Ashley Rickards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ashley Rickards
Ashley Rickards in 2014
Born	Ashley Nicole Rickards Sarasota, Florida, U.S.
Occupation	Actress director
Years active	2005–present

Ashley Nicole Rickards is an American actress. She is well-known for playing Jenna Hamilton in the MTV comedy-drama series Awkward. She also played Samantha "Sam" Walker, a troubled young girl, in The CW's teen drama series One Tree Hill. In 2011, she starred as Mandy, an autistic girl, in the independent film Fly Away.

Early Life and Acting Career

Ashley Rickards was born in Sarasota, Florida. She grew up on a horse farm that helped children with special needs. At age 13, she first tried acting in an opera at her local Montessori school. Rickards finished high school at age fifteen. She is also a member of Mensa, a group for people with high IQs.

After a talent show, Rickards went to Los Angeles. There, she found people to help her start her acting career. When she first started, she could only work a limited number of hours because she was young. She appeared in many small roles. Later, she got the part of Samantha Walker in One Tree Hill. Samantha was a runaway foster child. Rickards learned a lot from this show. In the same year, she had a small part in the movie Gamer.

In 2010, Ashley Rickards appeared with Jimmy Smits in the TV show Outlaw. She also tried out for the main role in the MTV series Awkward. At first, she was not chosen. But her manager sent the producers a tape of her acting for the movie Fly Away. This tape showed how well she could act. Rickards then got both roles. She filmed the pilot for Awkward before Fly Away. In Fly Away, she played a girl with severe autism.

As the main actress in Awkward, Rickards became more famous. She even got to direct an episode of the show. In 2012, she had a small role in the comedy Struck by Lightning. She also appeared in another coming-of-age film called Sassy Pants. In 2014, Rickards acted in horror films. She had a main role in At the Devil's Door and played a teenage daughter in A Haunted House 2. In 2015, she filmed the fifth and final season of Awkward. In 2016, it was announced that Rickards would play Rosalind "Rosa" Dillon/The Top in The CW series The Flash.

Other Activities

In March 2015, Ashley Rickards published a book. It was called A Real Guide to Getting It Together Once and For All.

She has also been in several music videos. These include The Fray's "How to Save a Life". She was also in The Format's "She Doesn't Get It" and M83's "Claudia Lewis".

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See Also

In Spanish: Ashley Rickards para niños