| rowspan=3|Music video by Radical Something
|-
| rowspan=2|2014
|"You Feel Amazing"
|Producer
|-
|"Pure"
|Producer
|-
|2015
|Off the Map with Shannen & Holly
|Executive producer
|Episode: "Kentucky Bourbon & Broncos"
|-
|2016
|Why Just One?
|Associate producer
|Documentary
|-
|2018
|Sharkwater Extinction
|Producer
|Documentary
|}
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Association
! Category
! Title of work
! Result
!class="unsortable" |Ref.
|-
| 1993
| rowspan=3|Young Artist Awards
| Best Young Actress in a New Television Series
| rowspan=2|Picket Fences
|
|
|-
| 1994
| Outstanding Youth Ensemble in a Television Series
| rowspan=6
|
|-
| rowspan=2|1995
| Best Performance by a Youth Actress in a TV Mini-Series or Special
| A Perfect Stranger
|
|-
| Screen Actors Guild Awards
| Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
| Picket Fences
|
|-
| rowspan=2| 2001
| rowspan=4| RATTY Awards
| Outstanding Ensemble in a Science Fiction Series
| rowspan=8| Charmed
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Outstanding Lead Actress in a Science Fiction Series
|-
| 2002
| rowspan=2| Best Science Fiction Lead Actress
|
|-
| 2003
|
|
|-
| 2007
| rowspan=2| AOL TV
| rowspan=2| Top TV Witches (Piper Halliwell)
| rowspan=2
|
|-
| 2008
|
|-
| 2011
| E! Online
| Top 10 Most Bitchin' Witches (Piper Halliwell)
| rowspan=2
|
|-
| 2016
| The Huffington Post
| Top 10 Greatest Witches of All Time (Piper Halliwell)
|
|-
|}