Anneliese van der Pol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anneliese van der Pol
van der Pol in March 2019
Born	Anneliese Louise van der Pol (1984-09-23) September 23, 1984 (age 40) Naaldwijk, Netherlands
Citizenship	Netherlands United States
Education	Orange County High School of the Arts
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1990–present
Spouse(s)	Johnno Wilson ​ (m. 2024)​

Anneliese Louise van der Pol (born September 23, 1984) is a talented actress and singer from the Netherlands, who now lives in the United States. She is most famous for playing Chelsea Daniels in the popular Disney Channel TV show That's So Raven (from 2003 to 2007). She also returned to this role in the spin-off series Raven's Home (from 2017 to 2022). Anneliese has recorded several songs with Disney Channel, including "Over It," which was part of the Stuck in the Suburbs movie soundtrack.

Besides her work with Disney, Anneliese van der Pol has had a big career in theater. A highlight was when she played Belle in the Broadway musical Beauty and the Beast.

Anneliese's Early Life and Career Beginnings

Anneliese van der Pol was born in Naaldwijk, Netherlands. Her father, Willem van der Pol, is Dutch, and her mother, Dyan Ross, is American. Anneliese's mother named her after Anne Frank, a famous historical figure. Anneliese has two older sisters, Rachel and Sarah. Her family moved to the United States when she was three years old. She holds citizenship in both America and the Netherlands.

Anneliese started acting in third grade at Washington Elementary School in Bellflower, California. She later went to the well-known Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, California, where she graduated in 2002.

In 1999, Anneliese played Sandy in a play called Grease. For this role, she won an award for "Best Actress in a Musical." She also played Eva Perón in the musical Evita in 1999. She received great reviews for this role. At just fifteen years old, she was the youngest actress to play Eva Perón in a professional show. From 2000 to 2001, Anneliese starred as Laurey in a musical production of Oklahoma! in Austin, Texas. Her performance earned her nominations for "Best Actress in a Musical."

Becoming a Disney Star and Broadway Debut

From 2003 to 2007, Anneliese van der Pol became a familiar face to many as Chelsea Daniels in the Disney Channel series That's So Raven. In 2006, she took part in the first Disney Channel Games. She also had a guest voice role in the cartoon Kim Possible.

In 2004, Anneliese recorded the song "Over It" for the Disney Channel movie Stuck in the Suburbs. This song became the main song from the movie's soundtrack. She also recorded "A Day in the Sun" for the That's So Raven Too! album. Anneliese has been involved in other Disney music projects too. She sang "Circle of Life" for a special edition of The Lion King DVD. She also sang "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" for the Cinderella: Special Edition DVD. Her song "Candle on the Water" from Pete's Dragon was featured on DisneyMania 4.

Anneliese also had a supporting role in the movie Bratz: The Movie as a character named Avery.

Anneliese van der Pol as Belle in Beauty and the Beast

In 2007, Anneliese made her big debut on Broadway. She played Belle in the musical Beauty and the Beast. She was the 17th and final actress to play Belle in this long-running show. She performed the role from April 3, 2007, until the show's final performance on July 29, 2007. During her time as Belle, Anneliese also performed songs from the show at Bryant Park's Broadway in Bryant Park event. She also appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly to talk about her Broadway experience and perform a song from the musical.

In 2008, Anneliese took on the role of Kathy in a new musical called Vanities, A New Musical. She first played this role during the musical's previews in Pasadena, California. The show later moved Off-Broadway in New York City in 2009. She also recorded the Original Cast Album for the musical.

In 2009, Anneliese starred as Esther Smith in the Meet Me in St. Louis production. She also made a guest appearance on a web-series called The Battery's Down.

Recent Projects and Raven's Home

Anneliese van der Pol appeared in the spoof film Vampires Suck in 2010, which was based on the Twilight series. She played Jennifer, the main character's new best friend. She also appeared in the thriller film Cats Dancing on Jupiter.

Anneliese returned to television as a guest star in the NBC series Friends with Benefits. She also made a guest appearance on the Disney Channel show Shake It Up in 2011. She played Ronnie, a former dancer.

Throughout 2011 and 2012, Anneliese was part of the 'For the Record' series of concerts. These shows featured songs and scenes from famous films by directors like Quentin Tarantino and John Hughes. She recorded the first cast album for For the Record: Tarantino.

From 2012 to 2013, she played the lead role of Emma Woodhouse in the Arizona Theatre Company's musical production of Emma. She also returned to the Arizona Theatre Company in 2013 to play Gwendolyn Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest. In 2014, she played Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie.

On November 14, 2016, it was announced that Anneliese van der Pol would return to her role as Chelsea Daniels. She reprised the role for the second That's So Raven spin-off series, Raven's Home. The show premiered on July 21, 2017. She was a main cast member for the first four seasons and a special guest star in season five.

Anneliese's Personal Life

Anneliese van der Pol married her Raven's Home co-star, Johnno Wilson, in Santa Barbara, California on December 11, 2024. They had announced their engagement on December 23, 2023. On June 27, 2025, Anneliese and Johnno shared the happy news that they were expecting their first child.

Anneliese's Film and TV Roles

Film Appearances

Television Appearances

Anneliese's Stage Performances

Anneliese's Music Recordings

Cast Recordings

Soundtracks and Other Songs

Awards and Recognitions

See also

In Spanish: Anneliese van der Pol para niños