Rachael Leigh Cook Husband: Who Is She Married To? (2026)

Rachael Leigh Cook, the actress best known for She's All That (1999) and Josie and the Pussycats (2001), was married to actor Daniel Gillies for nearly 15 years before their divorce was finalized in 2021.

Who Is Daniel Gillies?

Daniel Gillies is a Canadian-born, New Zealand-raised actor best known for playing Elijah Mikaelson on The Vampire Diaries and its spin-off The Originals. His other screen credits include Spider-Man 2, Captivity, Saving Hope, The Glades, and True Blood. Gillies also works behind the camera: he wrote and directed the independent film Broken Kingdom (2012), in which Cook starred opposite him.

Cook and Gillies met in 2003 at a bar in Hollywood through a mutual friend, a costume designer Cook had once worked with. Cook has said they got engaged after dating for about five months and married a couple of months later.

Marriage Timeline

Cook married Gillies on August 8, 2004. The couple both appeared in the 2005 TNT miniseries Into the West. In June 2019, after 15 years of marriage, Cook announced via Instagram that the couple had mutually decided to separate. Their divorce was finalized in 2021.

In a 2018 interview with HuffPost, Cook praised her then-husband's work ethic, saying, "My husband is really inspiring. He works harder than anybody I've ever met." As of July 2025, Cook has been reported to be dating actor Brandon Routh.

Children

Cook and Gillies have two children together. Their daughter, Charlotte Easton Gillies, was born on September 28, 2013. Their son, Theodore Vigo Sullivan Gillies, was born on April 4, 2015. Cook announced her first pregnancy in May 2013, noting that the couple had intentionally waited nearly a decade into their marriage to start a family so they could focus on their careers and travel.

Career Highlights

Born October 4, 1979, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Rachael Leigh Cook began her career as a child model before breaking out as Laney Boggs in She's All That (1999). She starred in Josie and the Pussycats (2001) and later headlined the TNT crime drama Perception (2012-2015), appearing in 39 episodes opposite Eric McCormack.

Cook is also a prolific voice actress, most notably voicing Tifa Lockhart in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and several video games, Jaesa Willsaam in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and various roles on Robot Chicken. She produced and starred in the Netflix romantic comedy Love, Guaranteed (2020) and became a regular lead in Hallmark Channel films including Autumn in the Vineyard, Summer in the Vineyard, and A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas.

In 2011, she was selected by the Obama administration as a Champion of Change for Arts Education. For more on her husband's own acting career, see our profile of Daniel Gillies.

FAQ

Who was Rachael Leigh Cook's husband?

Rachael Leigh Cook was married to actor Daniel Gillies from 2004 to 2021.

When did Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies get married?

They married on August 8, 2004, after a brief dating period of roughly five to six months.

How many children do Rachael Leigh Cook and Daniel Gillies have?

Two: daughter Charlotte Easton Gillies (born September 28, 2013) and son Theodore Vigo Sullivan Gillies (born April 4, 2015).

Is Rachael Leigh Cook married in 2026?

As of 2026, Cook is divorced from Daniel Gillies. Reports from July 2025 linked her romantically to actor Brandon Routh, but she has not publicly remarried.

What is Daniel Gillies known for?

He is best known for playing Elijah Mikaelson on The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, as well as roles in Spider-Man 2 and Saving Hope.