BIOGRAPHY

Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2, 1985) is an American actress and singer who rose to prominence portraying the candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and the female antagonist Sharpay Evans in the High School Musical film series. The High School Musical series became a successful franchise which included two television films, a feature movie, a spin-off and numerous soundtrack albums. The popularity earned by Tisdale in High School Musical led her to sign a solo record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 2006 that allowed her to release two studio albums, Headstrong (2007) and Guilty Pleasure (2009).

Tisdale has a prominent voice role as Candace Flynn in Disney Channel's Phineas & Ferb, a cartoon which became television's most-watched animated series among kids and tweens and had been met with acclaim by critics.[1][2][3] She also owns a production company named Blondie Girl Production and has worked as an executive producer in a number of movies and television shows that includes the ABC Family television film Picture This and the Bravo's 2012 unscripted series Miss Advised. During 2009 and 2010, Tisdale had her first major broadcast role in The CW's television series Hellcats as Savannah Monroe, an intense and very religious cheerleader. In 2012, she was cast in a leading role in Scary Movie 5, the fourth sequel to the 2000 movie, set to premiere in 2013.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Tisdale had minor roles in several television shows such as The Hughleys, Smart Guy, 7th Heaven, Boston Public and Bette and in the feature films A Bug's Life and Donnie Darko.[8] During this time, she simultaneously worked as a Ford Model.[5] For her role in Boston Public, she received a 2000 Young Artist Award nomination for "Best Guest Performance In a TV drama".[12]

In 2004, she was cast as the teenage candy-counter girl Maddie Fitzpatrick in the Disney Channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, which premiered in March 2005 and ended in 2008.[5] She later won her first award at the UK Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for "Best TV Actress", due to her performance as Fitzpatrick.[13][5]

Although the producers of the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical did not initially consider her because of her "good-girl image" on The Suite Life, Tisdale was eventually cast as the popular, narcissistic high school student Sharpay Evans in the 2006 film.[7] High School Musical became Disney Channel's most watched movie that year, with 7.7 million viewers in its US premiere broadcast.[14] The soundtrack, in which Tisdale lent her vocals for several songs, became the top-selling album in the United States that year.[15] Tisdale became the first female artist to debut with two songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with "What I've Been Looking For" and "Bop to the Top", both tracks from the film's soundtrack.[8] Due to the popularity earned by Tisdale through her performance in High School Musical, Warner Bros. Records signed her for a recording contract in July 2006 and she started working on her debut album.

2010–present

Tisdale's return into broadcast television occurred in 2010 when her involvement in The CW Television Network drama series Hellcats was announced in March by The Hollywood Reporter, that reported Tisdale had signed on to co-star on her first major broadcast series role as Savannah Monroe, the peppy and fiercely intense captain of the Hellcats.[43] The series had its script based on the book Cheer: Inside the Secret World of College Cheerleaders by journalist Kate Torgovnick and was described as "Election meets Bring It On" by critics.[44][45] Hellcats, however, had only one full season as it was cancelled by The CW in 2011.[46] She had vocal roles in several TV cartoons, during 2010, including The Cleveland Show,[47] Family Guy[48] and Glenn Martin, DDS.[49] A guest appearance in an episode of Raising Hope and a starring role in a CBS pilot produced by Louis C.K., which has not been picked up by the channel, followed in 2012.[50][51]

A High School Musical spin-off entitled Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, released directly in DVD, featured Tisdale reprising her role as Sharpay Evans and also serving as the executive producer.[52][53] The Disney Channel Original Movie captured 5 million viewers on its premiere night on Disney Channel.[54] Tisdale voiced Candance Flynn in the 2011's Phineas and Ferb movie that premiered on Disney Channel with 7.6 million viewers on its debut night.[55]

During 2011, Tisdale started focusing on her career as a television and film producer. Her production company Blondie Girl Productions signed a multiyear production deal with Relativity Media in 2010, to create, develop and executive produce a series.[27] Tisdale has been working in a film for Disney Channel titled Adventure Quest,[56] a project for Nickelodeon,[57] a Bravo TV reality show titled Miss Advised,[58] an upcoming television series based on Laurie Faria Stolarz's book Blue Is for Nightmares,[59] three digital series,[60] and a drama project for ABC Family.[61]

Tisdale's involvement in Dimension Films' Scary Movie 5, the fourth sequel to the 2000 movie was announced in June 2012, by The Weinstein Company. She is reported to play one of the leading roles in the film, alongside Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen, which is set to an early 2013 release.[62][63] She has also booked a two-episode arc in the fifth season of FX's Sons of Anarchy in which she will portray Emma Jean, a desireble and high-priced escort.

Public image and personal life

Tisdale is represented by Creative Artists Agency. In 2007, Tisdale appeared in a promotional campaign for Staples Inc.'s "Geared 4 School" sweepstakes and appeared in promotional campaigns for Eckō Red clothing brand, that included a mall tour in the US which performances in fashion shows hosted at each. She appeared in commercials for T-Mobile and Toys "R" Us. She was ranked #10 in Maxim's 2008 Hot 100 list and was ranked #94 on Forbes' 2008 Celebrity 100 list. In 2008, Tisdale was ranked #17 in "Forbes' High Earners Under 30" list and earned $2.8 million from High School Musical 3.[79] She also teamed up with Huckleberry Toys to produce a limited quantity of dolls modeled after her. She was the face of Degree Girl in the U.S. and recorded several commercials and songs to promote the product. In 2009, Tisdale signed a five-year endorsement contract with Italian clothes line, Puerco Espin[82] and became a volunteer for the 2009 "Get on the Bus" charity campaign. In 2011, she joined Got Milk? campaign.

Tisdale was romantically involved with Jared Murillo and ended their relationship in March 2009. In March 2007, Tisdale told Blender she was drug and alcohol-free, and does not smoke and went on to add, "my mom really instilled confidence in me, so I'm not somebody who'd be under peer pressure".[86]

Tisdale underwent a septoplasty procedure in November 2007 to correct her partially deviated septum. According to Tisdale, this was done for "health-related reasons and not out of a belief in plastic surgery". The procedure corrected two small fractures in her nose which were interfering with her breathing. She spoke to People magazine about the surgery, saying that it was important to her to be honest with her fans.

From 2009 to 2011, Tisdale was in a relationship with the music video director Scott Speer. Tisdale posed nude for the May 2011 issue of Allure magazine. She was quoted as saying that "being in this shoot was me saying, ‘I’m not just the young girl everybody thinks I am. I’m actually a woman.