Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday (née Pearman; born December 10, 1985), known professionally as either Raven-Symoné or simply Raven, is an American actress, singer-songwriter, rapper, comedian, television producer, and model. She launched her successful career in 1989 after appearing on The Cosby Show as Olivia and released her debut album, Here's to New Dreams, in 1993. Raven-Symoné appeared in several successful television series, such as Hangin' with Mr. Cooper in the mid to late 1990s. In 2003, she went on to star in the highly successful Disney Channel series That's So Raven, which launched her career to new heights. During her time on That's So Raven, Raven-Symoné released her third studio album, This Is My Time (2004), which went on to become her best-selling solo album to date. She transitioned to a film career, starring in several films aimed at teen audiences such as The Cheetah Girls, The Cheetah Girls 2 (in which she was the executive producer), and College Road Trip. Raven has also lent her voice to Kim Possible (as Kim's best friend Monique) and films such as Tinker Bell (for the character Iridessa). She also owns a "how-to" video web site called "Raven-Symoné Presents".
In 2012, she announced via Twitter that she's a lesbian
. From 2012 to 2015 she dated actress AzMarie Livingston. She married Miranda Maday, a social media manager, in June of 2020.
Selected Films:
- Dr. Dolittle (1998) and Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) as Charisse
- Zenon series (1999 and 2004) as Nebula
- The Princess Diaries 2 (2004) as Princess Asana
- Fat Albert (2004) as Danielle
- The Cheetah Girls (2003) and The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006) as Galleria
- College Road Trip (2008) as Melanie Porter
- Disney Fairies franchise (since 2008) as Iridessa
- Revenge of the Bridesmaids (TV movie, 2010) as Abigail Scanlon
Television:
- The Cosby Show (1989-1992) as Olivia
- Queen (1993) as Queen, age 4
- Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1993-1997) as Nicole Lee
- Kim Possible (2002-2007) as Monique (voice)
- That's So Raven (2003-2007)
- State of Georgia (2011)
- Empire (2015)
- Blackish (2015-2016)
- The View (2015-2016)
- Raven's Home (2017-present)
- Big City Greens (2018) as Maria Media (voice)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2015) (2019) as Valkyrie (voice)
Discography:
- Here's to New Dreams (1993)
- Undeniable (1999)
- This Is My Time (2004)
- Raven-Symoné (2008)
Tropes:
- Advertised Extra: She has a small role in The Princess Diaries 2, but it is admittedly significant for singing with Julie Andrews, so it was hyped up in advertising, and she even hosted a behind the scenes special on the Disney Channel promoting it.
- Big-Breast Pride: When she was interviewed by Wendy Williams, at least.
- Cast the Runner-Up: She was actually auditioning for the role of Chelsea Daniels, but they ended up casting her in the lead role. The show was going to be called Absolutely Psychic, but changed to That's So Raven.
- The Cast Show Off: Many of her roles have required her to sing, such as The Princess Diaries 2, The Cheetah Girls and a Musical Episode of That's So Raven.
- The Danza: Famously as Raven Baxter.
- Dyeing for Your Art: She had to gain weight for her role in the TV movie For One Night.
- Friendship on the Set: She and Annelisse van der Pol became instant friends, and the latter was one of the few people to know she was gay from the beginning.
- Hostility on the Set: She did not appear in the third Cheetah Girls film because the other three actresses had spent more time together in the defictionalised group, and she felt "excluded" and "ostracised" on the set of the second film.
- I Am Not Spock: Given that she has played Raven Baxter in two series at different points in her life, it's safe to say that's who she's best known as.
- Playing Against Type: Known for light comedies and sitcoms, she starred in the Lifetime movie For One Night, a drama about racial segregation.
- Sassy Black Woman: Fairly common in most of her roles.
- What Could Have Been:
- Due to the unexpected popularity of The Cheetah Girls, a potential spin-off series was talked about, but it never happened because Raven couldn't work on two shows at the same time.
- She lobbied for the role of Effie in Dreamgirls, but it was given to Jennifer Hudson, who then won an Oscar for it.
