Holly Marie Combs (born December 3rd, 1973) is an American actress. Her roles have included portrayals of Piper Halliwell in the popular American television series Charmed and Kimberly Brock in Picket Fences, for which she received a Young Artist Award.
Combs was born in San Diego, California. At the time of her birth, her mother, Lauralei Combs (n?e Berckhem),was fifteen years old and her father was seventeen.[1] Combs` biological parents married, but the two split up after two years,[2] 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, often having very little privacy, while her mom 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 of Acting.
Although she had a number of minor roles in the late 1980s, including a brief speaking part in Oliver Stone`s Born on the Fourth of July, Combs` major acting debut arrived in the 1992 TV drama series Picket Fences. She auditioned for the role of Kimberly while she was 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.[1] Picket Fences ran for four years, winning Combs critical acclaim and a Young Actor`s award.[3]
In 1992, Combs made her appearance in Simple Men, Chain of Desire, and Dr. Giggles, in which she plays its protagonist, the 19-year-old daughter of Cliff De Young`s character and boyfriend of Glenn Quinn`s character, Jennifer Campbell.
Combs was with her friend Shannen Doherty when Doherty was given the pilot script for Charmed. Doherty took Combs along to the audition when Combs said she wanted to take part in the audition. When they did, Combs auditioned for the role of Prue Halliwell and Doherty for Piper Halliwell, but they ended up switching roles. Alyssa Milano and Combs both became producers for Charmed in the fifth season.[4] For all eight seasons of Charmed - debuted in 1998 and was a hit TV series, which ended in May 2006), Holly Marie played the second oldest of the three sisters, then the eldest once Doherty left, even though she was the youngest of the four actresses.