Lorelai Gilmore's mother remains an offscreen and unvoiced character for the entire length of the show.
Lorelai Victoria Gilmore is a fictional character in the WB/CW television series Gilmore Girls , portrayed by actress Lauren Graham . Lorelai is a single mother of a teenage daughter , Rory ( Alexis Bledel ) . The dynamic of single parenthood and the tension between Lorelai and her wealthy parents , Richard ( Edward Herrmann ) and especially her controlling mother , Emily ( Kelly Bishop ) , form the main theme of the series story line . Subplots involve various financial difficulties , love interests and other domestic entanglements for both Lorelai and her daughter Rory .