Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez
Background information
Origin	United States
Genre(s)	Pop rock
Years active	2002-present
Label(s)	Hollywood
Website	www.selenagomez.com/

From Disney Channel Wiki

Selena Marie Gomez (born July 22, 1992) is an American actress and singer, best known for her portrayal of Alex Russo on the Disney Channel sitcom, Wizards of Waverly Place. She has also starred in Another Cinderella Story, the sequel to the 2004 Hilary Duff film, and most recently, in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Princess Protection Program.

From 2002 to 2003, Gomez had a recurring role on Barney & Friends. A year after her stint on the show ended, she was discovered in a nation-wide scouting by Disney, and had guest starring roles on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana before she was eventually given one of the three starring roles on Wizards of Waverly Place.

On top of her acting career, Gomez also has several musical credits to her name. In 2008, she recorded songs for the soundtracks to Tinker Bell and her film Another Cinderella Story; in 2009, she recorded four songs for the Wizards soundtrack and two duets - "One and the Same" for Princess Protection Program with her co-star, Demi Lovato, and "Whoa Oh!" with Forever the Sickest Kids. She signed a deal with the Disney-owned Hollywood Records in 2008 and plans to be in a band instead of recording as a solo artist.

Early life

Gomez, an only child, was born in Grand Prairie, Texas to Ricardo Gomez and Mandy Teefy (née Cornett), a former stage actress who was 16 when she gave birth to Gomez. Her birth parents separated when she was five years old; her mother remarried in 2006 to Brian Teefy. Gomez was named after singer Selena. Her father is from Mexico, and she has Italian ancestry on her mother's side.

Career

Acting

Gomez at a Wizards taping in April 2007.

Gomez began her acting career at age seven, playing Gianna on Barney & Friends. She said that she learned "everything" about how to act while on the show. She later had minor roles in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and the TV film Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial By Fire.

In 2004, Gomez was discovered by the Disney Channel in a nation wide scouting. In 2005, she was selected to star in a sequel to Lizzie McGuire called What's Stevie Thinking? in the lead role of Stevie Sanchez with Lalaine playing the part of her older sister, Miranda. The pilot was filmed but never aired due to Disney not picking it up as a series.

In 2006, she went on to appear as a guest star on The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Hannah Montana before being cast in Wizards of Waverly Place as one of the main characters, Alex Russo. She also appears in the 2009 Disney Channel movie based on the show.

In 2008, Gomez appeared in Another Cinderella Story, the direct-to-DVD sequel to the A Cinderella Story, opposite Drew Seeley. In its January 2009 television debut on ABC Family, it drew 5.3 million viewers and was ranked as the month's number one cable movie across all key demographics. She also had a minor voiceover role as one the Mayor's ninety-six daughters in Horton Hears a Who! which released in March of that year.

In April, Forbes listed Gomez as one of its "Eight Hot Kid Stars To Watch." In October, she launched a production company, July Moon Productions, and teamed with XYZ Films to create star vehicles for her.

In 2009, she appeared in the Disney Channel movie, Princess Protection Program with Demi Lovato. The film drew 8.5 million viewers on its premiere night, the third-highest premiere for a Disney Channel Original Movie.

Music

In 2008, Gomez recorded a cover of "Cruella de Vil" from One Hundred and One Dalmatians for DisneyMania 6, three songs for the soundtrack to Another Cinderella Story, and "Fly to Your Heart" for the animated Disney film Tinker Bell. In July 2008, she signed a record deal with Hollywood Records. During an interview with MTV in August 2008, she said of her future music career:

In 2009, Gomez recorded "One and the Same" for Princess Protection Program as a duet with her co-star Demi Lovato, four songs for the Wizards of Waverly Place soundtrack (including the show's theme song, "Everything Is Not What It Seems"), and "Whoa Oh!" with Forever the Sickest Kids.

Philanthropy

Gomez was involved in the UR Votes Count campaign which helped encourage teenagers learn more about their 2008 Presidential candidates (Barack Obama and John McCain). In October 2008, Gomez was named a spokesperson for UNICEF's 2008 Trick-or-Treat campaign, which encouraged children to raise money on Halloween to help children around the world. She said that she was "extremely excited" to "encourage other kids to make a different in the world." In October 2008, Gomez participated in St. Jude's Children's Hospital "Runway For Life" benefit. Gomez is a spokesperson for Borden Milk; she is featured in the campaign's print and television ads. She is the ambassador of DoSomething.org after being involved with the charity Island Dog, which help dogs in Puerto Rico. She was featured in State Farm Insurance's TV commercials. Gomez is also involved with the charity RAISE Hope For Congo. Gomez is involved in Disney's Friends for Change and a Disney Channel commercial that raised awareness for the cause. She recorded "Send it On" with several other Disney musicians for the charity.

Personal life

Gomez is a Christian and began wearing a purity ring with "true love waits" engraved when she was 12 years old. She has four dogs.

She is best friends with fellow Disney Channel actress Demi Lovato, whom she has known since they met at a Barney & Friends audition. After the two posted a video blog on YouTube in March 2008, Miley Cyrus and her friend Mandy Jiroux uploaded a parody of that video, which caught the interest of entertainment media. Reports included the theory that Gomez and Cyrus were arguing over Nick Jonas, or that Gomez and Lovato might replace Cyrus. On replacing Cyrus, Gomez clarified,

Filmography

Film
Year	Film	Role	Notes
2003	Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over	Waterpark Girl	Minor role
2005	Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire	Julie	Minor role
2006	Brain Zapped	Emily Grace Garcia
2008	Horton Hears a Who!	Mayor's Daughter	Voiceover
2008	Another Cinderella Story	Mary Santiago	Direct-to-DVD
2009	Princess Protection Program	Carter Mason	Disney Channel Original Movie
2009	Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie	Alex Russo	Disney Channel Original Movie
2010	Ramona and Beezus	Beezus Quimby
Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2002-2003	Barney & Friends	Gianna	Recurring role
2007-present	Wizards of Waverly Place	Alex Russo
Guest Appearances
Year	Title	Role	Notes
2006	The Suite Life of Zack & Cody	Gwen	"A Midsummer's Nightmare" (Season 2, Episode 22)
2007-2008	Hannah Montana	Mikayla	"I Want You to Want Me... to Go to Florida" (Season 2, Episode 13) "That's What Friends Are For?" (Season 2, Episode 18) "(We're So Sorry) Uncle Earl" (Season 2, Episode 22)
2009	Sonny With a Chance	Herself	"Battle of the Networks' Stars" (Season 1, Episode 13)
2009	The Suite Life on Deck	Alex Russo	"Double-Crossed" (Season 1, Episode 21)
Music Videos
Year	Music Video	Role	Artist(s)
2008	"Cruella De Vil"	Herself	Herself
	"Burnin' Up"	Nick's Love Interest	Jonas Brothers
	"Tell Me Something I Don't Know"	Herself	Herself
	"Fly To Your Heart"	Herself	Herself
2009	"One and the Same"	Herself	Duet with Demi Lovato
2009	"Magic"	Herself	Herself

Discography

Singles

2008:

"Cruella de Vil"
"Tell Me Something I Don't Know"
"New Classic" featuring Drew Seeley

2009:

"Whoa Oh!" featuring Forever the Sickest Kids
"One and the Same" featuring Demi Lovato
"Magic"

Soundtracks