Maia Mitchell (born August 18, 1993) is an Australian actress and singer. Mitchell has portrayed Shaylee Michaels on Jessie. She is best known for her role as Brittany Flune in the children's television series Mortified for Nine Network Australia, and as Natasha Hamilton in the Seven Network's teen drama Trapped. For American audiences, she currently co-stars in the ABC Family drama, The Fosters. She also co-starred with Ross Lynch in the Disney Channel original film Teen Beach Movie as McKenzie "Mack".
Early life
Mitchell was born in Lismore, New South Wales. Her father, Alex, is a taxi driver, while her mother, Jill, works in the education system. Mitchell has one younger brother, Charlie. She plays guitar, which has been demonstrated in her film and television work. She learned to play at a young age.
Career
Mitchell first began acting by performing in school plays and also in local theater productions. She was discovered by talent agencies and got her big break at age 12 when she was cast as Brittany Flune in the Australian children's television series Mortified. Mortified ended after two seasons and a total of 26 episodes, which spanned from 30 June 2006 to 11 April 2007. Due to her success on Mortified, she also starred in the Australian television series Trapped and its sequel series Castaway as the character Nastasha Hamilton. She is also in the TV series K-9, a spin-off of the popular British TV series Doctor Who which focuses on the robot dog K-9. Her acting was also discovered by Disney Channel and her first television role in the US was in the TV series Jessie. She then made her film debut by starring as the main character McKenzie in the Disney Channel Original movie Teen Beach Movie. She currently stars in the ABC Family drama series The Fosters.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–2007 | Mortified | Brittany Flune | Main role | |
| 2008–2009 | Trapped | Natasha Hamilton | Main role | |
| 2009 | K-9 | Taphony | "Taphony and the Time Loop" (Season 1, Episode 20) | |
| 2011 | Castaway | Natasha Hamilton | Main role | |
| 2013 | Jessie (TV Series) | The Fosters | Callie Jacob | Main role |
| 2013 | Phineas and Ferb | Herself | "Phineas and Ferb's Musical Cliptastic Countdown" (Season 4, Episode 11) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Teen Beach Movie | McKenzie | Disney Channel Original Movie |
| 2013 | The Philosophers | Beatrice | |
| 2013 | Frozen | Teenage Elsa | Voice |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Teen Choice Awards for Choice Summer TV Star: Female | The Fosters | Nominated | [1] |