She is known for her roles in the 1989 films Teen Witch and The Karate Kid Part III, as well as the TV shows Doogie Howser, M.D., Twin Peaks, Savannah, and Saving Grace.

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.

This situation caused romantic scenes between Jessica and Daniel to be rewritten so that the pair only developed a close friendship.

[5] 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.

[6] At 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".