Bailee Madison facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bailee Madison
Madison in January 2015
Born	Bailee Madison Riley (1999-10-15) October 15, 1999 (age 25) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Citizenship	United States Canada
Occupation	Actress singer songwriter
Years active	2005–present
Partner(s)	Blake Richardson (2019–present)
Relatives	Kaitlin Vilasuso (sister) Jordi Vilasuso (brother-in-law)
Signature

Bailee Madison Riley (born October 15, 1999) is an American and Canadian actress, singer and songwriter. Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Madison began acting at just two weeks of age, appearing mostly in television commercials for the first few years. Her film debut, as May Belle Aarons in the fantasy drama Bridge to Terabithia (2007), brought her early praise. She gained wider acclaim for starring in the war drama film Brothers (2009), for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. Madison went on to star in a number of horror and thriller films, beginning with Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010), gaining a reputation as a scream queen. She had commercial success with starring roles in the comedies Just Go with It (2011) and Parental Guidance (2012), though the critical reception of these films was mostly negative.

Madison transitioned to television in ensuing years, first with recurring roles in The Haunting Hour: The Series (2010–2012), as young Snow White in Once Upon a Time (2012–2016), and as a teenager with multiple mental health issues in the drama series The Fosters (2014–2015). She played the leading roles of Hillary Harrison in Trophy Wife (2013–2014) and Grace Russell in Good Witch (2015–2021). Madison gained further praise and resurged her status as a scream queen with her leading role as Imogen Adams in the Max slasher horror series Pretty Little Liars (2022–2024), a spinoff of the eponymous original series. She subsequently debuted her solo music career with the release of the pop single "Kinda Fun" (2024).

Early life

Bailee Madison Riley was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Patricia and Michael Riley. The youngest of seven children, she has four brothers and two sisters. Her elder sister, Kaitlin Vilasuso, is also an actress. Her father is Canadian, and through him Madison has citizenship by birth.

Madison began her career when she was two weeks old, appearing in an Office Depot commercial. Since then, she has appeared in several national commercials for major companies including Disney, SeaWorld, and Cadillac. She also serves as a national youth spokesperson for the childhood-cancer charity Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

Career

Madison at the Faith and Values Awards Gala in 2008

2010s

Madison at the Golden Globes Gift Lounge on January 14, 2012

In 2010, Madison starred in her first leading role in the supernatural horror film Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. She starred alongside Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce, portraying the role of Sally Hurst, a lonely withdrawn child who is sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3+1⁄2 stars out of 4, calling it "a very good haunted house film" and adding that it "milks our frustration deliciously."

In 2011, Madison portrayed Maxine Russo in some episodes of The Wizards of Waverly Place at the time when Max Russo was turned into a girl.

In 2013, Madison began playing Hillary on the TV sitcom Trophy Wife, replacing Gianna LePera who played the character in the pilot.

In 2014, she began playing the recurring role of Sophia Quinn in the ABC Family drama The Fosters.

In 2015, she began playing Grace Russell, the daughter of Cassie Nightingale, in the Hallmark series Good Witch. Madison continued in the role until the end of the fifth season in 2019.

In 2017, it was announced that Madison would star in an adaptation of Rachel Bateman's novel Someone Else's Summer.

In 2018, Madison portrayed the role of Kinsey, a rebellious child in the slasher film The Strangers: Prey at Night. She starred alongside Christina Hendricks and Martin Henderson, as her parents. Although the film received a mixed response from critics, Madison's performance was praised and was relatively successful at the box office.

2020s

In 2021, Madison played the female lead in a teen Christian musical drama, A Week Away, alongside Kevin Quinn. Netflix released the film on March 26. The following year, she played Imogen Adams in the HBO Max horror-thriller series Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, a spin-off of Pretty Little Liars, to critical acclaim. In 2024, Madison signed a deal with Red Van Records, releasing her first single, "Kinda Fun", on January 12, and her second single, "Chiller", on July 26.

Personal life

Since 2019, Madison has been in a relationship with Blake Richardson, from the band New Hope Club.

Other ventures

Since 2010, Madison has served as the national youth spokesperson for Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, an organization that encourages kids to fundraise and spread awareness of pediatric cancer by running their own lemonade stands. In January 2018, Madison's first novel was published, Losing Brave, a young-adult mystery which was co-written with Stefne Miller. Since November 2018, she has co-hosted the podcast Just Between Us with her sister Kaitlin Vilasuso.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Discography

Singles

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Bailee Madison para niños