Raven-Symoné
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| Raven-Symoné | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information
<tr><td>Birth name</td><td colspan="2">Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman</td></tr><tr><td>Born</td><td colspan="2">December 10 1985 (age 24)</td></tr><tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Image:Flag of the United States.svg Atlanta, Georgia, United States</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">R&B, pop</td></tr><tr><td>Occupation(s)</td><td colspan="2">Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, television producer</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1989–present (acting) |
Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman (born December 10, 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American actress, R&B and pop singer, songwriter, dancer, and television producer, best known for her roles as Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show and her own show That's So Raven as Raven Baxter. She is professionally known as Raven and Raven-Symoné. "Symoné" is always pronounced without the accent at the end, despite the spelling.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life and acting career
As a baby, Raven worked for Atlanta's Young Faces Inc. Modeling agency and was featured in local print advertisements. At age two, she worked with Ford Models, Inc. in New York City and appeared in ads for Ritz crackers, Jell-O, Fisher-Price, and Cool Whip.
At age three, she auditioned for the film Ghost Dad. She was too young for the role, but was recommended for a part in The Cosby Show, eventually being cast as Olivia in February 1989. After the series ended, Raven released her debut album in 1993 called Here's to New Dreams, which featured the single "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of". That year, she also joined the cast of ABC's sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper as Nicole, the daughter of Mark Curry's character Mark Cooper's cousin.
Raven had a role in 1998's Dr. Dolittle, and returned in 2001 for the first sequel as well. In 1999, she starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century as Nebula, the best friend of the title character played by Kirsten Storms. In between her starring roles, Raven attended the North Springs High School, an Arts and Science high school in Sandy Springs, Georgia; though she left to go on to Dr. Dolittle 2, she is an honorary graduate of the school.
Starting in 2003, Raven starred in the Disney Channel Original Series That's So Raven as Raven Baxter, a teenager with psychic abilities; it became Disney's highest-rated and longest running series and spawned successful product spinoffs, including soundtracks (featuring songs by Raven), episode DVDs, and video games. In 2005, the show was nominated for an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Children's Program". In 2003, Raven was featured in another Disney Channel Original Movie, The Cheetah Girls, and its popular and successful soundtrack. She also starred in The Cheetah Girls 2, the sequel to The Cheetah Girls. She has also appeared in the 2004's films Zenon: Z3, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and Fat Albert. In 2006, she starred in the Lifetime's film For One Night.Raven will be staring as Sparkle Williams in the remake of Sparkle coming in 2008 or 2009.
Raven also has her own production company, That So Productions,<ref>[1]</ref> which co-produced the entire fourth (and final) season of That's So Raven.
[edit] Music career
Raven-Symoné's debut album, Here's to New Dreams, was released on June 22, 1993. It spawned two commercially-released singles: "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" and "Raven Is the Flavor". "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" was Raven's most successful single – it hit number sixty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100, forty-seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, forty-three on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales, and thirty-nine on the Rhythmic Top 40. Sales were disappointing; 35,000 units to date in the U.S. and over 150,000 worldwide. Her record company shortened her contract as a result of poor sales.
On May 4, 1999, Raven released her second album, Undeniable. It had three official singles: "Bounce", "Lean on Me", and "With a Child's Heart". To date, the album has sold 100,000 copies in the U.S. and over 350,000 worldwide. In 2000, MCA Records, her label, dropped her from their roster. The Undeniable album was bought up by TMG Records, who re-issued the album in November of 2006 under the title From Then Until. In early 2003, she signed a deal with Hollywood Records, which also features fellow Disney Channel stars Aly & AJ and Hilary Duff.
On September 21, 2004, she released her third album This Is My Time. It featured R&B flavors and pop rock songs and one song from a film soundtrack she was featured on. The album spawned the more successful hits "Backflip", "Bump", "Grazing in the Grass" (which was featured on the soundtrack to The Lion King 1½), and the title track "This Is My Time" (included on the soundtrack to The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement). The album debuted and peaked at number fifty-one on the Billboard 200 selling 20,000 copies in its first week of release, becoming her most successful album yet. This Is My Time has sold circa 500,000 copies worldwide.
In 2006, Raven embarked on her first solo tour to promote the album and her many soundtrack songs from Disney films and shows. She is currently working on her fourth album, which is to be released December 19, 2006; according to rumors, the album is called Fly Like a Raven and will include the single "Gravity". It was found that "Gravity" may be replaced for the first single for a more up-beat song. Two songs that could replace "Gravity" are "(Life In) The Public Eye" or "Up in Here". This album was commonlly mistaken for the re-release of Undeniable entitled From Then Until, until it was seen that it was not her fourth studio album.
[edit] Discography
- Further information: Raven-Symoné discography
[edit] Albums
 June 22, 1993 <center>#67 AUS, #98 GER, #123 JPN |
 May 4, 1999 <center>#56 AUS, #34 JPN |
September 21, 2004 <center>#51 U.S., #50 U.S. R&B, #25 CAN |
 November 14, 2006 <center> |
 December 2006 <center>TBR |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" | Here's to New Dreams |
| "Raven Is the Flavor" | ||
| 1999 | "With a Child's Heart" | Undeniable |
| 2004 | "Backflip" | This Is My Time |
| 2005 | "Bump" | |
| "Grazing in the Grass" |
[edit] Selected filmography
[edit] Films
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sparkle | Sparkle Williams |
| 2008 | Adventures in Babysitting | Chris Parker |
| 2008 | Madagascar 2 | Fra the Leopard (voice) |
| 2006 | The Cheetah Girls 2 | Galleria Garibaldi |
| 2006 | Everyone's Hero | Marti |
| 2006 | For One Night | Brianna McCallister |
| 2005 | Kim Possible: So the Drama | Monique (voice) |
| 2004 | Fat Albert | Danielle (voice) |
| 2004 | The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement | Asana |
| 2004 | Zenon: Z3 | Nebula Wade |
| 2003 | Kim Possible: A Sitch in Time | Monique (present) (voice) |
| 2003 | The Cheetah Girls | Galleria Garibaldi |
| 2001 | Dr. Dolittle 2 | Charisse Dolittle |
| 1999 | Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century | Nebula Wade |
| 1998 | Dr. Dolittle | Charisse Dolittle |
| 1994 | The Little Rascals | Stymie's girlfriend |
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The Suite Life of Zack and Cody | Raven Baxter | Three-way crossover episodes of That's So Raven, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Hannah Montana |
| 2005 | Higglytown Heroes | Playground Monitor Hero (voice) | "Wayne's Ripping Adventure/Meet Eubie's Cousin" (episode 14, season 1) |
| 2004 | Fillmore! | Maryanne Greene (voice) Alexandria Quarry (voice) | "Code Name: Electric Haircut" (episode 9, season 2) "Field Trip of the Just (2004)" (episode 12, season 2) |
| 2003–2007 | That's So Raven | Raven Baxter | |
| 2002–2006 | Kim Possible | Monique (voice) | Recurring character |
| 2001 | The Proud Family | Stephanie (voice) | "Seven Days Of Kwanzaa" (episode 11, season 1) |
| 2001 | My Wife and Kids | Charmaine | "Mom's Away (Part 1)" (episode 1, season 2) "Mom's Away (Part 2)" (episode 2, season 2) |
| 1995 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | Goldilocks (voice) | "The Prince and the Pauper" |
| 1993–1997 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Nicole Lee | Seasons 2–5 |
| 1993 | Queen: The Story of an American Family | 5-year-old Queen | |
| 1993 | Blindsided | Singer | |
| 1992 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Claudia | "Vying for Attention" (episode 21, season 2) |
| 1990 | The Muppets at Walt Disney World | Young girl | TV special |
| 1989–1992 | The Cosby Show | Olivia Kendall | Seasons 6–8 |
| 1989 | A Different World | Olivia Kendall | "Forever Hold Your Peace" (episode 5, season 3) |
| Star Search | Herself |
[edit] Awards and nominations
[edit] 1991
Wins
- Young Artist Awards: "Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress" (The Cosby Show)
[edit] 2004
Wins
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards: "Favorite TV Actress" (That's So Raven)
- NAACP Image Awards: "Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special (That's So Raven)
Nominations
- BET Comedy Awards: "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" (That's So Raven)
- Teen Choice Awards: "Choice TV Actress - Comedy" (That's So Raven)
[edit] 2005
Wins
- Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards: "Favorite TV Actress" (That's So Raven)
- NAACP Image Awards: "Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special" (That's So Raven)
Nominations
- BET Comedy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series - That's So Raven
- Teen Choice Awards: Choice TV Actress - Comedy - That's So Raven
[edit] 2006
Wins
- NAACP Image Awards: "Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special" (That's So Raven)
- NAACP Junior Achievement Award: "Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series/Special" (That's So Raven)
Nominations
- Teen Choice Awards: "Choice TV Actress - Comedy" (That's So Raven)
- Kid's Choice Awards: "Favorite TV Actress - "That's So Raven"
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Raven's page on Hollywood Records website
- Raven-Symoné at All Music Guide
- Raven-Symoné at the Internet Movie Database
| Raven-Symoné</font> |
| Discography |
|---|
| Here's to New Dreams | Undeniable | This Is My Time | Fly like a Raven |
| Filmography & TV Appearances |
| Awards & Nominations |
| Related |
| The Cheetah Girls |
de:Raven-Symoné Pearman es:Raven-Symoné fr:Raven-Symoné id:Raven-Symoné it:Raven-Symoné lt:Raven-Symone pt:Raven-Symoné sv:Raven-Symoné
Categories: 1985 births | African-American actors | African-American singers | African-American singer-songwriters | American actor-singers | American child actors | American child singers | American comedians | American dancers | American film actors | American pop singers | American rhythm and blues singers | American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters | American television actors | American television producers | American voice actors | The Cheetah Girls actors | Disney Channel actors | Disney voice actors | Georgia (U.S. state) musicians | Hollywood Records artists | Kids' Choice Awards winners | Living people | People from Atlanta | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody actors | That's So Raven actors | Zenon actors
