Raven Symone | Success Story of the ‘That’s So Raven’ Actress

Raven Symone is an American actress, singer, and songwriter born on 10 December 1985 in Georgia, United States. She started her career by appearing as a child actress in The Cosby Show as Olivia Kendall and Nicole Lee on Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper. Both of the roles earned her various nominations and awards at a young age. At the age of 15, Raven was given the role of Raven Baxter in the Disney Channel original series That’s So Raven. The show was her first step toward success. She got nominations for various awards because of her role.

Early Life

Raven Symone was born on 10 December 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. She is the daughter of Lydia and Christopher Pearman. She grew up alongside a younger brother, Blaize.

When she was two, she worked with Ford Models in New York City and appeared in ads for Ritz crackers, Jell-O, Fisher-Price, and Cool Whip. At age three, her family moved to Ossining, New York, where she attended Park School.

Career Beginnings

In 1989, Raven Symone auditioned for a role in the Bill Cosby movie Ghost Dad. At the age of three, she was considered too young for the role, but Cosby liked her so much that he found a role for her on his show, The Cosby Show, as his step-granddaughter Olivia.

A year after The Cosby Show ended in 1993, Raven started playing Nicole Lee on the show Hangin’ With Mr. Copper. She made her first appearance on the show’s second season and remained till the finale in 1997. 

In 1998, Raven Symone starred in Eddie Murphy’s comedy movie Dr. Dolittle as Charisse Dolittle, the oldest daughter of the main character. The film was a blockbuster and grossed more than $294.5 million.

In The 2000s

In 2001, Raven Symone did an audition for a Disney series named Absolute Psychic, about a teenager with psychic abilities. She landed the role of Raven Baxter, and the series’ name changed to That’s So Raven. The series soon became Disney’s highest-rated show.

In 2003, Raven Symone starred in Disney Channel’s first musical ever, The Cheetah Girls as the lead singer Galleria Garibaldi. The movie is about four city girls who dream of becoming superstars and getting famous. The film also starred Adrienne Bailon as Chanel Simmons, Sabrina Bryan as Dorinda Thomas, and Kiely Williams as Aquanette Walker.

 She made an appearance in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement as Princess Asana, during which she sang a duet with Julie Andrews. It was her first film with Walt Disney Pictures and earned $134.7 million worldwide during its theatrical run.

Personal Life

In August 2013, Raven Symone commented on the legalization of same-sex marriage, stating that she was “excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage” and that it was “great to know can now, should wish to.”

From 2012 to 2015, she was dating actress and model AzMarie Livingstone. In June 2020, Raven got married to her social media manager Miranda Maday.

In 2013, she took a small break from acting to enroll at the Academy of Art University and earn an associate degree in fine arts. She completed it in 2016. 

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