Gazelle Magazine | Holly Marie Combs

Depending on your age, you may know Holly Marie Combs as Piper on “Charmed,” Ella Montgomery on “Pretty Little Liars,” maybe as Kimberly Brock on “Picket Fences,” or perhaps from a few movies along the way, including one in which the charming actress played a villain!

However you know her, you know her. She has a distinct look and an even more distinctive voice, and a knack for creating memorable characters.

Her real-life role is taking center stage with fiancè, Mike Ryan, and concentrating on special moments with family and friends. Combs has three sons, 10, 12 and 14, and a 16-year-old stepdaughter, so there’s always people around and something going on, which is just how she likes it. And right now, Ella Montgomery is the character she most identifies with because she is a mother, too. Do the children think of her as a star?

“I’m just Mom to them. They don’t pay attention to my career,” Combs said. “Or maybe if we go to the grocery store and someone says something to me, the kids are like, ‘oh, yeah.’ The two older boys have come to Comic Con events with me just to meet somebody cooler than me.”

She’s the first to admit that the acting life can take a toll on family life. “On ‘Charmed,’ we would put in 14-, 16-, even 18-hour days, six days a week for nine months of the year,” Combs said. “It was a lot. As the years went by, we figured out how to be more efficient and got it down to five days a week.”

She said in some ways, “Charmed” and “Pretty Little Liars” were ahead of their time. “But my second pregnancy in ‘Charmed’ was deemed ‘not sexy.’” With her first pregnancy on the show, she was not really pregnant. The second one, she was, so it couldn’t be helped, sexy or not.

“And it was tough to keep up, working until I was nine months pregnant. I would fall dead asleep in a chair,” she said.

But there are still commitments that Combs makes for her career, and one of those is staying true to fans who come to see Piper or Ella at events like Wizard World St. Louis, when she will represent “Charmed,” along with co-stars Brian Krause (who played her husband) and Drew Fuller (who played her son).

“We have gone all over the U.S. and the world doing Comic Cons, and people are still big fans of ‘Pretty Little Liars’ and ‘Charmed,’” Combs said. “One event in Portland was really crazy, and we ended up bowling with fans.”

Combs won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a New Television Series, a Best Science Fiction Lead Actress RATTY Award, and was named the third top television witch ever.

While professional recognition is one thing, she didn’t realize until she did the comic and wizard events, and had a chance to sit down and really talk with fans, just how much the characters and shows meant to them on a personal basis.

“People tell me they watched the shows with family members, or watched when they were anxious about something and wanted an escape, or watching ‘Charmed’ was when a mom spent time with her daughter. The stories go on and on, and they really make me smile,” she said.

Whether it’s her hidden super powers or luck, Combs has had somewhat of a charmed life and career (no pun intended). Combs’ mother was only 17 when she had her, and in her mid-20s, she was taking a young Holly along with her to acting auditions. Holly observed and began to get the idea.

“According to my mom, I was bossy and critical,” Combs said. “We would talk, and I would give her pointers. She said, ‘If it’s so easy, why don’t you try it.’ And I did.”

Her mom became a singer and musician, while Combs took to the acting trail, landing her first role at the age of 10. Her first film, “Sweet Hearts Dance” came along at 13.

Is there a role she considered “the one that got away?”

“Losing a role is hard on the ego, but I always convinced myself that the ones I didn’t get were meant for those who did get them,” she said.

Nowadays, she spends a lot of time at home with her fiancè (who is in the restaurant business) and the four children.

“We have lots of animals, and Mike and I set aside date nights, but we usually end up inviting a kid or two to go with us,” she said. “I’m just trying to grasp all the time I can with them. Time is every mom’s struggle.”

Combs is a supporter of St. Jude’s Hospital and has been invited to visit the St. Louis facility when she comes to town for the wizard event. As an animal lover, she’s also a supporter of Sea Shepherd that works for the conservation of orca whales.

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