Brenda Song facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brenda Song
Song in 2009
Born	(1988-03-27) March 27, 1988 (age 37) Carmichael, California, U.S.
Other names	Brenda Song Culkin
Education	University of California, Berkeley (BA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Macaulay Culkin (2017–present)
Children	2

Brenda Song Culkin (born March 27, 1988) is an American actress. She started her acting journey at age six as a child model. Brenda became famous for her roles on the Disney Channel. She played London Tipton in The Suite Life series and was the main character in Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior.

Later, Brenda moved into more grown-up roles. She appeared in movies like The Social Network and TV shows such as Scandal and New Girl. She also voiced characters in popular animated shows like Amphibia and Blue Eye Samurai.

Brenda's Early Life

Brenda Song was born on March 27, 1988, in Carmichael, California. This is a town near Sacramento. Her family has roots in Thailand and the Hmong culture. Her grandparents changed their last name to Song to help with acting roles.

When Brenda was six, she moved to Los Angeles with her mom to start her acting career. The rest of her family joined them two years later. Brenda wanted to learn ballet, but her brother wanted to do taekwondo. They decided on taekwondo, and Brenda now has a black belt! She was homeschooled and finished high school at 16. Later, she went to the University of California, Berkeley and studied psychology.

Brenda's Acting Career

Starting Out in the 1990s

Brenda began as a child model in San Francisco. An agent saw her at a shopping mall. She first acted in commercials for Little Caesars and Barbie. Her first film role was in 1995 in a short film called Requiem. The director, Elizabeth Sung, said Brenda was very confident and loved acting.

Brenda then appeared in TV shows like Thunder Alley and Fudge. She also had a small part in the movie Santa with Muscles with Hulk Hogan. In the late 1990s, she played Sariffa Chung in the Nickelodeon series 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd. She also had guest roles in many other TV shows.

Becoming a Disney Star in the 2000s

Brenda's early roles earned her awards. In 2000, she won a Young Artist Award for her role in the Disney Channel original film The Ultimate Christmas Present. In this movie, she played Samantha Kwan, one of two girls who find a weather machine. She was also nominated for an award for her appearance on The Bernie Mac Show in 2002. That same year, she was in the family film Like Mike, which was very popular. She played Reg Stevens, a 13-year-old orphan.

In 2002, Brenda signed a deal with Disney. She appeared in the Disney Channel movie Get a Clue with Lindsay Lohan. She also had guest roles in Disney sitcoms like That's So Raven and a recurring role as Tia in Phil of the Future. In 2004, she starred in Stuck in the Suburbs, a Disney Channel movie about two girls who swap phones with a famous singer.

Song at The Cheetah Girls: One World premiere on August 12, 2008

In 2005, Brenda got the role of London Tipton in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. London was a rich, spoiled heiress. Brenda said London was her "fantasy person." The show was about twin brothers, Zack and Cody (Dylan and Cole Sprouse), living in a hotel. The show was very successful, with millions of viewers. It won awards and was nominated for Emmys. Brenda herself was nominated for an Asian Excellence Award.

After The Suite Life, Brenda became a regular on the Disney Channel. She voiced a character in American Dragon: Jake Long. She also starred in an online series called London Tipton's Yay Me!. Brenda was part of the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, singing on a special Cinderella DVD and the DisneyMania 4 CD.

In 2006, Brenda starred as the main character in the Disney Channel movie Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior. This movie was watched by over 5.7 million people! Brenda trained in martial arts for the role. The film was about a Chinese-American teenager who learns about her heritage and becomes a warrior. Critics praised Brenda's acting and martial arts skills. The New York Times called the film a "star vehicle" for Brenda.

Song (center) alongside Kyle (left) and Christopher Massey (right) at the 2009 Movieguide Awards

Brenda continued playing London Tipton in the spin-off show, The Suite Life on Deck. This show also had a very successful premiere. By 2009, the Suite Life cast became Disney Channel's longest-running characters. Brenda also appeared in the film College Road Trip with Raven-Symoné.

Moving to New Roles in the 2010s

In 2010, Brenda joined the cast of The Social Network, a movie about the creation of Facebook. She played Christy Lee, a student who dates Eduardo Saverin. This movie was very popular and won many awards for its cast.

Brenda also appeared in the short film First Kiss in 2012. From 2012 to 2013, she had a recurring role as Alissa in the TV series Scandal. In 2013, she played Daisy in New Girl. She also had a main role as Veronica in the Fox TV series Dads.

Brenda signed a deal with Fox in 2014 to star in new TV projects. She was cast in shows like Life in Pieces and Pure Genius. In 2017, she starred in the movie Changeland, where she met her future husband, Macaulay Culkin. She also starred in the holiday film Angry Angel. From 2018 to 2020, Brenda had a recurring role in Station 19. In 2019, she starred in the Netflix thriller Secret Obsession. She also began voicing Anne Boonchuy in the animated Disney Channel series Amphibia and starred in the Hulu series Dollface.

Recent Work in the 2020s

In 2022, Brenda started voicing Vanessa Vue in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. She also starred in the movie Love Accidentally. That same year, she was part of the cast for the horror video game The Quarry. In 2023, she began voicing Princess Akemi in the animated series Blue Eye Samurai. In 2024, she starred in the drama film The Last Showgirl. She is also set to appear in a new comedy series called Running Point.

Brenda's Personal Life

Brenda Song has been in a relationship with actor Macaulay Culkin since 2017. They met while working on the movie Changeland. Their first son, Dakota Song Culkin, was born on April 5, 2021. He was named after Macaulay's late sister. Brenda and Macaulay got engaged in January 2022. They welcomed their second son in December 2022.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Brenda Song para niños