Raven-Symoné facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raven-Symoné
Raven-Symoné in 2019
Born	Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman (1985-12-10) December 10, 1985 (age 39) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Other names	Raven
Education	Academy of Art University (AA)
Occupation	Actress singer songwriter director producer television personality
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Miranda Maday ​ (m. 2020)​
Musical career
Origin	Ossining, New York, U.S.
Genres	R&B hip hop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	MCA Walt Disney Crash RayBlaze Hollywood

Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday (born December 10, 1985), often known simply as Raven, is an American actress, singer, and director. She has won many awards, including five NAACP Image Awards and two Kids' Choice Awards. She also received three Young Artist Awards and five Emmy Award nominations. In 2012, she was named one of the "100 Greatest Child Stars of All Time" by VH1.

Raven-Symoné started acting when she was a child. She became famous as Olivia Kendall on The Cosby Show (1989–1992). She also played Nicole Lee on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1993–1997). When she was 15, she got the main role of Raven Baxter in the Disney Channel series That's So Raven (2003–2007). She won many awards for this role. She later played Raven Baxter again in the spin-off series Raven's Home (2017–2023), where she was also an executive producer.

Her movies include Dr. Dolittle (1998), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), The Princess Diaries 2 (2004), and College Road Trip (2008). She also starred in TV movies like Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1999) and The Cheetah Girls (2003). She voiced Monique in the animated series Kim Possible (2002–2007). She also voiced Iridessa in the Tinker Bell movie series. Raven-Symoné has directed episodes for shows like Raven's Home and Bunk'd.

Raven-Symoné released her first music album, Here's to New Dreams, when she was seven years old in 1993. Her song "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" was quite popular. She later released other albums: Undeniable (1999), This Is My Time (2004), and Raven-Symoné (2008). She also sang songs for soundtracks from her Disney projects. These include The Cheetah Girls (2003) and That's So Raven (2004). Many of these soundtracks sold millions of copies. In 2012, she performed on Broadway in the musical Sister Act. From 2015 to 2016, she was a co-host on the TV talk show The View. She also hosts the game show Scrabble on The CW.

Early Life and Childhood

Raven-Symoné was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Her parents are Lydia and Christopher Pearman. She had a younger brother named Blaize. When she was a baby, she worked as a model for an agency in Atlanta. She appeared in ads for local products.

At age two, she worked with Ford Models in New York City. She appeared in ads for popular brands like Ritz crackers and Jell-O. When she was three, her family moved to Ossining, New York. She went to Park School there.

Career Beginnings

Early Acting and Music (1989–2001)

In 1989, Raven-Symoné tried out for a movie called Ghost Dad with Bill Cosby. She was only three years old and too young for the role. But Bill Cosby liked her so much that he created a role for her on his TV show, The Cosby Show. She played his step-granddaughter, Olivia. She first appeared in the show's sixth season and stayed until it ended in 1992.

In 1992, Raven-Symoné started her singing career at age seven. She signed with MCA Records. She took singing lessons from Missy Elliott for about a year. Her first album, Here's to New Dreams, came out on June 22, 1993. It had two songs released as singles: "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" and "Raven Is the Flavor". "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of" reached number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, the album did not sell well, and she left MCA Records in 1995.

In 1993, after The Cosby Show ended, Raven-Symoné got the role of Nicole Lee. She played Mark's cousin on the TV show Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. She joined the show in its second season and stayed until it ended in 1997. In 1994, while on Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, she had her first movie role in The Little Rascals. She played Stymie's girlfriend.

In 1996, Raven-Symoné and her father started their own record label, RayBlaze Records. She released her second album, Undeniable, in May 1999. The album included a cover of Stevie Wonder's song "With a Child's Heart". To promote her album, she opened for the music group ['N Sync] on their tour in 1998 and 1999.

In 1998, she was in the movie Dr. Dolittle with Eddie Murphy. She played Charisse Dolittle, his oldest daughter. In 1999, she appeared in Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, which was her first project with Disney. In 2001, she played Charisse Dolittle again in Dr. Dolittle 2. That same year, she was a guest star in two episodes of the comedy series My Wife and Kids.

Disney Stardom and Music Success (2002–2007)

In 2001, Raven-Symoné tried out for a new Disney Channel show called Absolutely Psychic. It was about a teenager with psychic powers. She first auditioned for a smaller role, but the main role was changed to Raven Baxter and given to her. The show's name became That's So Raven. It started on January 17, 2003, and ended on November 10, 2007. It became one of Disney Channel's most popular and longest-running shows, with 100 episodes. The show led to many products like soundtracks, dolls, and video games. That's So Raven was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005 and 2007. The show also created the first live-action spin-off series for Disney Channel, Cory in the House.

Symoné performing at the Disson Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular in 2008

In 2002, Raven-Symoné got a voice role as Monique on the animated show Kim Possible. She also voiced Monique in two Kim Possible movies. In 2003, she starred as Galleria Garibaldi, the lead singer in The Cheetah Girls. This was a Disney Channel Original Movie. The movie was watched by over 6.5 million people on its first night. It became Disney Channel's most-watched movie at that time. The movie's soundtrack was very successful, selling 2 million copies. After the movie's success, Disney wanted to create a real music group called The Cheetah Girls. However, Raven-Symoné chose to focus on her solo music.

In 2003, she recorded the song "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder for the movie The Haunted Mansion. She also signed a music deal with Hollywood Records, a Disney-owned label. In 2004, she voiced Danielle in the movie Fat Albert. She also appeared in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement as Princess Asana. In this movie, she sang a duet with Julie Andrews. She played Nebula Wade again in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Zenon: Z3.

On September 21, 2004, she released her third album, This Is My Time. It included the song "Backflip". This album was her first to appear on the music charts in the United States. It sold 19,000 copies in its first week. Four songs from the album were used in Disney movie soundtracks. These included The Lion King 1½ and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement. She also recorded music for the first That's So Raven TV soundtrack. This soundtrack sold 500,000 copies.

Symoné performing on the Raven-Symoné Live Tour in 2008

In 2006, Raven-Symoné's 1999 album Undeniable was re-released. To support her third album and the That's So Raven Too! soundtrack, she went on her first concert tour. The "This Is My Time Tour" started on May 19, 2006.

In 2006, she starred in the drama movie For One Night. She also played Galleria again in The Cheetah Girls 2. She was also an executive producer for this movie. The film was watched by over 8 million people on its first night. It became Disney Channel's most-watched movie of 2006. She also appeared in the Disney Channel crossover episode That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana. Later that year, she voiced Marti Brewster in the movie Everyone's Hero.

Symoné recorded music for the second That's So Raven Too! soundtrack. The soundtrack for The Cheetah Girls 2 sold 1.3 million copies.

New Projects and Broadway (2008–Present)

Symoné at The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection Fashion Show in 2010

In 2008, the movie The Cheetah Girls: One World began production. Raven-Symoné did not return for this final Cheetah Girls movie. She later said she felt "excluded" during the second movie. Her fourth album, Raven-Symoné, was released on April 29, 2008. The only song released from this album was "Double Dutch Bus". This song was also used to promote her movie College Road Trip. The album was her last release with Hollywood Records.

In 2008, she starred as Melanie Porter in the comedy movie College Road Trip with Martin Lawrence. Her character is a 17-year-old girl who wants to go on a road trip with her friends for college. But her father, a police chief, insists on taking her instead. The movie earned over $60 million worldwide. From 2008 to 2015, she voiced Iridessa, the light-fairy, in the Disney Fairies movies. She appeared in Chris Rock's 2009 documentary Good Hair.

In 2010, Raven-Symoné starred with Joanna Garcia in an ABC Family movie called Revenge of the Bridesmaids. She also made a guest appearance on the Disney Channel Original Series Sonny with a Chance. She played Amber Algoode, the president of a fan club.

In 2011, Raven-Symoné starred as the main character in ABC Family's comedy State of Georgia. This was her first TV series in four years. The show had 12 episodes and ended in August 2011. ABC Family canceled the show in September 2011. She had been working on her fifth album, but in 2012, she said it was canceled.

On January 31, 2012, it was announced that she would be in the Broadway musical Sister Act. She played the main role of Deloris van Cartier. Her performances started on March 27, 2012, and ended when the show closed on Broadway on August 26, 2012. In 2013, she had a small role in See Dad Run.

In February 2015, she was a guest star on the Fox series Empire. In May 2015, she began a recurring role as Rhonda Johnson on the ABC comedy series Black-ish. She continued to appear in this role until April 2020. In June 2015, she starred in the movie A Girl Like Grace. Also in June 2015, Raven-Symoné became a permanent co-host on the ABC talk show The View. She was nominated for an Daytime Emmy Award for her work on the show. In September 2015, she guest starred in two episodes of the Disney Channel series K.C. Undercover.

On October 27, 2016, she announced she would leave The View. She wanted to focus on producing and starring in a That's So Raven spin-off, Raven's Home. The series started on July 21, 2017. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance. The series ran for six seasons and ended in September 2023.

In May 2016, she released two new songs online, "Sarafina" and "Cruise Control". This was her first new music in eight years. In November 2019, Raven competed on The Masked Singer as "Black Widow". In December 2019, Raven-Symoné released an EP called 33000. In March 2020, she released the song "Spacetruck". In July 2020, she released the song "Serah". In May 2024, she signed a deal with Disney Branded Television. She will produce a spin-off of Raven's Home called Alice in the Palace, which is expected in 2025. In October 2024, she became a host of the game show Scrabble on The CW.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Discography

• Here's to New Dreams (1993)
• Undeniable (1999)
• This Is My Time (2004)
• Raven-Symoné (2008)

Tours

• This Is My Time Tour (2006)
• Live in Concert Tour (2008–2009)

Opening act

• NSYNC in Concert (NSYNC) (1999)

Awards and Nominations

Raven-Symoné has won many awards. These include five NAACP Image Awards, two Kids' Choice Awards, and three Young Artist Awards. She has also been nominated for Children's and Family Emmy Awards and Daytime Emmy Awards.

Images for kids

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  Raven-Symoné in 2019

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  Symoné performing at the Disson Skating & Gymnastics Spectacular in 2008

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  Symoné performing on the Raven-Symoné Live Tour in 2008

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  Symoné at The Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection Fashion Show in 2010

See also

In Spanish: Raven-Symoné para niños