Cast » Ivy Sullivan

Ivy Sullivan is played by Gillian Zinser. Ivy Sullivan is a blonde tomboy surfer chick, student at West Beverly Hills High School and lives in a huge house at Topanga Canyon. She is very sensitive and hates being underestimated. When she first met Liam, the two got in a fight when they have a car accident. They later reconcile at a Halloween Party and start to be friends. She starts to develop feelings for him, but she is desperate when he only sees a good friend in her and will tries to catch his attention. Teddy sees that she has a crush on Liam but she will not admit it. After a party, at Liam's basement, the two kiss and start a discreet love story, Ivy helps him overcome his nemesis, Jen Clark. Liam eventually asks her to a dance, but it soon becomes apparent that has his eyes set on fellow student Naomi Clark. Ivy then decides it is best for her and Liam to merely be friends, assisting him in his pursuit of Naomi by texting her to go and see Liam. She is devastated after losing the man she loved. Later, Naomi and Ivy try to form a friendly relationship of their own which proves difficult when they don't share the same interests at all. The two girls get in a fight on the beach and start to hate each other. After losing Liam for good, Ivy is comforted by her mom Laurel Cooper, a music producer. Later, she starts fake dating with Dixon, as the two feel left out, they kiss to prove to Naomi that they are really dating. Dixon develops some feelings for Ivy but she wants to break up as she thinks she still has a chance with Liam. Later Liam tells her that he and she will never be together again. Then later in the episode Ivy decides to give Dixon a shot and go on a real date with him. Now that Ivy knows that she and Liam will never be, she is able to move on. With Dixon's gambling issues their first date is catastrophic and Ivy begins to ask herself if Dixon is really the guy for her. Their relationship recovers when Dixon is invited to Australia in the episode before the season finale.

In season 3, Ivy returns from Australia with an old friend, Oscar, who Dixon becomes immediately jealous of. After being dumped by Dixon in episode 5 she lost her virginity to Oscar, later finding out he was also sleeping with her mother Laurel. Dixon and Ivy later reconcile but he discovers that Ivy slept with Oscar so he dumps her again. Then, Oscar tries to go out with Naomi but Naomi and Ivy make a plan to put Oscar on total embarrasment in front of everyone at a party by stealing his clothes when he went skinny dipping. Naomi (along with her gang) and Ivy become really good friends after that

In 2011, Gillian Zinser will star in the MTV movie thriller "The Truth Below," as the sole leading female in a cast of men. Zinser plays a confident 18-year-old whose world is upended, first by romantic misunderstandings, then by a crash that leaves her and three friends trapped under an avalanche.

Zinser's other credits include "Southland," "Cold Case" and "Cupid."

Zinser graduated from NYU and currently divides her time between Venice, California, and New York.