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Holly Combs was born in San Diego, California; at the time, her mother, Lauralei Combs (nee Berckhem), was just 15 years old. Combs' biological parents married, but the two split up after two years, 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. It is reported that one of her teachers was Ernie Martin. Already, Combs' looks were turning heads and she landed many print ads and commercials. She soon grew to love acting, just like her mother had.
In 1993, Combs married Brian "Travis" Smith, but they divorced in 1997. Later, she became engaged to Storm Lyndon, but they split in 2000. Since 2001, Combs has lived with David W. Donoho, who worked as key grip on Charmed. They married on February 14, 2004, and had a son Finley Arthur Donoho on 26 April 2004 . On October 26, 2006, Combs gave birth to her second child, a boy named Riley Edward Donoho.
Combs is an animal lover, and counts three horses, five dogs, three cats, four rabbits and two lovebirds among her pets. When her first son was born, a turtle had to be given to a friend due to the salmonella risk.
Career
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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 immediately got the job. Picket Fences ran for four years, winning Combs critical acclaim and a Young Actor's award.
Combs was with her friend[citation needed] Shannen Doherty when she saw the pilot script for Charmed on the back seat, and 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 because they didn't "fit". Alyssa Milano and Combs both became producers for Charmed in the fifth season. For the last five seasons of Charmed, Combs played the oldest of the three sisters, while ironically she was the youngest of the three actresses.
Charmed debuted in 1998 and was a hit TV series, which ended in May 2006.
