Raven Symone Biography

Raven, actress/singer

Birthdate: December 10, 1985

Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia

Sign: Sagittarius

Raven-Symone Christina Pearman was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Lydia and Christopher Pearman. She had started her modeling career as an infant, appearing in local print advertisements. At two, she was signed with Ford Models in New York and appeared in product ads.

In 1989, she landed a part in "The Cosby Show" as Olivia after her execs thought she was too young at age 3 for a role in the film "Ghost Dad." A year later after the series ended in 1992, she was then cast in the ABC sitcom "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper."

She had a small appearance in the 1994 film "Little Rascals" as one of the gang's girlfriend. In 1998, she was cast, alongside Eddie Murphy, in the comedy film "Dr. Dolittle" as the daughter. She reprised her role in the 2001 sequel "Dr. Dolittle 2."

In 2002, she auditioned for the upcoming Disney Channel series "Absolutely Psychic." She was initially cast as the best friend but the show execs decided to give her the lead character and changed the title to "That's So Raven." The show became the network's highest-rated and longest-running series.

She was cast as lead singer Galleria Garibaldi in "The Cheetah Girls," another Disney production movie. It became another success and had further established her Disney fan base. She reprised her role in the film's sequel in 2006, which also became a huge success. She also served as its executive producer.

When "The Cheetah Girls 3" started production in 2008, she shunned the opportunity to reprise her role, citing strained friendship with the other girls in the cast.

Raven, as she is often called by the public, also experienced success with her music career. Her debut album Here's to New Dreams, released in 1993, spawned hit singles. She currently has 4 studio albums, and it will be followed with a 5th one in 2009.

She was nominated numerously and won several times for her acting performance. Some of the awards she received was the 1991 Exceptional Performance by a Young Actress by the Young Artist Award, Favorite TV Actress by Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2004, and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series by Black Reel in 2004 just to name a few.