Lively began her career as a child actress: at age six, she made her screen debut in the television movie
Summer of My German Soldier in 1978. Throughout the 1980s, Lively appeared in several television shows including
Silver Spoons,
Punky Brewster and
Starman. She appeared in the feature films
Wildcats,
The Karate Kid Part III,
Teen Witch, and
Not Quite Human. After being cast as
Jessica Andrews in
The Karate Kid Part III in 1989, producers were forced to modify Lively's role of protagonist
Daniel LaRusso's new love interest because she was only 16 at the time of filming and still a
minor while
Ralph Macchio was 27 (although his character Daniel is 17). This situation caused romantic scenes between Jessica and Daniel to be rewritten so that the pair only developed a close friendship. In 2022, Lively reprised her role as Jessica Andrews in the fifth season of
Cobra Kai, where it is revealed that Daniel is married to her cousin, Amanda. At age 19, Lively was nominated for a
Daytime Emmy Award for her performance as an insecure teen in the 1991
ABC Afterschool Special episode "Less Than Perfect Daughter". In the 1990s, Lively had recurring roles on
Twin Peaks,
Doogie Howser, M.D., and
Chicago Hope. In 1996, she appeared as Lane McKenzie, one of three lead characters in the short-lived
WB drama Savannah. In 2003, Lively played
NCIS Special Agent Vivian Blackadder in the
JAG episodes "
Ice Queen" and "Meltdown" (the
backdoor pilot for
NCIS). Five years later, Lively appeared alongside
Holly Hunter in an episode of
Saving Grace and also had a role in
Cold Case. In 2010, she appeared alongside
Twin Peaks costars in the
Dual Spires episode of
Psych and starred in the TV series ''
Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street'' for
Amazon Studios as Gortimer Gibbon's mother, Claire. In 2020, Lively starred in the thriller
Through the Glass Darkly which premiered at the
Frameline Film Festival on September 19, 2020. She appeared in the 2024
romantic drama film,
It Ends with Us as Ms. Byland. The film starred and was produced by her sister, Blake. ==Personal life==