Amber Riley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Amber Riley
Riley at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Amber Patrice Riley (1986-02-15) February 15, 1986 (age 39) Compton, California, U.S.
Other names	RILEY
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	2002–present
Musical career
Genres	Broadway pop R&B gospel
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	RBMG East West Records Warner Music
Associated acts	Leading Ladies

Amber Patrice Riley (born February 15, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She is also known by her stage name, RILEY. She is most famous for playing Mercedes Jones in the TV show Glee from 2009 to 2015.

For her role in Glee, Amber was nominated for three NAACP Image Awards. She also won a Screen Actors Guild Award with the rest of the cast. As part of Glee, her songs appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 chart many times. She was even nominated for a Grammy Award.

In 2016, Amber played the main role of Effie White in the musical Dreamgirls in London. She won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for this role in 2017.

Amber also won season 17 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013. In 2017, she became a judge on the TV show Let It Shine. She also formed a music group called Leading Ladies with Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson. Their first album, Songs from the Stage, came out in 2017. Amber has also competed on both the American and British versions of The Masked Singer.

Early Life: Where Did Amber Riley Grow Up?

Amber Riley was born in Los Angeles County, California. She has two older sisters, Toiya and Ashley. When she was 17, Amber tried out for American Idol, but the producers did not choose her. She finished high school at La Mirada High School in 2004.

Amber Riley's Career Journey

Breaking Through with Glee (2009–2019)

Riley at a Toys for Tots event in December 2009

In 2008, Amber was chosen to play Mercedes Jones in the TV show Glee. She was a main cast member for most of the show's six seasons. Amber sang many solo songs on Glee, including "Respect" and "I Will Always Love You". She also played Dr. Frank-N-Furter in an episode called "The Rocky Horror Glee Show". For her role as Mercedes, she won a Screen Actors Guild Award. She was also nominated for NAACP Image Awards and Teen Choice Awards.

In 2010, Amber appeared at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. She also sang the national anthem at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. In 2014, Amber and her sister Ashley started an online clothing store called Rileyland Fashions. Amber's first song, "Colorblind", came out in April 2014. She also sang this song on Glee.

In 2015, Amber acted in a Christmas TV movie. She also played Addaperle in NBC's live show of The Wiz. In 2016, it was announced that Amber would play Effie White in the musical Dreamgirls in London. She also sang the national anthem at a hockey game in 2016.

In 2017, Amber formed the group Leading Ladies with Beverley Knight and Cassidy Janson. Their album, Songs from the Stage, came out in November 2017. It included songs from musicals like Cats and Rent.

In 2019, she played Audrey II, the singing plant, in the musical Little Shop of Horrors.

Winning Dancing with the Stars

In 2013, Amber won the 17th season of ABC's dance show Dancing with the Stars. Her dance partner was Derek Hough, who had won the show many times. Amber and Derek had very high scores throughout the competition. They even tied the record for the highest first-week score. Amber is the first African-American woman to win Dancing with the Stars.

Amber Riley's Music and Recent Work (2020–Present)

On February 28, 2020, Amber shared that she had finished recording songs for her first music collection. She decided to perform under the name "RILEY". Her first song as RILEY, "A Moment", was released on September 4, 2020. The song "BGE" (which means 'big girl energy') came out on September 18. Her music collection, RILEY, was released on October 2, 2020, with six songs.

In 2022, Amber won season eight of The Masked Singer as "Harp". In 2023, she competed on the British version of The Masked Singer UK as "Jellyfish" and finished in fourth place.

In February 2023, she announced that her first solo album would be released later that year. In December 2023, Amber sang "Chim Chim Cher-ee" from the movie Mary Poppins on a TV special for Dick Van Dyke.

Film and Television Roles

Stage Performances

Music by Amber Riley

Extended Plays

Singles

Guest Appearances

Amber Riley has also sung on songs with other artists:

Soundtrack Songs

Amber Riley has also sung many songs for movie and TV show soundtracks, especially for Glee:

Awards and Nominations

Amber Riley has won several awards and been nominated for many others:

See Also

In Spanish: Amber Riley para niños