Kelly Rutherford wanted to be an actress during in her teens, but immediately after graduating high school, she moved to New York and began a career as a commercial model. She then worked her way to be a professional actress, landing her first TV role in the ABC soap “Loving” in 1987. The following year, she had a small role in the 1988 action flick “Shakedown.” In 1989, Kelly moved to Los Angeles and studied at the Beverly Hills Playhouse.

In 1991, Kelly Rutherford began to receive bigger roles after ABC hired her for its primetime drama “Homefront.” In early 1992, she starred in the CBS made-for-TV film “Breaking the Silence,” followed by a role in the western-comedy flick “The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.,” playing the role of Dixie Cousins. In 1994, Kelly Rutherford won the role of Kim in her first studio feature film in “I Love Trouble.” The following year, she appeared in two legal dramas – “The Great Defender” on Fox and “Courthouse” on CBS.

In 1996, Kelly Rutherford starred in the vampire series “Kindred: The Embrace.” However, it was her role as Megan Lewis on the high-rated Fox series “Melrose Place” that made Kelly Rutherford into a household name. She stayed on the show until its final season in May 1999. After Melrose Place, Kelly continued to appear on various TV programs, including the CBS soap “Sherman Oaks,” the TV adaptation of “The Fugitive,” and the Fox sitcom “Get Real.” In 2000, Kelly Rutherford appeared in the big-budget feature film “Scream 3,” but quickly moved back to the small screen after being cast in the made-for-TV film “Sally Hemings: An American Scandal.”

Between 2000 and 2001, Kelly Rutherford appeared in films such as “The Chaos Factor,” “The Tag,” and “Swimming Upstream,” starred in several made-for-TV films like “Acceptable Risk” and “Eastwick” and guest-starred on TV programs like “The Outer Limits” and “Night Visions.” In 2002, Kelly Rutherford made a six-episode appearance in “The District,” followed by a role in the CBS terrorist drama “Threat Matrix.” She continued to make her presence on primetime TV when NBC cast her in the Pentagon drama “E-Ring.” In 2007, Kelly Rutherford won a spot in the hit series “Gossip Girl,” where she played Lily van der Woodsen. During this time, she also appeared on the telefilm “Tell Me No Lies.”