Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman (born December 10, 1985 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American actress, singer, dancer, producer, and model. She is professionally known as Raven and Raven-Symoné.

Early career

As a baby, Symoné worked for Atlanta's Young Faces Inc. modeling agency and was featured in local print advertisements. At age two, she worked with Ford Models Inc. in New York and appeared in ads for Ritz Crackers, Jell-O, Fisher Price Toys, and Cool Whip. At age three, she auditioned for the film Ghost Dad. She was too young for the role, but was recommended for a part in The Cosby Show, eventually being cast as Olivia in February 1989. After the series ended, Symoné released a music album in 1993 called Here's to New Dreams, which featured the single, "That's What Little Girls Are Made Of." That year, she also joined the cast of ABC's Hangin' with Mr. Cooper as Nicole, the daughter of Mark Curry's cousin.

Later career

In 1998's Dr. Dolittle, title character played by Eddie Murphy (she returned for the first sequel as well). In 1999, she starred in the Disney original film Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century as the best friend of the title character played by Kirsten Storms. Starting in 2002, Raven starred in the Disney Channel series That's So Raven as Raven Baxter, a teenager with psychic abilities; it became Disney's highest rated series during its run and spawned product spinoffs, including soundtracks (that featured songs from Raven), episode DVDs, and video games. In 2003, Raven was featured in the Disney original film The Cheetah Girls and its soundtrack. A year later, her third solo album, This Is My Time, was released. She's also appeared in the films Zenon: Z3, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, and Fat Albert. In 2006, she starred in the Lifetime film For One Night.